Growing purslane from seeds: when to plant? Purslane growing from seeds planting care recipes for cooking Purslane ampelous.

Purslane is grown by many flower growers. Most often it is planted in the ground in the garden - this is a wonderful groundcover. The stems of the plant with leaves similar to Christmas tree needles are intertwined and perfectly cover the soil, and bright flowers: yellow, orange, scarlet, pink, white form a motley carpet on the ground.

Portulaca are also grown in pots and flowerpots, which decorate loggias, verandas and balconies, turning them into a wonderful "rose garden", because double flowers purslane really resemble small roses.

What is this plant? What you need to know about planting purslane and caring for it? What are the basic rules for growing?

Purslane grandiflorum

All decorative purslane belong to the large-flowered purslane species (Portulaca grandiflora). There are many varieties, they differ in the color of the petals and the degree of terry. Some producers distinguish ampelous varieties, although ordinary ones can also be grown as ampelous ones. Mixtures of seeds of multi-colored varieties are often sold, such a planting looks very decorative.

The plant is a perennial, but is grown as an annual, because in our conditions does not hibernate outdoors. The plant is creeping, succulent, its reddish branching stems rise 15-20 cm above the ground. Flowers open only during the day in sunny weather. This is, of course, a disadvantage in the conditions of the middle lane, but a clear advantage is long flowering.

purslane blooms from mid June to September when the first frosts come. Flowering is plentiful, but each single flower blooms in one day, then fades and sets fruit. If a withered flowers do not remove in time and the box will ripen, the purslane will self-sow, which, as a rule, is undesirable, because. the plants thus obtained for the next year will bloom only by August.

Growing purslane from seeds

In southern warm regions, seeds can be sown directly into the ground. But for the purslane to bloom in June in middle lane, planting in the ground is carried out by seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown in February - March. You can take any soil for germination, it is important that it be light, air and water permeable. Purslane seeds are very small, so it is convenient to mix them with calcined or otherwise disinfected river sand when sowing. This mixture is scattered over the surface of wet soil, it is not covered with earth from above, it is simply pressed against the surface with a plank, sprayed with water from a spray bottle. Crops are placed in a warm (with a temperature of at least 20 degrees) place, covered with a film or bag, which is removed once a day for ventilation. As it dries, the surface of the earth is moistened with a spray bottle.

After about 1-2 weeks, shoots begin to appear, at this moment the film from the boxes must be removed and placed on the windowsill. Continue watering also with a spray bottle. The purslane rises, as a rule, together, the shoots are plump, juicy.

After the appearance of the second true leaf on the seedlings, a pick is carried out. In this case, the plants are seated at a distance of 4 cm from each other and buried to the cotyledon leaves.

Landing and care

Planting purslane in open ground carried out, when danger of frost has passed. In the southern regions - in May, in the middle lane at the end of May - beginning of June, in Siberia and the Urals - after June 10. Before planting, it is useful to harden seedlings 1-2 weeks before planting. To do this, containers with plants are taken out into the street during the day, gradually increasing the hardening time from 15 minutes to 5-6 hours. It is good if, by the time of planting, more than 10 strong leaves and buds are formed on the seedlings.

Seedlings are planted in the garden at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, after planting they are watered. Until the shoots grow and cover the ground, the purslane should be regularly weeded and loosened the ground around the plants.

For purslane, it is important to choose the right place to land. It grows well in open, sunny places and in light partial shade. In shady areas it will bloom poorly. Good lighting is perhaps the only fundamental condition for the successful cultivation of purslane.

Purslane feels great on poor sandy soils, does not like peat soils very much; shoots actively grow on nutritious soils to the detriment of flowering. The site for purslane should be dry, without stagnant water.

When caring for purslane, you need to remember that it is harmful and over watering. In combination with cold weather, this leads to the appearance of fungal diseases in the plant, although in general this plant is very resistant to diseases, and pests do not attack it. Water purslane abundantly, only in hot weather, when the soil dries out enough. The plant can tolerate quite a long dryness, it is a succulent.

Purslane is well cuttings. If you transfer one or more plants from the garden for the winter to the room, in the spring you can cut off several branches from them, root them in water and plant them in a flower garden. In a month, the cuttings will give flowering bushes.

The plant does not require mandatory feeding, but if you feed the purslane with mineral fertilizer 2-3 times during the summer, the flowering will be more abundant and magnificent.

If you are interested in growing purslane from own seeds, it is possible, but rather for non-double species. Terry ones form fewer seeds, and they have the worst germination. Since the seeds are formed and ripen unevenly, they need to be collected as they form. The boxes are torn off after they turn yellow, slightly unripe, so that they do not have time to crack, and dry them out, spreading them out on paper. You can sow them for seedlings next spring, and germination persists for three years.

Purslane garden

In addition to decorative (inedible), there are edible, garden types of purslane. Salads are prepared from them, added to soups, marinated. Possesses garden purslane and medicinal properties, although it also has contraindications for eating for health reasons. In France, species of garden purslane with red and yellow leaves are specially bred.

Interesting name for this plant. What does it mean? There are two versions. The first - the word comes from the Latin words pulli pied - "chicken leg". Indeed, a sprig of purslane resembles a chicken leg. By the way, one of the popular names for purslane, “chicken leg”, can be considered an indirect confirmation of this version. According to the second version, the word "purslane" comes from the Latin word portula - "door". The ripe fruit of the purslane, the box, is torn, and the torn edges resemble an open door.

Non-decorative species of purslane are found in the wild in the southern regions of Russia, in the south Far East, in Central Asia, in the Caucasus. He also took root in the non-chernozem zone. Wild purslane is a stubborn, tenacious weed that is very difficult to get out of the garden. Popular names: fleas, buterlak, chicken foot, chicken footprint, pine, dandur.

Plant purslane (lat. Portulaca), or dandur- a species of the genus Purslane of the Purslane family, growing in the tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere and numbering, according to various sources, from one hundred to two hundred varieties. Prefers purslane flower moist sandy places along the banks of rivers and reservoirs, it grows in gardens, fields and vegetable gardens near dwellings. The name of the plant comes from the Latin word "portula", which means "small gate, gate" - the seed box of the plant opens, as if small doors swing open. We call this plant "rugs". The popularity of purslane in Europe came in the Middle Ages, the British especially liked it, and at first not as a garden, but as garden plant. AT garden culture only one species is grown large-flowered purslane (Portulaca grandiflora).

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Read more about growing purslane below.

Purslane flowers - description

Purslane flowers are grown as annuals because they cannot stand our winters even under cover. Their height does not exceed 30 cm. The purslane has a branched spindle-shaped root, juicy, branched stems Brown color, hollow inside, fleshy leaves, cylindrical shape or resembling a flattened egg. The flowers are white, yellow, deep red, bloom from June to September, and although each flower lives only one day, withering by evening, purslane blooms so profusely that it seems continuous. The fruit of the purslane is a multi-seeded spherical box. In addition to garden purslane grown in flowerbeds, in pots, hanging baskets and containers, garden purslane grass grows in our gardens, or vegetable purslane, which is a weed on the one hand, and a salad and medicinal plant on the other.

Growing purslane from seeds

sowing purslane

Many flower growers consider growing purslane seedlings the most convenient way reproduction, so we will tell you how to sow purslane for seedlings. Despite the fact that many flower growers, when discussing when it is better to plant purslane seeds, believe that this should be done at the end of February or early March, it seems to me that it is better to sow purslane for seedlings in April so that germinated seedlings grow and development, there was enough light day, while earlier crops have to be artificially illuminated. Before sowing purslane, you should prepare soil mix, because in any purchased soil contains peat, which slows down the germination of purslane seeds. To prepare the mixture, you can take garden soil, add about 20% sand to it, mix thoroughly and ignite the mixture in the oven. In a shallow container with drainage holes, lay a layer of fine gravel or expanded clay, place disinfected soil on top, pour it with settled, and best of all, melt water and spread the seeds a centimeter apart on the surface - the easiest way to do this is using a wet toothpick - then press lightly seeds into the soil and, having built a frame over the container, pull transparent polyethylene over it to make a greenhouse. You need to keep a greenhouse with sowing in light warmth a place where the temperature will not fall below 22 ºC, but preferably around 30 ºC.

Purslane seedlings

At favorable conditions Purslane seedlings will begin to appear in a week or two, and as soon as this happens, the film can be removed from the container. Now you should know how to grow purslane seedlings. Growing purslane seedlings involves periodically moistening the soil with settled water, using the bottom irrigation method, and, if necessary, organizing additional lighting. Under what circumstances might this need arise? If you see that the seedlings are too stretched, then they do not have enough light, therefore, they will have to be illuminated with fluorescent lamps or ordinary table lamp a couple of hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening, thus lengthening the daylight hours for seedlings. In cloudy weather, the lamps should burn all day. But if you sow purslane for seedlings in April and keep the seedlings on the southern windowsill, then all this trouble with artificial lighting won't be needed.

Purslane pick

When and how to dive purslane? As soon as the seedlings have a pair of true leaves, they should be planted three by three in cups with a diameter of 7-8 cm, trying not to shake off the earthen ball from the roots, and a week after picking, when they take root, the first top dressing should be applied with complex mineral fertilizer. Then top dressing should be carried out weekly or once a decade until the very landing in the ground.

Planting purslane in open ground

When to plant purslane

Planting purslane flowers is carried out no earlier than the beginning of June, because you must be sure that there will be no more frosts, otherwise, at temperatures below 10 ºC, the leaves fall off the purslane. Prepare a place for the plant in the sunniest and most elevated area, because even in partial shade it may not bloom, and if the purslane roots are close ground water or in a lowland where water stagnates, putrefactive processes of the plant's root system may occur. The soil for purslane is best poor, sandy, because on rich soil purslane only increases its green mass, but does not bloom.

How to plant purslane

It is desirable to plant purslane in open ground when the seedlings grow 10-15 leaves and several buds appear. Purslane is planted in this order: the bushes should be located no closer than 15-20 cm from each other. The first 2-3 days after planting, the purslane in the flower bed should be watered daily, especially if the weather is dry. Purslane blooms from seeds 6-7 weeks after germination.

Purslane Care

How to grow purslane

Caring for purslane flowers consists in periodic watering - despite the fact that its leaves retain moisture well, the plant needs water for normal flowering. The plant does not need fertilizing, pruning, weeding, or loosening the soil. All purslane care is infrequent, but regular watering.

Pests and diseases of purslane

As you can see, planting a purslane and caring for it is within the power of both an indefatigable and a lazy lover of flowers. Even growing terry purslane from seeds does not present any difficulty, because it does not differ from the rules for growing large-flowered or garden purslane, which were described above. As for pests and diseases, the purslane is very resistant to them, and you are unlikely to have any difficulties with this. However, sometimes there is a massive raid on flower beds, gardens and aphids, then the purslane also gets it. It is best to fight aphids by spraying Actellik, and if you couldn’t fix the problem the first time, then after a week you can repeat the insecticide treatment. Sometimes purslane infects the fungus Albugo portulaceae, which is expressed in deformation of the shoots and the appearance of spots on the leaves. Damaged parts will have to be removed and the plants sprayed with a fungicide containing copper.

Purslane Properties

Purslane after flowering

How and when to collect purslane seeds

As soon as the flowers begin to wither, remove them without regret, while they are easily removed from the ovary, otherwise they will wither, and you will not see the fruit under them, which, when ripe, will open and spill the seeds to the ground. In dry weather, the seeds ripen two weeks after pollination; in cold summer and autumn, the ripening process can be delayed for a month. In addition, you should know that freshly harvested seeds become viable only next spring and retain it for three years.

Purslane in winter

In our climate, garden purslane does not hibernate, so in the fall you need to free the area from it and dig up the soil. Purslane propagates by self-sowing, so do not worry about how and when to plant it next spring.

Types and varieties of purslane

Large-flowered purslane (Portulaca grandiflora)

As already mentioned, large-flowered purslane is grown in horticultural culture, a native South America, a perennial cultivated in our climate as annual plant. In height, the bushes of large-flowered purslane reach no more than 30 cm, since its stems are decumbent. The leaves are fleshy, small, cylindrical in shape. Single cup-shaped flowers with a diameter of 3-4 cm, simple or double, look like tea roses in white, cream, beige, yellow, red or purple, there are varieties that have a two-tone color. The original species has red flowers. Large-flowered purslane blooms from June to late October. The best varieties.

Thinking about how to decorate your flower bed next spring! Pay attention to purslane. The shoots of the plant have needle-like leaves, intertwining, cover the ground well, and a variety of colors (red, white, pink, orange, purple) creates a multi-colored meadow. In addition, the plant does not require much time for care.

Growing purslane from seeds

There are several ways to breed purslane. The most popular way is to grow purslane with seeds, as it does not require high costs time and effort.

Did you know? The name of the purslane flower comes from the Latin word "portula" - "collar".

Sowing seeds for seedlings

For those who are eager to see the purslane bloom in June, seedlings are planted in the ground. For seedlings, seeds are sown in February-March. Any soil is suitable for them, the main thing is that it is moisture and breathable. Due to the small size of the seeds, when purslane is planted for seedlings, they are mixed with calcined sand. The resulting cocktail is scattered over the surface of moist soil, without falling asleep, but slightly pressed to the surface of the soil, irrigated with water from a sprayer. Then the pots are covered with polyethylene and transferred to a warm room (the temperature should not be lower than 20ºC). Once a day, the film is removed in order to ventilate and water if necessary.

Important! Do not overuse fertilizers. With a large number of them, the purslane will grow green and stop blooming.

Caring for purslane seedlings will not be a big hassle. Seedlings germinate in 1-2 weeks. When they appear, the cover from the pots or boxes is removed and the seedlings are moved to the windowsills. Watering is continued with a sprinkler. When the second leaf appears on the seedling, the purslane begins to dive. Seedlings dive at a distance of 4 cm from each other, deepening them to the cotyledon leaf. Purslane is planted in a flower garden at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Seedlings can be planted after frost (temperatures below 10ºC are critical for purslane).

Sowing seeds in open ground

Purslane is a perennial plant. It can be planted once, and then the grass will self-sow. The plant can grow for years in the same place in the flower bed. Purslane does not require specific care and special soil. Seeds should be sown after the last frost in a sunny location. When purslane is planted with seeds in open ground, the ground is first loosened and a small amount of fertilizer is applied, while the seeds are slightly pressed into the soil to a depth of 1 cm. The gap between the rows is within 50 cm. When two leaves appear on the seedlings, they break through, leaving one plant per 10 cm.

Reproduction of purslane cuttings

Purslane is well propagated by cuttings. For the winter, you need to bring one or more plants from the flower bed into the house. In the spring, part of the branches are cut off from the purslane, rooted in water and transplanted into a flower bed. When purslane is planted with cuttings, it blooms in a month.

Did you know?Purslane has a number of medicinal properties. Its shoots contain vitamins of groups A, B, K, PP, E. It also serves as a source of protein and carbohydrates.

Combination with other plants and use in landscape design

Purslane is great for use in landscape design. The plant is used for group plantings. Purslane looks great both in front of flower beds and on the southern slopes alpine slides. In the flower garden, purslane well replaces flowering small-bulbous spring plants.

In mixborders, it is used as a foreground plant. It is often used as border plant in dry conditions. Growing purslane in balcony boxes and flowerpots, they transform gazebos, verandas and terraces. The plant looks good with marigolds and nasturtiums.

Purslane serves as an alternative lawn grass, since it does not require frequent watering, it does not need to be cut, it does not stop blooming, constantly pleasing the eye with bright colors.

How to care for purslane in the garden

Purslane was brought from South America - these are the tropics and subtropics. Therefore, it is extremely important for him good lighting and moderate watering. Fertilizers should not be carried away, as they can harm flowering. Water the plant every 5-7 days with water at room temperature. In drought conditions, watering is carried out more often. The soil around the flowers needs to be pushed only at the beginning of growth. Mandatory is weeding from weeds.

When growing purslane in room conditions in summer it is moved to a well-ventilated and protected from rain place.

Important! Good and abundant purslane blooms only in the sun.

When to Harvest and How to Store Purslane Seeds

For breeding purslane from seeds, it must be taken into account that this is only possible for non-double species. Seeds of terry purslane do not germinate well. Seeds are formed and ripen unevenly, therefore, they are collected as they ripen. Seed boxes are plucked after they are purchased yellow unripe to avoid cracking. Dry the collected inoculum by spreading it on paper. To maintain high germination of seeds, they must be placed in a tin or plastic container by tightly closing it with a lid. Storage temperature should not exceed 4-5ºC. Germination is maintained for three years. When seeds are stored at high temperature and humidity, germination decreases.

Purslane is a carpet annual plant that attracts, first of all, with its flowers - single, rather large (from 3 to 6 cm in diameter), they are simple, double and semi-double, color - white, orange, yellow, cream, pink, cherry and pinkish red. Flowers are located at the ends of the stem. Flowering lasts only one day - having blossomed in the morning, the flower dies off in the evening. But due to the fact that new flowers on the purslane, under appropriate conditions, are formed constantly and very much, the decorativeness of the plant does not suffer from this. The flowering period of purslane begins in June and lasts until the first frost.

Purslane is a plant that is very convenient for use in landscape design. It grows well, covering the soil with a green solid carpet - which is why it is often used as a ground cover, especially for open sunny places, on dry soils it generally acts as a substitute lawn. He feels good on stony soils, with his help you can get floral carpet both on flat slopes and slopes.

It is used everywhere in rockeries, on stone walls, in ridges, between slabs, on dry and southern slopes of alpine hills. In the flower garden, it can successfully replace faded ornithogallums, muscari and other small-bulbous plants that have bloomed since early spring. AT mixborder purslane is usually planted as a foreground plant, and in dry places as a border plant.

Due to its unpretentiousness, purslane feels great in garden or hanging vases, it is well suited for growing on loggias and balconies.

Types of purslane

Despite the fact that about 200 species of purslane are known in nature, only two of its species are grown in culture.

Purslane grandiflorum

In its natural habitat, this species is a perennial, but in our conditions it is grown exclusively as an annual plant, because it, even when sheltered for the winter, does not tolerate frost. This is a low (up to 20 cm) creeping plant with a strongly branching stem, the leaves are cylindrical in shape, reaching up to 2 cm in diameter. The most popular varieties:

• Scarlet- undersized (up to 12 cm) plant with a strongly branched stem. Flowers - double, scarlet, up to 5 cm in diameter, flowering lasts from July to mid-October

• Cherry- low (up to 12 cm) plant with simple flowers cherry-colored, which can reach up to 5 cm in diameter
• Hybrid "Cream" - double flowers, up to 5 cm in diameter, cream, with a more saturated color in the middle

• Splendex- this variety of purslane attracts with its flowers of an unusual, pink-purple hue
• Sunglo- a variety that has not only the largest flowers, but also retains flowering even on cloudy days

• Orange- with flowers of bright orange color, this variety is often used as an ampelous plant.

Purslane garden

Another name is dandur or a flea plant, extremely unpretentious, most summer residents are notorious as a weed that is difficult to remove. This plant has a fleshy, bare, succulent stem, the shoots have a characteristic crimson pigmentation and can reach up to 60 cm in length, usually lying on the ground, only the growing parts are raised. The leaves are fleshy, palmate or oblong-oval, yellowish-green or green in color. Flowering lasts in June-September, but has no decorative value - the flowers are inexpressive, very small, yellow.

For medical purposes, purslane has been used since ancient times, its leaves and shoots are rich in vitamins A, E, C, PP, K, as well as easily digestible proteins, carbohydrates, carotene, organic acids, saponins, mineral and mucous salts. AT traditional medicine purslane is used as a wound healing, anti-inflammatory and diuretic, it helps to relieve inflammation in bladder, with diseases of the kidneys and liver, arthritis, eye diseases. Drinking purslane juice helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

In cooking, green succulent shoots are used, which are cut before flowering.
The greens have a slightly sour, refreshing taste with slightly burning and spicy nuances, reminiscent of sorrel or spinach. Purslane is used both for salads and in vegetable dishes, gravies and sauces for fish and meat dishes. In Transcaucasia and Central Asia, it is pickled and salted, and also harvested in dried form.

Advice! You can cut off almost the entire shoot, after 25-30 days the plant is restored almost completely, one plant gives 3-4 crops per summer.

Purslane: cultivation and care

Growing purslane is easy enough, it is an ideal plant for those who cannot devote a lot of time to caring for the plant. The main thing is to choose the right soil for it. Purslane comes from Brazil and Argentina, so the main condition for its normal development and abundant flowering- the sun is very thermophilic and photophilous plant. There should be a lot of sun, because on cloudy days or in a shaded place, purslane flowers do not open. With a lack of light, flowering may not begin at all, the stem lengthens, the carpet loses its solidity.

The soil

Sandy, poor soil is best suited for planting purslane - on too “fat” land, the plant will intensively increase its green mass, but flowering may not occur at all. It is very important that there is no peat in the soil. To adapt the "heavy" soil for planting purslane, you can add charcoal.

top dressing

Purslane does not need to be fed, it tolerates poor soils well, but fertilizer can cause flowering to stop.

Watering

Purslane requires frequent watering immediately after transplantation, during the period of active plant growth. As it grows, the frequency of watering decreases. Despite the fact that the fleshy leaves of purslane are able to accumulate water, mature plant needs periodic watering, on average - 1 time per week, and in very dry summers - 1 time in 3-4 days.

Care

Purslane is very unpretentious, it does not require weeding (most often, you will have to stop its “aggressive” aspirations, thanks to self-seeding, it is capable of a short time cover enough large areas, especially vegetable purslane), loosening the soil or pruning.

Diseases and pests

Purslane is extremely resistant to diseases, the only fairly rare disease is infection with the fungus Albugo portulaceae, the defeat of which is indicated by small spots that appear on the leaves of the purslane. In this case, the stems of plants begin to deform and lose their attractiveness. To get rid of the fungus, the affected parts of the plant are removed, the remaining shoots are treated with any fungicidal preparations containing copper. Very rarely, thrips can appear on the plant - insect pests that suck the juice of the plant, which is why silver specks form on the leaves.

Reproduction of purslane

The main method of propagation of purslane is seed. Due to the fact that the maturation of the boxes containing the seeds is very uneven, and when they ripen they immediately crack, for harvesting the seeds they are collected slightly unripe and laid out on paper. And although the seeds remain similar for 2-3 years, it is better to sow them immediately the next year.

Since purslane blooms 2-2.5 months after germination, it is sown for seedlings in early March. To do this, up to 1 cm of fine gravel is poured at the bottom of a small drainage tank. Soil - mixture garden soil(80%) and sand (20%). Important point- in the presence of peat in the soil, germination will be extremely low up to its complete absence.

The soil is well moistened with thawed (settled) water, the seeds are simply sown from above, after which the container is covered with a film (glass). The first shoots appear after 5-15 days, after which the film is removed. Until the plants get stronger, the soil is moistened with a spray gun. Purslane is very thermophilic, minimum temperature for the normal development of seedlings - not less than + 22C, raising the temperature to + 30C improves the development of plants. Upon reaching the age of one month, when several true leaves appear, the seedlings dive into small (7-8 cm in diameter) pots.

Advice! Seedlings develop well only with sufficient lighting - the duration of daylight hours should be at least 12 hours. Therefore, it is necessary to use lamp for plants daylight, on cloudy days to carry out additional illumination, and on other days - to carry out this procedure in the morning and evening.

Purslane is planted (planting, the photo is given below, is carried out when the seedlings reach 5 cm in height and there are at least 10 leaves) after the end of night frosts. The distance between individual seedlings is 15-20 cm, soon this distance will be quickly filled with a green rug.

Advice! To improve the survival rate, the seedlings are intensively watered, when the plant grows up, they switch to the standard watering mode.

In summer, reproduction can be carried out using cuttings - all leaves, except for a few upper ones, are removed from a 5 cm long cutting and planted in prepared soil.

Growing purslane from seeds - more on the video

Purslane is a wonderful choice for decorating any flower bed. Plantings with bright lashes of this plant cover the ground with a dense rug and look very impressive. Small non-double flowers are shaped like multi-colored poppies, and terry varieties look like miniature roses.

Features and varieties

Purslane (Dandur) - genus herbaceous plants from the Purslane family. Because of the fleshy creeping stem, the people call the flower "rug". Adult specimens grow up to 30 cm. There are plants with simple and double flowers of white, yellow, orange, purple, red, pink, coffee and two-color color. Dandur can please bright colors mid-June to October. With absence sunlight they remain closed all day, but some newly bred terry varieties open even when the weather is cloudy. After flowering, a spherical fruit box is formed with large quantity small seeds.

The genus Purslane has united more than 200 species of plants, but only one of them is used in ornamental gardening - large-flowered purslane. This perennial species usually grown as an annual. It has five-petalled single flowers with a diameter of 2.5-3 cm, in some varieties they reach a size of 6 cm. The green leaves resemble fleshy needles, and the creeping stem is reddish-brown.

Garden purslane (vegetable) is an annual plant with small flowers of white or yellow color collected in inflorescences and a fleshy stem up to 30 cm long. This is a weed plant with medicinal properties which was used to treat various diseases even in the time of Hippocrates. It is used in folk medicine and cooking. There are edible types of garden purslane with red and yellow leaves.

Non-decorative wild species of purslane are tenacious weeds, which can be difficult to overcome in the garden. They grow in many regions of Russia and Ukraine, in Central Asia, Transcaucasia and the Far East.

Reproduction methods

You can get a lot of young seedlings of decorative purslane when growing from seeds. The second breeding option is to carry out cuttings of the most interesting specimens. To do this, the flower is transferred to a cool place for the winter, and in the spring, cuttings about 5 cm long are cut. They are planted in prepared soil, removing the lower leaves. With the onset of heat, young plants are planted in open ground.

How to sow purslane?

Seed material is pre-sown in shallow and wide containers from February to April. Use seeds that are from six months to three years old. At the bottom there is a layer of fine gravel or expanded clay.

Peat is not used as a soil - it worsens the germination of purslane seeds.

Prepare the soil from 80% garden soil and 20% sand. The mixture is pre-disinfected. To do this, it is kept in the oven for half an hour at temperatures up to 50 degrees. Then they let the earth cool down, moisten it with settled water and sow the seeds. They are placed at a distance of about 1 cm from each other, pressing into the ground to a depth of 0.5 mm.

Pots with crops are covered with glass or plastic wrap and transferred to a room with a temperature not lower than +22 degrees. Choose a bright and warm place without drafts, regularly moisten and ventilate. The first shoots appear after 3-4 days, and within 1-2 weeks there is a mass appearance of plants. Growing seedlings.

It can be sown directly in open ground when the average daily temperature reaches +20 degrees. In this case, flowering will be later. Small seeds are mixed with river sand and placed on a pre-moistened area to a depth of 0.5 mm. A bed with crops is covered with a film until the seeds germinate. Ventilate and moisturize regularly. The film is removed at an average daily temperature of at least +24 degrees.

When the height of the seedlings is 2-3 cm, they are planted in a permanent place of cultivation. Purslane is placed in 2-3 pieces. in one hole, the distance between plants is 10 cm, and the row spacing is 15 cm. You can plant one at a time. Over time, the creeping stems of the flower will cover the surface of the soil with a dense rug.

Purslane reproduces well by self-seeding. Young seedlings almost always appear in spring on flower beds where the plant bloomed last year. In this case, it will take longer to wait for beautiful multi-colored rugs than with pre-sowing at home.

How to grow purslane from seedlings?

After the appearance of a pair of true leaves, young plants grown from seeds dive. They are transplanted into pots with a diameter of about 7-8 cm. Purslane is deepened into the soil to the cotyledon leaves. Seedlings grow slowly, with a lack of light, heat or moisture, they can get sick and stretch. Drying of the soil is not allowed, watered with warm settled water. It is convenient to do this with a spray gun. With a lack of sunlight, additional illumination is carried out with an ordinary table lamp. This is especially important if the sowing was early.

Transplantation in open ground is carried out in late May or early June, when warm weather sets in. In regions with a cold climate, purslane can be planted outside no earlier than mid-June.

Pre-seedlings are hardened for 1-2 weeks. Pots with purslane are taken out into the street in the daytime, first for 15 minutes, then the time is gradually increased to 5-6 hours. Flowers are planted in open ground, keeping a distance of 10-15 cm between adjacent specimens. Work is carried out carefully so as not to damage the brittle fleshy stem. The first week is watered frequently, then the amount of moisture is reduced depending on weather conditions.

Features of cultivation

You can get a long and numerous flowering of purslane, if you create suitable conditions for its growth and development, follow the rules of care.

• This is a heat-resistant flower that will like the most light, dry and warm place. Light penumbra is acceptable, wait in shaded areas good flowering will not work.
• Low temperatures are detrimental to this heat-loving plant. Already at +10, the lower leaves fall off.
• Purslane is a succulent that can tolerate prolonged lack of moisture. During the period of active vegetative growth, it is watered with warm settled water every 4-5 days. Water stagnation is unacceptable. In rainy weather, they do not moisturize; when it gets colder, the amount of watering is reduced.
• The flower grows well nutrient soil, and on depleted sandy or clay soil. You can grow purslane in too dense soil, but you need to add sand to the substrate.
• Excessively nutritious soil with a lot of organic matter leads to the active growth of shoots, but there are few flowers. It is useful to fertilize with complex mineral fertilizer 2-3 times in summer. In this case, the purslane will bloom more abundantly.
• The soil is loosened near young plants. Then there will be no opportunity to carry out such work, otherwise you can damage the dense flower carpet.
• After the autumn cooling, the plant dies. You can collect small purslane seeds to sow next year beautiful plant again. They mature in different time, that's why seed pods torn apart. Do this when they turn yellow, but do not have time to crack. Then they are dried on paper. Non-double varieties are easier to grow from self-collected seeds. In terry varieties, the number seed material less, and its germination is worse.

Pests and diseases

Fungal diseases can appear on the plant if the soil is constantly waterlogged. Often this happens if excess moisture is combined with sufficiently low temperatures. In this case, dark spots first appear on the leaves, and then the rot spreads to the roots and stems. Some types of fungus lead to deformation of purslane shoots. The affected parts of the plant are removed and the flower and earth are treated with fungicides.

Aphids and thrips are unpleasant enemies of purslane. Aphids can be detected independently. It feeds on plant sap. It is difficult to notice thrips with the naked eye, it will tell you about their appearance appearance flower: silvery blotches and stripes appear on the stems and leaves of the plant. For pest control use insecticides according to the instructions.

Use in landscape design

Large-flowered purslane is an excellent decoration for alpine slides and flower borders. It is often placed in areas with primroses. After the flowering of tulips, hyacinths and lilies of the valley, the purslane will revive the empty section of the flower bed.

Dandur can be planted in flowerpots or containers, which are used to decorate balconies, loggias and verandas. After a cold snap, containers with plants can be transferred to a warm room to extend the life of the flowers.

Attractive purslane rugs will add variety to the decoration of the flower garden. They will delight lovers of easy-to-care, but spectacular flowers.