Purslane is an unpretentious but very beautiful plant. Gardeners love him for the fact that with minimal agricultural technology, the plant grows well and blooms.
I recommend reading: Acidifying the earth for hydrangea - so that the bush is admired
Description
Low-growing creeping perennial. Shoots of a reddish hue, reaching a length of 35 cm. In this case, the height of the bush is no more than 25 cm.
A feature of the purslane is the formation of many branched shoots from one central one. The plant quickly spreads over a flower garden or flower bed, covering the soil with fleshy leaves, rich green colors with a glossy surface, which look very decorative, have a slightly elongated, oval form.
Perennial stem with thickening. In it, the plant contains a reserve of moisture. Therefore, in a dry, hot summer, it is able to do without water for a long time.
Varieties
Purslane has many varieties, which allows you to choose a plant for any planting:
- with large flowers they look spectacular in a flower bed;
- ampelous - cascade fall from flowerpots and pots;
- plants with small flowers cover the tree trunk circles.
Perennial petals are bright, monochromatic. There is a rich palette:
- yellow;
- pink;
- white;
- crimson;
- peach;
- orange;
- coral;
- scarlet;
- purple;
- yellow.
This makes purslane a practical versatile plant.
Flowers are of two types:
- simple;
- terry.
Both varieties are up to 5 cm in diameter and only bloom for 24 hours. But the flowerbed is always dazzling, as new buds are formed every day.
Landing features
The plant is grown from seeds, which are sown in open ground when warm weather sets in, or by seedling.
If you plant seeds in open ground in April, the flower bed will be covered with bright flowers by summer.
Planting seedlings
For cultivation, choose a ready-made soil with a high peat content. The component promotes better seed germination.
The soil is also prepared independently.
Components:
- turf - 4 parts;
- river sand - 1 part.
Mix thoroughly and disinfect, pickle with a solution of potassium permanganate, or ignite in the oven.
Then follow the procedure:
- The growing box is disinfected.
- A drainage layer is laid out on the bottom.
- Fill with a pre-prepared substrate.
Thoroughly spill with soft, settled water.
- Seeds are placed at a distance of 1.5 cm from each other.
- Slightly deepened.
- Cover with plastic wrap.
- The container is placed on a windowsill with good lighting. South and southwest windows are best suited.
- Water as the top layer dries.
As soon as 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings, the seedlings dive.
Since purslane is a thermophilic plant, it is planted in open ground as soon as stable warm weather is established and the air temperature at night will not drop below 15 ° C. When planting seedlings, observe an interval between plants of at least 25 cm.
The landing site is chosen open, sunny, protected from strong gusts of wind and without stagnant moisture. Purslane is not picky about the composition of the soil. It develops equally well and actively both on fertile land and on poor land.
Plant care rules
The main care measure is watering. It is carried out once every 7 days. To do this, take soft, warm, settled water. Purslane tolerates drought well, but waterlogging for a succulent can be disastrous. Therefore, they try to avoid stagnation of water in the soil.
The perennial does not need loosening and weeding. Its rapidly growing ground cover shoots drown out and oppress weeds.
For abundant, bright and long-lasting flowering, the plant is fed twice in the summer:
- Before flowering. Use complex, mineral formulations. The solution is prepared according to the instructions.
- In the middle of summer.
If you overfeed the purslane, it will begin to actively turn green. In this case, there will be no flowering at all. In this case, the following is introduced into the soil:
- sand;
- fine gravel;
- expanded clay.
Purslane is an unpretentious plant that is widely used in landscape design. It is planted in tree trunks, in flowerpots and pots, making out a terrace, veranda or balcony. Placed in flower beds and flower beds.
Do you plant a purslane at your dacha?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Read also: Next to which garden crops does pepper grow well?