At present, there is an incredible number of all kinds of flowers, which any gardener has a dream to see on their plot or at least on a window. You go to the seed store, and your eyes run up, you want to take both one and the other and the third ... One of the most popular and beautiful plants is purslane. What are the features of this flower and what is necessary for growing purslane from seeds at home?
Plant history
The unusual and mysterious name of the flower comes from the Latin word portula, which translates into Russian as a “gate”. By the way, in English there is a word portal, which means "entry" and is clearly akin to Latin. The fact is that in its appearance the open seed box of the purslane very much resembles a gate. That is why during the observation of the plant, European breeders gave it such a name.
The homeland of Purslane is considered the American continent, where for quite some time the flower lived as a savage. In the Middle Ages, its seeds came to Europe, where at first it was not cultivated at all, being considered a weed (however, this attitude to purslane is still preserved in some European countries). It grows actively in places with a warm climate, because it really loves heat, despite the fact that it is generally unpretentious - otherwise it would not appear everywhere, like an ordinary field plant.
Plant value
Purslane is really very beautiful, but its gardeners love it not only and not so much for beauty, but for the opportunity to enjoy it for a long time - because the plant blooms all summer, from June to August.
In addition, the healing properties of purslane are highly appreciated. Even Hippocrates with his supporters used it as an antidote to snakebites, healed with a miraculous plant and severe wounds, and even insomnia. And the Arabs, learning about him in the Middle Ages, considered him a blessed flower. The British especially fell in love with purslane, but not as a garden plant, but as a garden plant. Purslane really can be eaten, this will be discussed below. In the meantime, it’s worth only saying that although the genus Portulak numbers, according to various sources, from one hundred to two hundred varieties, the main of them are only two - it is large-flowered purslane, which includes most of the plant varieties and hybrids, and garden (or vegetable, drug).
Where grows
Purslane can be planted anywhere - at home in a pot, with which you can later decorate the loggia or hallway; in the open ground in the country - it will be a wonderful element of a garden flowerbed, covering the soil with a carpet of bright multi-colored buds and leaves. The most common species for growing from seeds is large-flowered purslane. Some generally believe that only he is bred in the gardens, but this opinion is erroneous.
In the natural environment, purslane prefers places near water bodies where there is moist sandy land. However, the flower is quite unpretentious and can grow almost anywhere.
Appearance
A distinctive feature of purslane (by the way, this is a perennial plant, which is grown as an annual due to the cold winter) is its stem: it is very long, creeping on the ground, reaches a height of twenty centimeters. In part, it resembles a spindle: branched, brown and hollow inside. The leaves are small, succulent, saturated green, sometimes with a red tint, fleshy, similar in shape to a small cylinder.
Purslane blooms, as already mentioned, throughout the whole summer, and the shades of its buds in the form of a cup differ in incredible variety: white, cream, yellow, pink, red, etc. Some varieties of purslane (for example, Double Mix) have double flowers. Such varieties are considered the most beautiful, but they are not grown so often and this is strange. Growing terry portulak from seeds is no more difficult than ordinary.
Types and varieties of plants
As mentioned above, there are two main varieties of purslane - for beauty and for food or as a medicine. About the most important garden purslane - large-flowered - has already been said earlier. Many decorative varieties were bred, for example, Belotsvetkovy. As the name implies, the buds of this plant are white, and also terry. Cherry plants have a lush multi-layer flower of a red-cherry hue, but Cloudbiter has ordinary buds, but they are very large.
As for the medicinal purslane, outwardly it practically does not differ from its decorative counterpart, only a little higher, and it has only one shade of flowers - light yellow. In its young stems and leaves an incredible amount of useful trace elements, proteins, vitamins. It is used as a means of quenching thirst; it tastes sour and slightly spicy. Purslane is added to soups and salads, made sauces from it, marinated with meat and garlic. Purslane grows everywhere, like a real weed.
Purslane: seed cultivation
How to plant a plant (in the ground or through seedlings) depends on the region of your residence, as well as the type of soil. Sowing dates are also individual. If it is a warm south, then you can carry out the procedure directly into the open ground. But most often, if, of course, you want the plant to bloom in June, it is still recommended to grow purslane from seeds. When to plant it? This should be done no later than March, and even better - in February. However, some are of a different opinion, believing that the most optimal time for sowing purslane is April. This is due to the fact that when planting seeds in April they will not have to be illuminated with artificial light - the day will already be quite long. However, in this case, it is likely that in June the plant will not have time to bloom.
The soil should be light, allowing air and water to pass through. At the same time, a universal mixture for growing purslane from seeds is not suitable, since it contains peat. It is not favorable for purslane, since it significantly slows down the growth of seedlings. You can make a land suitable for growing purslane flowers from seeds on your own, there is nothing difficult in this. You just need to mix ordinary garden soil and sand in a ratio of four to one.
Before you pour earth into the container where the purslane will grow, you need to add fine gravel to the very bottom. By the way, the prepared soil for growing purslane from seeds at home should first be calcined, and only then can the seeds be placed in it. Of course, they are sown in moist soil, but you should not water the ground with tap water, it is better to use a well-maintained for these purposes.
Seeds are distributed on the surface of the earth as follows: it is necessary to maintain a distance of 1 cm between them, and when laying in the soil, you need to slightly push them into it. Since Purslane loves heat very much (this was already mentioned earlier), it is possible to make a kind of mini-greenhouse for future seedlings by covering the containers with seeds with a film. But do not think that they should be under the film all the time! Once a day, the seeds must be ventilated by removing the polyethylene and allowing them to breathe. In addition, if the earth is dry, it must be moistened for the safe cultivation of purslane from seeds. By the way, the containers with the plant should be in a warm place with a temperature not lower than twenty degrees of heat. It is important to remember that when growing a purslane at home, you must carefully look after it, because with a lack of moisture, heat, light, the sprouts will be lethargic, weak, thin. To understand that the plant has little light is not difficult - it will actively stretch upwards.
When the first seedlings appear (this will happen no earlier than in one or two weeks), the film can be removed and the seedlings can be placed on the windowsill. When the second real leaf grows, you need to dive future flowers into small pots. Every week they should be fed. Do not forget about careful watering. It is best to do this with a spray gun - this will minimize the risk of sprouting, which happens quite often with inexperienced gardeners when growing purslane from seeds.
When to plant a plant in open ground? The best time for landing comes when the threat of freezing frost passes - not earlier than the middle, or even the end of May.
Landing
The cultivation of terry Portulak seeds, as, however, and ordinary, involves hardening seedlings before moving it to the street, in open soil. Such manipulations with the flower should be performed approximately two weeks before the expected date of the "move". Hardening is easy and simple - seedlings need to temporarily take out to fresh air, gradually increasing the time it stays there.
When planting a purslane in the ground, one should carefully consider where it will grow. Since the flower loves heat, it is better to choose a sunny area with a lot of light for it, then it will bloom truly profusely and will delight the eye until September. The distance between seedlings must be maintained at twenty centimeters, and until the shoots sprout, you should regularly weed and loosen the flower bed.
Do not forget about watering, but you need to remember that although the plant loves moisture, it does not tolerate its excess. If you pour a flower, then this is fraught with the emergence of various diseases that can lead, at best, to the loss of a beautiful appearance, and at worst to the death of the whole plant. To fertilize purslane too often is not required, but two or three top dressings per season will not hurt - this contributes to a longer and lush flowering. In general, the plant does not require special care - just to give water.
Growing purslane from seeds from your garden
This option is quite possible if someone has already grown purslane on the site, and does not want or does not see the point of spending money on the purchase of new seeds. However, this method is more suitable for non-double varieties, since terry hybrids give much less seeds, and they germinate much worse.
In the event that a decision is made to try to grow purslac from its own seeds, they need to be collected as they form. As soon as the box turned yellow, you should tear it and dry it on paper. If you miss this moment, the boxes will simply crack, and there will be nothing to collect.
Variety differences
The procedure for growing purslane is described above. However, are there any differences in this process when it comes to different varieties? What is required, for example, for growing terry porcelain from seeds? When to plant it in a pot, and when - in the open ground? As well as an ordinary, terry purslane is planted on seedlings in late February - early March, and in the ground - not earlier than the end of May. Growing from terry pink portulaca seeds (as well as white, red, yellow) involves regular watering, top dressing once a month, weeding to the stage of shoot growth. Thus, care for a terry flower has no fundamental differences.
What about growing from the seeds of purslane “Scheherazade”? When to plant it and how to care for it? Before answering these questions, it should be said that "Scheherazade" is a non-double variety. Its flowers are small, in diameter reach no more than four centimeters. The peculiarity of this variety is that it begins to bloom only in July. In all other respects, it is the same as the others, and the cultivation of purslane “Scheherazade” from seeds is no different from the method already described above.
Purslane Diseases
When breeding any plant, it is imperative to know what diseases it is susceptible to, so as not to get into trouble. It has already been repeatedly said above that the purslane is very unpretentious and does not require excessive mental and physical costs. This also applies to diseases - the plant is very resistant to various pathogens and almost does not get sick. So, you should not worry about it again.
The only serious threat to purslane may be the Albugo mushroom, due to which the shoots of the plant change their shape and small spots appear on the leaves. Although unpleasant, it is not fatal and easy to treat. You can eliminate the fungus and its consequences if you use absolutely any fungicide for which copper is designated for these purposes. Well, it’s also worth removing the damaged parts of the plant.
Interesting Facts
- Russian gardeners call the purslane “rugs” because they cover the ground with a multi-colored carpet.
- Each purslane flower lives only one day.
- The large-flowered purslane opens only in the light of the sun.
- The flowers of the plant resemble a tea rose.
- Purslane gained immense popularity as a healing agent after only those who ate this plant survived scurvy in California in the nineteenth century.
- Another name for gardening purslane is dandur.
- There is another version of the origin of the name of the flower. True, it refers exclusively to the garden variety of the plant. According to her, the name came not from the Latin portula, but from pulli pied, which means “chicken leg”. The thing is that the branches of the plant are similar to the foot of this poultry.
- Modern doctors recommend medicinal purslane to patients with diabetes mellitus.
- Some believe that India was the birthplace of the medicinal purslane, and from there the plant penetrated into America and subsequently spread throughout the world.
- Purslane has a lot of folk names. Among them, in addition to the already mentioned “chicken leg”, “flea” and “pine”.
- Garden Purslane is low-calorie, which means that it can be used in weight loss diets.
Purslane in any form - the plant is truly amazing, you can even say unique in its own way. No wonder it is increasingly appearing on garden plots and balconies throughout Russia. Its beauty is truly unique!