Competent care and cultivation of purslane at their summer cottage
An amazing plant with needle-like leaves, which abundantly unravels in the front garden, attracts more than one generation of gardeners. For some, the cultivation of purslane is just a hobby, but for some it is the creation of a piece of paradise on a personal plot. As soon as the plant grows and completely covers the ground, flower bed turns into an enchanting oasis of pretty flowers.
General description of the flower
The name "purslane" in translation into Russian means "gate". And this is not surprising, since its seed pods are indeed closed with plates resembling gates.
Growing purslane in a personal plot - the first steps
Before you start growing any plant, it is important to get to know it better. This is especially true of the purslane. After all, there are over 200 different species of it, which wonderfully take root on the European continent. In addition, the cultivation of purslane does not require special skills and is available even to beginners in gardening. Among the most common plant species, these are the most famous.
Garden purslane
It is most often planted for medicinal purposes, and is also eaten. It includes the following varieties:
- Glowworm;
- Macovei;
- Paradox;
- Kuzminsky Sevko.
Large-flowered purslane
The variety is used as a decorative element of the landscape. This group includes:
- White-flowered;
- Slendens:
- Pun;
- Flamenco;
- Sonya.
Each of them differs in the shape of the leaves, the color of the buds, the structure of the inflorescence petals and the height of the shoots. Therefore, a gardener needs to know when and how to plant a purslane so that it successfully takes root in a summer cottage.
We collect seeds in time
This cute plant most often throws out many bright buds at the same time, which bloom in lush bloom. Therefore, the gardener may not notice how wilting occurs. After all, each bud lives only one day. After the inflorescence withers, fruit formation occurs, and then the seed capsule appears. When the fruit is ripe, you need to collect the seeds on time.
If the box ripens, opens and self-seeding occurs, then such plants will bloom only after a whole year. Therefore, you should observe the flowers in order to collect the necessary planting material in time.
Landing in open ground
Residents of the southern regions know well when to sow purslane in the ground, because sunny Brazil and Argentina are considered the birthplace of the flower. Therefore, they try to do this at a time when the air temperature is stable at about + 20 ° C outside. Approximately such conditions occur in the last week of May. In addition, the site for the plant should be carefully selected. There should be plenty of light and warm enough throughout the season.Therefore, the answer to the question: is it possible to sow purslane in open ground depends on the place where the flower is grown. But how to do this correctly in order to breed a blooming carpet of bright buds on a flower bed? Let's consider a few basic rules:
- soil preparation by loosening the earth;
- mixing seeds with sand to distribute the plant evenly over the entire area of the front garden;
- make shallow holes or scatter over the entire surface of the garden;
- cover and moderately water the sown area.
When the first shoots appear, you can gently weed the area so that the plant will strengthen and develop successfully. So it is quite simple to plant purslane in open ground with seeds in the southern regions of the country.
Step two - growing seedlings
Unfortunately, not everyone was lucky enough to settle in places where it is warm almost all year round. But for experienced gardeners, this is not a hindrance. Despite the weather conditions, many have managed to create a flower oasis of pleasure in the garden. And growing purslane using seedlings is a sure way to success for any color lover.
Some gardeners believe that it is possible to sow seeds in containers at the end of February. But for the northern regions it is better to do this in April. At this time, daylight hours have already increased, and the sun is warming much more.
The first thing to do is to prepare the soil for growing purslane for seedlings. To do this, you can take ordinary garden soil. Then mix it with river sand, of which take about 5th of the total soil volume. Mix everything thoroughly and send to a hot oven for disinfection. Next, containers with drainage holes are prepared. Gravel or expanded clay is poured at the bottom, and prepared soil is placed on top. The top layer of soil is watered abundantly with clean water. The best option is to use melt water, which is obtained by freezing the settled liquid in a freezer.
Experienced gardeners have noticed that purchased peat soil is not suitable for growing seedlings of this plant.
Step-by-step process of planting a plant
Planting purslane for seedlings is carried out in several stages:
- seeds are spread into the prepared soil at a distance of 1.5 cm from each other;
- lightly sprinkle with soil;
- the container with crops is covered with a plastic bag or cling film;
- place flowers in a room where there is a lot of sunlight and a stable air temperature (+ 22 ° C).
Subject to the basic rules for planting purslane, the first shoots will appear in 7 days. During this period, the film must be removed and try to moderately moisten the seedlings with warm, settled water. In this case, it is better to apply bottom irrigation using pallets.
When real leaves appear on the sprouts, it is important to plant them. But how to dive a purslane so as not to damage the plant?
First, prepare the required number of individual pots, the diameter of which is about 8 cm. Fill them with soil, and then plant the sprouts together with an earthy clod at the roots. Three young seedlings can be placed in one container.
A great idea to grow a purslane at home on a windowsill will appeal to residents of city apartments. An unpretentious plant is not afraid of heat and abundant sunlight.
The first 7 days after picking, the plant should be watered as the topsoil dries out. Then, when the flower takes root, the first feeding is done. For this use mineral fertilizers... This procedure is carried out once every 10 days. Some gardeners doubt whether it is necessary to pinch the purslane. Others boldly do this procedure so that the plant bushes and grows faster.
Caring for a flower carpet on the site
First of all, it is important to consider the fact that young seedlings are very afraid of frost. Therefore, the plant is planted in open ground when the weather does not portend such incidents. If the temperature drops to + 7 ° C, then you need to wait a little longer.
Planting and caring for a purslane in the open field is performed in stages. First, the procedure for stabbing the shoots is carried out. To do this, they are taken out of the room for a few minutes within 14 days. Each time, the time for stabbing purslane on the street is increased.
Seedlings are planted most often at the end or beginning of the day. This approach helps them adapt to their environment. The most suitable place for a plant is an open sunny area. Seedlings are placed in shallow holes at a distance of 20 cm from each other. After each watering, the soil is loosened until the site turns into a flower carpet. In the future, purslane does not need special care, so all summer you can admire its lush flowering.