You are thinking about how to decorate your flower bed next spring! Pay attention to the 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 multicolored glade. In addition, the plant does not require much time to care.
- Growing purslane from seeds
- Sowing seeds for seedlings
- Sowing seeds in open ground
- Reproduction portulaca cuttings
- Combination with other plants and use in landscape design
- How to care for purslane in the garden
- When to harvest and how to store portulac seeds
- How to deal with portulaca diseases and pests
Growing purslane from seeds
There are several methods of portulac breeding. The most favorite method is the cultivation of purslane seeds, as it does not require much time and effort.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For those who crave to see portulaca blossoms in June, seedlings are planted in the ground. For seedlings sown in February and March.Any soil is suitable for them, as long as it is moisture-proof and breathable. Due to the small size of the seeds, when the purslane is planted on the seedlings, they are mixed with calcined sand. The resulting cocktail is scattered on the surface of the wet ground, not falling asleep, but pressing it slightly to the soil surface, irrigated with water from the sprayer. Then the pots are covered with polyethylene and transferred to a warm room (the temperature should not be below 20ºC). Once a day, the film is removed in order to air and, if necessary, water.
Care portulaca seedlings will not be a big hassle. Sprouts germinate in 1-2 weeks. When they appear, the coating from the pots or drawers is removed and the seedlings are moved to the window sills. Watering continue sprayer. When the second leaf appears on the seedling, the purslane begins to dive. Saplings dive at a distance of 4 cm from each other, deepening them to the seedbed leaf. In the flower purslane planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Seedlings can be planted after frost (temperature below 10ºC is critical for purslane). 
Sowing seeds in open ground
Portulac is a perennial plant. It can be planted once, and then the grass will grow tall. The plant can grow for years in the same place in the flower bed. The purslane does not require specific care and special soil. Sow seeds should be after the last frost in a sunny place. When the purslane is planted with seeds in open ground, the ground is pre-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 rows is within 50 cm. When two leaves appear on the shoots, they leave one plant per 10 cm.
Reproduction portulaca cuttings
The purslane reproduces well by cuttings. In the winter you need to bring one or more plants from the flower beds in the house. In the spring of the purslane cut off part of the branches, rooted in water and transplanted into a flower bed. When the purslane is planted with cuttings, it blooms in a month.
Combination with other plants and use in landscape design
Portulac is great for use in landscape design. The plant is used for group plantings. Excellent purslane looks like in front of flowerbeds, and on the southern slopes of alpine hills. In the flower bed portulak well replaces flowering small-bulbous spring plants.
In mixborders, it is used as a foreground plant. Often it is used as a curb plant in arid conditions. Having grown a purslane in balcony boxes and flowerpots, they transform gazebos, verandas and terraces. The plant looks good with marigolds and nasturtiums.
The purslane serves as an alternative to lawn grass, because it does not require frequent watering, it does not need to be cut, it does not cease to bloom, constantly pleasing the eye with bright colors.
How to care for purslane in the garden
Portulac was imported from South America - these are tropics and subtropics. Therefore, good lighting and moderate watering are extremely important to him. Fertilizers do not get involved because they can harm flowering. It is necessary to water a plant every 5-7 days with water at room temperature. In drought conditions, watering is carried out more often. Soil around the flowers need to push only at the beginning of growth. Weeding from weeds is compulsory.
When growing purslane in room conditions in the summer it is moved to a well-ventilated and protected from the rain place. 
When to harvest and how to store portulac seeds
For breeding purslane from seeds, it is necessary to take into account that this is possible only for non-terry species. Seeds of terry portulaca do not germinate well. The seeds are formed and ripen unevenly, and therefore their collection is carried out as it ripens. Seed boxes are torn down after they turn yellow, unfinished to avoid cracking. Dried collected seed spreading on paper. To maintain high germination of seeds, they must be placed in a tin or plastic container, tightly closing it with a lid. Storage temperature should not exceed 4-5ºC. Germination persists for three years. When storing seeds at high temperatures and humidity germination decreases.
How to deal with portulaca diseases and pests
- Aphids infect blooming shoots of plants.To eliminate the pest, it is necessary to spray the purslane with an appropriate insecticide;
- Thrips are small insect pests that suck the sap from the plant, then the leaves are covered with silver dots. The fight against thrips is in a timely spraying of insecticides.
- Root rot is possible with an excess of moisture. Consequences of root rot damage - the termination of growth of leaves, they turn yellow and showered.
- Mushroom Albugo portulaceae. Spots appear on the leaves, and shoots are deformed. The diseased parts of the plant are cut off and treated with copper-containing fungicides.
