Content
Planting and caring for purslane is universal, since the culture does not differ in complex agricultural technology: it does not require watering, pruning, and is not exposed to diseases and pests. The plant is a magnificent decoration of the garden, thanks to its harmonious appearance: bright and rich colors of satin inflorescences, exquisite needle-like leaves. A decorative "rug", or "dandur", quickly grows on the surface, so the plant is planted in mixborders, flower beds, curbs, alpine slides are formed, containers, containers, hanging pots are decorated. In its natural habitat, purslane grows in the mountainous regions of the American continent, the North Caucasus, Altai. Translated from Latin, "portula" sounds like "small collars", which is associated with the peculiarities of the opening of the seed pods. Ripe seed pods open like small collars.
Description of the purslane flower
Terry purslane is planted as a ground cover plant. The culture belongs to the Portulacov family. The popular annual succulent plant is distinguished by the following features:
- plant size from 20 cm to 30 cm;
- the root system is powerful, fan-shaped;
- stems are fleshy, juicy, hollow inside, creeping;
- the color of the stems is red-brown;
- leaf plates are flat, fleshy, ovoid;
- the color of the leaves is light green;
- the bud is cupped, peony-shaped, pink-shaped, consists of several rounded petals arranged in several rows;
- arrangement of buds on stems one by one;
- bud diameter up to 7 cm;
- bud color - various shades of yellow, red, orange, purple, violet, pink, cream, white.
A unique feature of the terry dandur is the fact that the flowering of one inflorescence lasts throughout the day. By the evening it fades, but against the general background one gets the impression that the budding of the lush "living carpet" does not stop.
The culture is resistant to trampling, unpretentious to the composition of the soil and to care.
Continuous flowering of terry dandur lasts from July to September
Types and varieties of purslane
The known varieties of purslane are divided into two main types:
- Decorativee - these are cultivated, large-flowered, terry crops, which are characterized by the presence of many varieties, a riot of colors and shades.
- Garden Are edible plants whose foliage is used for medicinal and culinary purposes.
It is easy to plant and care for terry purslane. Numerous varieties are grown for decorative purposes.
Airy marshmallow
Airy marshmallow is a snow-white terry variety with delicate, beautiful flowers. The bushes grow rapidly and fill the space with numerous cobwebs of needle-like foliage.
The white color of the Airy Marshmallow is in perfect harmony with other crops in the garden.
Cream
The cream is a unique hybrid variety with soft beige buds. A feature of flowers is the cream color of the petals, which are slightly darker near the central part of the inflorescences.
Small buds of purslane Cream can be up to 5 cm in diameter
Slendens
Splendence is an exquisite terry variety with bright pink petals. Large pink buds look graceful on a bright green carpet of stems and foliage.
Purslane Splendens dazzles in the flowerbed with bright pink spots
Tequila White
Tequila White is a famous snow-white variety. An ornamental plant is able to quickly braid a section of lush cobweb foliage.
Small white buds of Tequila White purslane cover the flower garden with a solid snow carpet at the height of summer
Flamenco
Flamenco is a low-growing (up to 15 cm in height) variety. Fleshy, strong shoots with needle-colored foliage are harmoniously combined with large, spectacular double-type flowers, which are characterized by the widest color spectrum of the color of the buds.
Flamenco multi-colored buds adorn the flower bed for several months
Cherry
Cherry is a medium-sized ornamental variety. It is characterized by fleshy, powerful, creeping shoots of bright green color, against which large double inflorescences of a juicy cherry hue bloom daily.
The diameter of cherry blossoms of the Cherry variety reaches 5 cm
Scarlet
Scarlet is a popular variety with double buds of bright red, scarlet flowers. The size of the buds of the variety is average. On the same bed, you can combine Scarlet bushes with other brightly flowering varieties.
Scarlet purslane variety blooms during the summer, until mid-autumn
Sanglo
Sanglo (Sunglo) - decorative variety, which is characterized by original buds of pale pink color. Against the background of pale green needle-like foliage, graceful pink flowers look original.
The Sanglo purslane variety is characterized by a special structure of buds that do not close even in the rain
Sonya
Sonya is a topical garden variety that has the widest color palette. The buds are characterized by a varied color of satin petals: from white, pink and yellow to purple, burgundy and scarlet.
The petals of the Sonya variety purslane have the most delicate satin texture, with beautiful tints
Pun
Pun is a miniature variety up to 15 cm high. Rose-shaped buds are large, juicy, bright shades of rounded double petals.
The Kalambur purslane variety is a versatile, most popular among landscape decorators, appreciated for the wonderful ground cover properties of large stems, bright flowering of buds
Purslane in landscape design
Among landscape decorators, the cultivation of purslane in the open field is especially popular. A low-growing, ground cover plant with bright small flowers is a universal decoration of the local area as an independent decor:
- free space between individual elements of garden paths;
- border between separate paths, beds, flower beds;
- stones, rockeries, alpine slides.
The unpretentious "rug" feels great between the individual elements of the footpath
Graceful compositions with the participation of terry dandur in decorative pots are independent elements of landscape design
Decorative purslane is indispensable for single plantings, as well as for harmonious combinations with other garden plants:
- decorative cereals, herbs;
- petunias, snapdragons, lilies, roses, phlox;
- perennial hosts;
- spring bulbous (tulip, daffodil).
Terry dandur looks elegant and harmonious in the foreground of mixborders
An ornamental groundcover with multi-colored buds blends perfectly with a rich palette of snapdragons and petunias
Features of the reproduction of purslane
To grow a purslane, you should know the main methods of propagation of a decorative culture:
- seed (growing seedlings, sowing in open ground, self-seeding);
- vegetative (cuttings).
Seed propagation is the simplest and most affordable.Seeds are sown directly into open ground in April or May, or seedlings are grown indoors in early March. Plants can reproduce by self-sowing, while flowering occurs in the next growing season.
Dandur seeds remain viable for 2-3 years
With vegetative propagation, the mother bush is dug out of the soil in late autumn and stored in a warm room until spring. In March, cuttings are cut (shoots, from 5 cm in size). Leaves are completely removed from the lower part of the shoots, the cuttings are buried in the soil.
Cuttings are used mainly to preserve varietal traits.
Planting and caring for a purslane outdoors
Sowing purslane in open ground is carried out in the spring - this is one of the simplest and most affordable methods of growing this plant. Seed material can be purchased at specialized stores, or collected at home.
The decorative "rug" does not differ in complicated agricultural technology
When can you plant purslane
In an early and warm spring (southern regions with a mild climate), you can sow purslane flowers in open ground in early April or early May (for central and northern regions of Russia).
For seedlings, seeds are sown in containers in March-April. You can close them up in February-March, but in this case, the sprouts will need additional lighting. In a disinfected container, place a soil mixture of equal parts of sod land and sand.
When sowing seeds of Terry Dandur on seedlings, humus or compost cannot be used as a soil mixture
On what soil does purslane grow
The optimal place for placing a terry purslane is open, sunny, dry and warm places, hills on the south side. Lack of natural sunlight reduces the duration and splendor of flowering. The plant belongs to thermophilic crops, therefore it does not grow at temperatures below + 10 ⁰С.
Ornamental purslane does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore, the culture's “residence” should not contain a close occurrence of groundwater.
There are no requirements regarding the composition of the soil for the plant. Even the most depleted, sandy, poor soil is suitable for garden purslane. In the soil fertilized with mineral preparations, the culture will gain mass in foliage and stems, while the processes of budding and flowering will slow down.
To weather conditions (slight cold snap, cloudy sky, rain), the "rug" reacts by closing the buds
How to plant purslane seedlings
The seedlings of terry purslane are transferred to the beds and flower beds when a stable warm temperature of air and soil is established at least + 10 ⁰С. Seedlings hardened for a week are planted in open ground at the end of May or at the beginning of July. By this time, young bushes have up to 15 leaves, 2-3 buds. The sprouts are carefully buried into the ground to the first leaf, following the planting pattern of 15x15 cm.
When the thermometer drops below +10 ⁰С, sensitive leaves on young bushes of a decorative "rug" can fall off
How to sow purslane directly into the ground
One of the ways to reproduce terry purslane is to sow seeds directly into open ground. Before sowing, the bed is abundantly moistened. Since the seed is small in size, the seeds of the garden purslane are mixed with a small amount of earth or sand, not deepened into the ground. The mixture is carefully and evenly distributed on the surface of the soil, sprinkled with sand, watered. Watering provides a natural deepening of the seed. Since in April-May there is a possibility of a drop in air temperature below + 25 C, crops are covered with plastic wrap. After stabilization of the temperature regime, the shelter is removed.
5-7 weeks after sowing the seeds of terry purslane in the open ground, a long and abundant flowering of the ground cover plant begins
Growing and caring for purslane
Growing and caring for decorative purslane does not differ in complex agricultural technology. The culture is unpretentious in care, practically does not require watering and feeding, does not need shelter for the winter. Planting and caring for perennial purslane in Russia is practiced as for classic one-year-olds, since the culture does not survive in the harsh conditions of European winter.
Decorative purslane is an unpretentious, beautiful, original ground cover plant that requires minimal maintenance
Watering and feeding schedule
During a dry, rainless summer, it is recommended to water the flowering "rugs" of decorative purslane once a week.
The stems and foliage of the plant tightly cover the soil around the bushes, forming a kind of mulch. Therefore, the culture does not need at all in loosening and mulching.
There is no need to fertilize and feed the terry purslane bushes, the plants grow well in any soil
Wintering
Decorative purslane in the territory of the Russian Federation is grown as an annual. Only the garden variety is prepared for wintering. However, small bushes of garden purslane flowering can be transplanted into indoor pots, flowerpots, or containers to keep the plant flowering in winter.
Terry dandur transplanted into indoor pots feels good on south-facing windows
Pests and diseases
Decorative purslane is practically not exposed to pests and diseases. Sometimes the plant becomes infected with the pathogen Albugo (Albugo Portulaceae). The affected leaves are covered with spots, creases and deformations appear on the shoots. The diseased parts of the plant are removed, the bushes are treated with modern fungicides.
If signs of a fungal disease Albugo Portulaceae are detected, terry dandur is sprayed with preparations containing copper
Aphids are sucking pests that can damage purslane rugs. In case of damage to bushes, spraying with Actellik can be applied.
To completely get rid of aphids, insecticide treatment is repeated after one week.
Why purslane does not bloom, what to do
Decorative terry purslane is a unique representative of the flora world, which feels as comfortable as possible only in Spartan conditions: where other plants die of thirst, burn in the sun and suffer from depleted soil.
For abundant, endless and longest flowering for purslane, the following rules must be met:
- a lot of sunlight (does not bloom even with a little shade);
- fairly stable warm weather without a sharp cold snap (closes the buds from a drop in air temperature);
- minimum of water (it is a dry-loving plant);
- sandy, stony, not fertilized soil (when organic matter is introduced, the plant will direct the main forces to the growth and development of stems and foliage).
By placing the garden dandur in the very sun, on dry and lifeless soil, you can achieve amazing flowering of satin terry inflorescences
Conclusion
Since planting and caring for purslane is distinguished by simple and affordable agricultural technology, many Russian gardeners choose this decorative culture to decorate the local area. Since the time of Hippocrates, people have used the healing properties of this plant. The seeds, leaves and stems of dandur healed from snake bites, cleansed the body of toxins and toxins.
