Hello Hivers lovers of succulent plants. Today I bring you a new summary about a genus of succulent plants highly appreciated for its constant flowering, the Portulaca genus. This genus has almost 100 known species where only a dozen of them are used for ornamental purposes. The most popular species are P. pilosa, P. umbraticola, P. grandiflora and P. oleracea. The latter is widely used in cooking as an edible plant and is expected to be widely used in the world due to its high resistance to climate change. These plants are small herbaceous succulents that are quite fast growing with abundant and colorful blooms. They usually bloom in the morning and close in the afternoon. Varieties are known with single and double flowers and with colors ranging from white to purple.
Some varieties of Portulaca in the garden:
General tips for growing Portulaca in the garden:
- They need a lot of lighting to bloom abundantly and grow. Some species usually tolerate growing fully exposed to the sun. Cultivation in semi-shade is recommended.
- They prefer nutrient-rich soils with rapid drainage of irrigation water.
- Water every 2 days if quality temperatures prevail. They tend to tolerate more frequent watering than most succulents.
- They grow best under the influence of temperatures between 24⁰C-30⁰C.
- Very frequently attacked by mollusks, mealybugs, mites, aphids and pathogenic fungi.
I hope this summary is useful to you if you have or want to add a Portulaca to the garden. See you soon.