Plant care – Portulaca Oleracea

Features:

• Perennial, xerophyte (living in dry conditions) plant.
• Smooth, reddish and prostrate stems.
• Leaves are succulent, flat, rounded, green in appearance. They are found either on alternate or opposite sides of the stem and are usually clustered at stem joints and tips. 
• Flowers are yellow in color with five petals and are approximately 6 mm wide.
• Flowering season – mostly from midsummer to early fall. During this season, they also get fertilized and produce seeds subsequently.

Planting:

Plant purslane in moist soil away from direct sunlight.If the soil is moist, purslane sprouts rapidly. Being a xerophyte, this plant manages to thrive with minimum water.

Even the stem of purslane can grow into new plants. So, if you want the plant to spread all over, then it is better to plant it directly on to the soil bed. But, if you want to control its growth, it is better to plant it in pots.

Maintenance:

Light : Grow purslane in an area which is bright and where it is not directly and constantly exposed to direct sunlight. 

Water : Soil must be moist but not water logged.

Soil : Grows well any type of soil..

Pruning : As the plant has a bushy growth, it has to be pruned frequently.

Propagation: 

From seeds: 

Buy only the smallest pack of purslane seeds that you can get as each plant produces close to fifty thousand seeds in its lifetime. Once you have bought the seeds, gently sprinkle them on moist soil. Don’t dig and bury them deep into the soil as the seeds need sunlight to germinate and sprout. Ideally, the seeds can be planted outdoors, once the frost has disappeared for the year and temperatures are about 60 degree F. Usually, the seeds take seven to ten days to sprout after they have been planted. Once you spot the sprouts, move them 8 inches apart. 

From Stem cuttings : 

New plants of purslane can be obtained from the existing stem of a plant. This is can be boon or bane depending on the type of person you are. If you are an avid gardener, then you will be happy to see this spread rapidly and cover up the entire garden area. But if you are a fastidious or lazy gardener, you might not like this plant growing by leaps and bounds and occupying the space meant for other species. To propagate this plant from stem cuttings, cut a 6-inch, long stem from an existing plant. Remove the leaves towards the bottom end and plant them in the soil with half the stem buried underground. Keep the soil moist and not waterlogged. You will see new leaves budding in a week or so. For best results, plant the stem cuttings in a bright area, away from direct sunlight.

Benefits:

Medicinal Use:

Purslane is considered to be a nutritional powerhouse as it contains loads of antioxidants, vitamins E & C, and several dietary minerals in moderate quantities. In fact, it has seven times more beta carotene than carrots. It is also one of the rare vegetarian foods that is loaded with alpha-linolenic acid – an omega-3 fatty acid. 

Culinary use:

Purslane has a slightly sour and salty taste. The sour taste is due to the presence of oxalic acid and malic acid. Malic acid is produced by the plant through the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) that is a characteristic of xerophytes. Being a leafy vegetable, purslane leaves are used in salads, soups and stews.