Portulaca - A light trim to get it into shape

Portulaca before the trim




Portulaca after the trim

As you can see there is not much difference in the before and after pictures but I decided to give the Portulaca a light trim.  I simply cut off the stems which had dead flowers at the end and no buds in them.  I left all the stems with buds.  I have never trimmed a plant before so I decided to go easy on this one since it is the most successful plant so far :)

Once I finished the trim I watered it with some fertiliser to help it recover from the shock.  We'll see what happens.




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Portulaca - Looking Shabby and Overgrown

Portulaca - In need of a trim it seems

Here's the Portualaca after one month of purchase.  This plant is amazing, it just seems to grow and grow.  The flowers are just beautiful and it's a delight to wake up and see new flowers in the morning ready to open. 

Portulaca - hanging flower

Portulaca flowers

My question now however is whether I should trim it or not.  I love the way the stems hang over the basket.  My concern is that I read somewhere that once they finished the blooms and become leggy the plant slowly becomes dormant and began to die. So, its important to take immediate cuttings and replant them just after they matured or at their prime. This happens when a single plant puts out 3 - 5 long stems.

So, is the plant it it's prime after just one month, is that possible?  Should I leave it and risk losing it or should I just try to cut a few stems to see what happens?  I don't know what to do yet.

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Portulaca - Fast Grower

Portulaca - Getting fuller now in its new place

I decided the hang the Portulaca since it has long stems with flowers at the end.  They would make for a wonderful hanging basket of flowers.  It is a very easy plant to care for, water it whenever it's dry and leave it pretty much to itself.  It's only been three weeks since I first got it and the growth rate is very good.

The plant only gets about 4 hours of direct sunlight a day in it's new spot but it doesn't seem to mind.  It is growing very fast and I am getting some new flowers now.  I give it some all purpose fertiliser whenever I can remember to do so which is not much. 

The flowers open at first light in the morning and then close again when the plant is in the shade.  This means that I don't get to enjoy them much but the colors are beautiful. 

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Portulaca Grandiflora - An Introduction



Portulaca Grandiflora when purchased - September 2010

This is the least plant I found least information on:

Type: Annual / Perennial (found both)

They are happy to grow in dry and hot conditions ... they love the full sun and a well-drained soil ... and they thrive on neglect. It's a plant that doesn't need to be coddled. Just water them when they're a bit dry and feed them lightly even now and then. When it gets a bit leggy and looking rather scraggly, give a trim. On top of all this, they are easily propagated ... just break off part of the stalk that's about to flower or is not flowering and stick it in some propagating mix or even straight into the ground. It's that easy

All Portulacas need sun for their flowers to open. The flowers of older varieties closed up around noon. But most plants sold today have blooms that stay open all day, only closing at night and on cloudy days.

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