When do moss rose flowers usually bloom? How do you grow them?
Moss rose, also called Prostrate Portulaca and purslane, is an ornamental flower with a wide range of colors and a faint fragrance. Because it usually opens when it sees sunlight, it got this name. Moss rose has strong adaptability to the environment, is very easy to grow, and is suitable for planting in parks and courtyards to decorate the surrounding environment. So when do moss rose flowers usually bloom? How do you grow them?
1. When do moss rose flowers usually bloom?
Moss rose usually blooms from June to September each year, and is a common ornamental flower in summer. But each bloom does not last long, and it only opens when there is sun. In addition, there are many factors that affect when moss rose opens. For example, the size of the moss rose buds: if the buds are small, the blooming time is shorter and the flower color is lighter. If the buds are large, the blooming time is relatively longer, so attention should be paid to fertilizing. The intensity of light also affects the blooming time of moss rose. For example, the stronger the light, the shorter the blooming time, while in cloudy and rainy weather the flowering period is longer.
2. How do you grow moss rose?
1. Prepare the pot and soil
For growing moss rose, the soil requirements are not high, because it has strong adaptability. But if you want potted moss rose to grow well, you need to prepare loose, well-aerated, and relatively fertile soil. During this process, you can collect some okara and oily foods to use as base fertilizer.
2. Sowing
Moss rose seeds are very small, and sowing is generally chosen in April or May. After sowing is completed, it takes three or four days to break through the shell and sprout, with a growth period of more than one month. When sowing, the moss rose seeds should be closely combined with the soil, evenly scattered on the surface layer of the pot soil, and then covered with a thin layer of fine soil.
3. Raising seedlings
During the emergence period of moss rose, attention should be paid to thinning and transplanting seedlings. The main purpose is to keep the moss rose seedlings with a certain amount of growing space so they are not too crowded. When the moss rose seedlings grow to three or four millimeters, thinning can be carried out in batches and at different times. Pull out the weak moss rose seedlings and keep the sturdy ones.
4. Watering
During the moss rose seedling stage, the weather is not yet very hot, water evaporates slowly, and it is not suitable to water too much. When moss rose is in its blooming period during the dog days of summer, its water demand is relatively large, so it needs to be watered thoroughly at one time and then fully absorb the water. In the rainy season, the amount of watering must be well controlled, and too much should not be poured at one time, so as to avoid water accumulation and root rot.
5. Collecting seeds
Moss rose seeds are silver-gray, and the timing of harvest is very important, because once the seed pod cracks open, the seeds will fly away. Usually, pay attention to frequently touching the yellow seed shells with water; once seeds fall off when touched, that is the relatively suitable time.