How to grow purslane, a wild vegetable? Detailed cultivation methods

Summary:Purslane, also known as purslane, five-element grass, long-life vegetable, five-direction grass, pig-fat vegetable, purslane grass, etc., is an annual herbaceous plant of the purslane family and purslane genus. It grows in sunny places such as fields, roadsides and garden ruins. The whole plant is used medicinally and has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, detoxifying and reducing swelling, and reducing inflammation and promoting urination. The tender stems and leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. Now let us take a look at purslane cultivation techniques together!

Purslane, also known as purslane, five-element grass, long-life vegetable, five-direction grass, pig-fat vegetable, purslane grass, etc., is an annual herbaceous plant of the purslane family and purslane genus. It grows in sunny places such as fields, roadsides and garden ruins. The whole plant is used medicinally and has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, detoxifying and reducing swelling, and reducing inflammation and promoting urination. The tender stems and leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. Now let us take a look at purslane cultivation techniques together!

Growth habits of purslane

Purslane likes high humidity, is drought-tolerant and waterlogging-tolerant, and is heliotropic. It is suitable for cultivation in various fields and sloping land, with neutral and weakly acidic soil being better. Its germination temperature is 18°C, and the most suitable growth temperature is 20-30°C. When the temperature exceeds 20°C, it can be sown in stages and brought to market successively. Protected cultivation can allow year-round production.

Propagation methods of purslane

1. Seed propagation: The seeds used for seed propagation of purslane are all seeds collected from the wild or retained during cultivation in the previous year. Its seeds are extremely small, so land preparation must be fine. After sowing, keep the soil moist, and seedlings can emerge in 7-10 days.

2. Cutting propagation: Cutting branches are collected from seedlings sown in the current year or from wild seedlings, preferably from strong plants with many branches and vigorous growth, and each section should retain 3-5 nodes. Before cutting, prepare the soil finely, and apply sufficient fully decomposed farmyard manure while preparing the land. Cutting density (plant spacing x row spacing) is 3*5 cm, and the cuttings are inserted to a depth of about 3 cm. After cutting, maintain a certain humidity and appropriate shade, and they will survive after one week.

Purslane cultivation techniques

1. Land preparation and fertilization: Purslane can be transplanted to the field for cultivation 15-20 days after sowing or cutting. When the cultivation area is small, it can also be cut directly into the field. Before transplanting, plow the field soil, and while preparing the land, apply 1500 kg of fully decomposed human manure or 15-20 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per mu.

2. Bed opening and transplanting: After land preparation and fertilization for purslane, open beds at a width of 1.2 m, and plant at a plant spacing x row spacing of 12 cm x 20 cm. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots. To ensure the survival rate, transplanting is best done on cloudy days. If transplanting on sunny days, shade measures should be taken within 2 days after planting, and water once every evening.

3. Field management: After purslane is transplanted and sufficient base fertilizer is applied as required, no topdressing is needed in the early stage. After that, apply a thin human and livestock manure water once every 1-2 harvests. Flower buds that form should be removed in time to promote the growth of vegetative branches. In drought, water appropriately to resist drought. During the entire growth period, pests and diseases are very rare, and generally no spraying is needed.

4. Timely harvesting: The harvest standard for commercial purslane is tender branches 10-15 cm long before flowering. If harvested too late, not only will the tender branches become old and poor in edible value, but it will also affect the growth of the next branching and the annual yield. After one harvest, it can be harvested again after 15-20 days, and this can continue until mid-to-late October. In production, staged and batch-by-batch rotational harvesting is generally used.

5. Seed retention and collection: The plot for retaining purslane seeds should be set aside from the plot producing commercial vegetables from the beginning. The cultivation and management measures are the same as those for commercial vegetable production, except that the seed retention plot does not harvest commercial vegetables and allows them to branch, flower and set seed naturally. 25-30 days after flowering, when the capsules turn yellow, the seeds are already mature and should be harvested in time, otherwise they will scatter on the ground.

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