UPDATE: "THANKS!!"Portulaca flowers becoming small

Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:07 pm

HI,
when i bought portulaca they were blooming and had big flowers. The photo below is before they were transplanted....

AFter transplanting in a big hanging basket the bloom disappeared for a couple of weeks and the stems became leggy. then i saw new stems growing from the old stems...the new stems look weak compared to old one. Also on old stems i noticed some thread like white stuff plus the old stems also dropped their leaves. The new flowers are half the size of what the old flowers were. I have transplanted in good potting mix and i do not overwater or underwater. Earlier i kept it in shade or in filtered sunlight... since past 10 days i have started keeping in direct sunlight (90's F temperature).

Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:31 pm

Did the "threadlike white stuff" on the old stems look like spider webs? If so, the problem might be red spider mites, which suck the plant juices. Portulaca is particularly prone to spider mites.

Does your basket have good drainage? I'm curious because in a couple of the pictures, it looks like you might have lined the basket with plastic. Your plants need to be watered thoroughly, until water runs out of the drainage holes, or in the type of container you have, it will just run out through the fibers lining the basket.

In temperatures of 90Ã‚Âº, the plant needs plenty of water. If you haven't allowed for good drainage, and you're restricting water in an effort to avoid root rot, the plant may not be getting enough moisture.

Portulaca likes full sun. In fact, one of its common names is Sun Plant. If you had yours in shade/low light, and suddenly move it into full sun, it can sunburn the plant. Make the transition from shade to full sun gradually, over a period of a week or two.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:37 pm

Did you use a fertilizer of any sort? I made the mistake of using one and mine did the same thing. I had large flowers, and now hae small flowers. If the whit thread like things aren't from spiders or spider mites, then it's probably the air roots. Mine have air roots all over them now. You can tell their roots since they grow out of the stems.

Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:10 pm

Hi, thanks!

Kisal: the plastic u see is only on the top part...the bottom i did not line as i was advised against it here on forum. I think u r correct in saying that i am keeping my plant thirsty for water as i have heard that its roots rot easily. i will water more now..i never water till it runs out of basket- i pour just 4-5 cups of water every 2 days which is less for this huge basket. the white thread like is not like cobweb...it is coming out of stems..i think it is a part of plant.

a0c8c:no i did not fertilize but have used this potting mix which has fertilizer..."Miracle grow" . Yes the white thread is growing from plant stems...especially near the buds...

The plant just doesn't look good anymore! :-(

Wed Sep 09, 2009 12:20 am

Well, maybe the miracle gro soil has a nigh nitrogen content. I know that's why I have small flowers. Also, you should definately start watering them until they run out the bottom. You wanna make sure the soil is wet all the way through. And the white threa things are roots, nothing to be worried about.

I feel your pain, none of my flowers are any bigger than a penny, well maybe one is.

Basket 1

Basket 2

Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:43 pm

oh yes! i see your flowers have also become small in size. i guess fertilizer is the reason...i checked the potting mix says no need to fertilize for 9 months. i should have used potting soil for it!
Have given lots of water to my thirsty plants today lets see if this works :-)

will keep u posted!

Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:48 pm

Oh yeah, any potting soil that says not to feed it for 9 months, unless it's organic, will have fertilizer's in it. Not much you can do now, just keep it watered and hopefulyl sometime soon the excess nitrogen will rinse out completely.

Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:14 am

Do you pull out the spent flowers? I do that and I pull off the seed pod under the spent flower. My flowers are nice and large. When the stems get too long I cut them to encourage branching and keep them strong.
They do love the sun and acid ph.
I always drop the seed pods into the pot and they come up again the next year.

Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:02 pm

no, i do not pull out spent flowers.... few days back i saw seed pods lying in pot. all my stems have recently developed flower buds on top...should i still trim off the long stems before the buds turn into flower. it also has many new stems growing from the bigger stems. i think my plant went into some kind of rest for 10 -15 days...there were no flower buds & no new growth...suddenly all stems have flower buds and many new growths.

Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:20 am

They don't look like they're too long right now. With mine, I'll cut the middle large stem if they hang over the pot and seem to have stopped flowering.
I stick the cut stems in the pot and often they'll also grow.
Pulling out the dried up flowers seems to make the plants flower faster.

My plants never get as full as yours a0c8c.

Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:58 pm

Mine got so full because I dosed them with a fertilizer that was real high in nitrogen, which is why they're nice and full but have such small flowers. Next year, I definately won't be doing that, and even if they're not as full hopdefully I'll get better flowers.

Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:11 pm

a0c8c will the plants survive next year as well? i thought they die in fall.... and then new plants grow back from the seed pods which fall off when they were dying. I am still confused if they will die or keep growing through winter... there is no frost here in winters...no snow.

Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:51 pm

my portulaca says "thank you" to you all.
they look better after i put them under tap day before yesterday...the soil is still moist...and the plant looks happy...can't believe i was killing my portulaca :-(

though the flower size has improved but definitely not what they were when i bought them....BUT I AM HAPPY!!
THANKS!!

Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:56 pm

I'm pretty sure they're annuals, but I think I might bring mine in when it gets cold and see if I can keep them longer. Next year I plan on doing alot more Portulaca and I found out a great cheap way. My inlaws have a house in Magnolia Beach, and since it's a fishing beach they don't really like all the wild portulaca growing alone the water so I can take as much as I want

I could fill gardens with it and still not slow it down out there.

Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:14 pm

cool! you can plant as many as you want...
i found a few seed pods lying in the pot, so i picked them up and have kept them in a container...hopefully i will also be able to have cheap portulaca next year. Infact these ones were also pretty cheap- $1.99 at Lowes.... but i bought them in July-pretty late!! Hope those seeds give me free portulaca next season.

but a lesson for both of us-next time no fertilizer :-D

Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:22 pm

a0c8c: maybe if you could get some soil as well along with portulaca, they might be more healthy - soil change can sometimes give plant problem. Maybe you could take you pot along and fill it with some soil as well from that area - that would be the best soil for portulaca...... just a thought :-)

Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:08 am

There isn't much soil, mostly all shell sand and rock, in which portulaca can grow well in. Maybe I could do a cool indoor shell pot