The cuttings should root in a couple of weeks. The spot should stay between 65 and 75 degrees F. Cover them with clear plastic and keep them in a warm, bright spot but out of direct sunlight. Stick the cuttings three inches deep into the medium and moisten it. You can usually make several cuttings from one plant without harming it.įill a tray or clay pot that's more than three inches deep with a planting medium that drains quickly, such as perlite, peat moss or coarse sand. Take off all the flowers and buds and the lowest set of leaves. Make a cutting about 4 inches from the end of a stem, leaving at least one node (a bump on the stem where new leaves and stems appear). Portulaca plants are often sold in nurseries or home and garden centers, but you can also start them from cuttings. Insecticidal soaps or a strong blast of water from your hose (or kitchen sink, if your portulacas are houseplants) can remove aphids and spider mites. Portulaca pests include aphids, mealybugs, scale, spider mites and thrips. White rust makes leaves and branches swell, causes raised bumps on leaves and deforms branches. Remove and destroy infected plants and don’t replant in previously affected soil. Various pathogens can cause different kinds of r oot rots. Ask your county extension service for advice on how to control these pests. Rotate your plantings and don’t plant where this disease has previously occurred. These microscopic worms form knots, or swollen spots, on roots. Yellowing or stunted plants may have root-knot nematodes. If needed, use a fungicide labeled for this problem. Good air circulation also helps prevent botrytis. Remove and destroy any diseased plant parts and water only during the day so your plants dry out before the sun sets. Portulaca, or moss rose, can suffer from diseases like botrytis, a fungus that shows up as a gray mold in cool, wet weather. Don't put them in a compost pile, where the problem can spread. Sometimes there's no treatment for a disease, and infected plants should be removed and destroyed.

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