How to Care for Moss Rose - Portulaca Grandiflora

I got this Moss Rose from my mum.
It didn't flower for a very long time until I placed it outside my house where there is enough sunlight.

It blooms gloriously in the morning (but I'm not at home during much of the blooming time as I leave early to work and back in the evening when all the show is over) That's one of the reason why I don't fancy this plant as I only able to enjoy these blooms during the weekend.

Somehow this variety is a bit different, as the flower stays bloom longer and bigger compared to the ones I had before.

Basic Plant Characteristics:

1) Sun lover - Unlike other floral plants, this one is hardy and drought tolerant.

When planted in shade the plant grows leggy without blooms, eventually the plant matures and dies. The roots do not go deep, and they grow as ground covers.

2) When they put out many branches and leggy, its better to trim & use the stem to propagate more plants. They can be planted using few stems together in a bunched and poked inside the soil. That way, when they bloom, the flowers are bushy and not singled & spaced out.

3) 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.

4) They can also root in water very easily, tiny roots appears after few days. But you need to make sure that none of the leaves submerge in the water as that may cause the whole thing to rot.

5) They need free draining soil, sand would be the best option. Too much water retaining type of soil may cause root rot and fungus. They are like the succulent type - so too much water is not advisable.

There are some variety which had been sold in wet markets as vegetables. The flowers are not so grand looking. I have not seen them for sometime. I guess they are not popular anymore.


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These are the other two which I had before now gone extinct. I got this from my office mate, I had left it in my office for a day and the plant start blooming, there were immediate flower buds which bloomed on the next day.
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These are temporarily planted together with my coleus. They were not replanted and had slowly disappeared. Somehow they become leggy and dry up. All these time, none of my Moss Rose had every put out seeds or self sowed. Once matures, they just die.
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Update: 2020 March

These are what currently existing in my garden. 

I find that it is much more difficult to cultivate them in long-term as these are short life span plants and may not regenerate back again in the same pot / medium. The idea of trimming and replanting the pruned cutting back into the same pot may not work in various times.

Also, space seemed to be a challenging constraint when other plants are growing together in the same community pot. However the beautiful sun blooming flowers does cheer up the day when they bloom during the few hours in the morning till late afternoon.

There are many cultivars and varieties had been introduced year after year that it is impossible to keep up with all them. However the ideal thing to do is to find the ideal space and room from the grow and flower.

These require bright direct sunlight throughout the day in order for them to bloom constantly. They will never bloom in shaded area. They won't do well in cool, wet & humid areas too.

The best ideal condition - bright open sunny areas.

Their roots won't go deep into the pot. The ideal potting size would be shallow wide type of pots. These will ensure good sunny expose on them that will optimize greater flowering and longer blooming time during the day.

The flowers however last only for a day only and closes by evening time. A new bud will take place and bloom in it's place. Some variety from seedpod with tiny black seeds which will self germinate around the moss growth areas.

Pest:

These sometimes have mealybug infestation in between the leaf and buds. Sometimes ants farm them and therefore they can be a vector for the infestation which could prove difficult to rid off using home-made pesticide as these ants may introduce them sooner than you think.

Apart from all these set-backs. Consider moss-rose plant as a temporary joy plant. Something that you can collect and exchange with other gardening friends when you have the chance. These do great as a nook & crook plant as you can just poke the stem in between the edges of the pot and soil as they are non-fussy plants when it comes for root growth.