galleys
Family - Portolac. Homeland - the tropics of the Old World. In Russia, in a wild form, the portaloque is found from the Far East to the south of the European part of the country. In ornamental gardening, large-flowered porcelain is used.
Portulac is an annual herbaceous plant with creeping stems. Leaves are small, regular, juicy. The flowers are also small, yellow and open only in sunny weather, blossoms from June to September. Seeds are black, less often dark gray, small. Collect the shoots of the portolac in the budding phase, cutting them off at the base of the stem. For a year, shoots usually grow 8 to 10 times. The cultural forms of the portugal are distinguished from the wild by the larger leaves and raised shoots. In food, gentle shoots and leaves are used, both fresh and in the preparation of various dishes.
♦ Accommodation. They place portolac in a bright place, but it can grow in the penumbra. The plant is thermophilic, it should be kept warm all the time.
♦ Planting and care. The best substrate for sowing seeds is soil consisting of sod, leafy earth and coarse-grained sand in a ratio of 5: 4: 1.To disinfect the substrate, we recommend adding 100 - 200 g of wood ash to it per 1 bucket of substrate. Sow the seeds in pots or small boxes in the height of 12 - 15 cm. The strewed substrate is slightly moistened and rolled, seeds sow scatter, moistened from the spray gun and close the box with glass.
Shoots appear on the 3rd - 4th day after sowing. Watering is moderate. Feeding once in 2 - 3 weeks with liquid mineral fertilizers "Rainbow".
Between the plants it is necessary to leave a distance of 7 cm, between the rows - 10 cm.
♦ Pests and diseases - whitefly, rarely aphids. Of the diseases, various spots are damaged by portulac, and on the seedlings, with insufficient care, a black leg.
♦ Reproduction - by seeds and cuttings. For cuttings use the tips of shoots with 2 - 3 internodes. It takes root easily. To avoid decay, cuttings are not deepened to a depth of 2-3 cm.
Use of
Young shoots of the plant are boiled, seasoned with garlic, vinegar, pepper and used as a seasoning for meat and fish.
Shoots and leaves of pearl lobes are also used for salad dressing.
Portolake contains many substances useful to the human body. The significance of the Portuguese in human life was known for a very long time. Scientists and doctors of the ancient world - Hippocrates, Pliny and others - used portolac against various diseases. In modern folk medicine, portolac is used in cases of liver, kidney, bladder, to reduce the level of sugar in the body. A decoction of seeds of pestilaka is used as an antipyretic.