Growing Tips for Moss rose

November 2022

Moss roses come in different bright colors. They are easy to grow. Moss roses are great for hanging baskets, flower beds, and ground cover.

We've compiled the most effective growing tips for moss rose plants in our ultimate guide.

Moss Rose Plant Information

Moss roses are originally from South America. They are succulent flowering plants in the family Portulacaceae.

Botanical name: Portulaca oleracea

Common names: Rose moss, Ten o'clock, Mexican rose, moss rose, sun rose, rock rose, and moss-rose purslane.

Best Moss Rose Planting Time

They can be planted after the last frost in colder regions. However, in warm zones, they can be grown in the winter season too.

Moss rose can also be planted in summer as it is a heat tolerant plant.

What kind of plant is moss rose?

Moss rose is a drought tolerant and heat tolerant annual plant. But the plant produces many seeds and gets propagated very easily.

Purslane vs. Moss Rose

Both Purslane and Moss Rose belong to the same genus (Portulaca) but are cultivated and consumed differently. While Purslane is mainly eaten as a vegetable, Moss rose is primarily cultivated as an ornamental.

Both plants show thick, juicy leaves, however, Moss Roses display denser leaves than most other types of mosses. Also, Moss Roses produce more flowers that look like roses.

Toxicity of Moss rose

It may lead to an irregular heart rate, muscle spasms, drooling, and kidney damage. So keep it out of reach of animals and children.

Moss rose

Best Moss Rose Growing Tips

1. Grow moss rose in sandy soil

Moss rose is a semi succulent plant, it requires well draining sandy soil. However, it doesn't require fertile soil. So you can skip adding fertilizers or the manure to soil while planting moss rose. Moss rose can grow well even in rocky, dry, nutrient deficient soil.

2. Moss rose loves bright light:

These plants require 6-8 hours of bright sunlight. In shady places, the plants fail to produce blooms. When growing moss roses indoors, make sure to keep them near the window, where they can receive sufficient sunlight.

3. Choose the right container:

Moss Rose's secret for growing it successfully is to grow it in the right sized container so that the plants don't spread too far. Keep it in a pot that's just a bit bigger than the root ball.

4. Fertilize: A 'No'

If you want to grow Moss rose plants successfully, one of the best growing tips involves growing them in poor soil without any fertilizers. Don't treat these plants like ordinary houseplants which require fertilizers to grow well.

You can sometimes use a fertilizer rich in phosphorus to encourage flowering.

6. Limited watering

Moss rose is a drought tolerant plant. Slight overwatering can cause the plants to die. So it is best to water the plant when the soil feels a bit too dry to touch. Just make sure that the soil does not go dry for a long period.

7. Plant the Moss rose on the outer side of the container.

To ensure that the moss rose grows well, plant it on the outside of the pot. It gives the plant a bushy and cascading appearance.

7. Deadhead Regularly

To get your Moss rose to produce lots of blossoms, you need to remove the old ones regularly. This will give the plants energy to grow new flowers.

To remove moss roses from their stems, use your hands or cut them off using a pair of sharp shears.

8. Divide the Plant

To keep the plant from spreading too quickly, you should separate the root ball into smaller pieces and then transplant these into individual containers. This will prevent the growth from going out of control.

Moss rose