Periwinkle is one of those few garden flower plants that have valuable medical properties. Medically, Periwinkle plant saliva use in treatment of cancer.
Periwinkle plant flowers can easily grow in garden pots or direct soil in the garden. These periwinkle plants found in more than 8 colors in nature but few of them are popular. Leaves of periwinkle flowers are found in glossy shining green color. These are very soft and look like they are filled with liquid.
Periwinkle plants can live even in the least ideal conditions for a few days.
Grow Periwinkle flowers in pots/containers
Before knowing the requirements and process of sowing, you need to understand the nature of Periwinkle plants. These plants mostly bloom flowers in the summer. Mostly, hybrid seeds stop blooming in winters otherwise for the rest of the year, they bloom properly.
Pure periwinkle plants can allow flowers to bloom even in winters.
After becoming mature, periwinkle flowers turn into seeds and fall later. These fell seeds become periwinkle plants once again. So it is clear that you need to plant a few periwinkles and then it will remain to produce new plants and the chain will follow forever.
Now, let's understand the requirements to grow Periwinkle plants in containers-
Requirements to grow periwinkle plants in pots
Type of containers
Any cement or plastic pots are good for Periwinkle flower plants. As always, each plant must have proper drainage holes to avoid extra moisture in the water otherwise plants get sick. For 20 seeds, you need 20 to 25 inches in diameter and an 8 to 10 inches deep pot/container.
After sprouting, you need to transplant them into separate pots. So for each plant, you need a 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 8 to 10 inches deep pot.
Fertility of soil
Although periwinkle plants can grow in ordinary garden soil it is good to make a proper fertile soil mixture for better and long-lasting growth.
To prepare soil fertile, you need to take 50% garden soil, 30% organic compost, and 20% of river sand. It means in a 10 kg mixture, you need 5kg garden soil, 3 kg organic compost, and 2kg of river sand.
Temperature and humidity
Periwinkle plants grow better in higher temperatures between 30 degrees Celcius to 38 degrees Celcius.
Although in winters, when the temperature got down, plants don't die but mostly, they stop producing buds and flowers.
The best known period to keep plants in sunlight is 4 hours a day. You can either choose a place where plants get partial sunlight and partial shelter.
The process to grow periwinkle flowers in containers
Following are the steps and process of growing periwinkle flowers in pots-
Sowing of Periwinkle seeds
It is always better to use a local variety of seeds. If you use hybrid seeds, they don't grow in winters but they are more shiny and colorful than local ones.
Fill the biggest pot with soil mixture, sprinkle the seeds, and cover the soil with a thin layer of the same soil mixture.
Spray some water and keep it in the sunlight.
Sprouting and transplantation
If you don't sow seeds deep inside then it takes 10 to 15 days for sprouting all the seeds. Keep them in partial sunlight and partial shelter. Provide regular water showers and let them grow.
When these plants become 5 to 8 inches tall, you need to transplant them into separate pots. Use a small cultivator tool, and pick them clean with the roots. Transplant them into filled pots of the same soil mixture of the suggested size each. Cover them with the soil and spray water.
Buds and flowering
If you follow the same steps till now and don't break any plant during transplantation, then it will take up to 10 months for the appearance of buds.
These buds grow on each twig of the plant. After 12 to 14 months, these buds start to become flowers. One particular plant get only one color of flowers. These flowers bloom in the summer season and last for up to 8 months in a year(except the winter season).
Converting flowers into seeds
When each flower blooms for enough period, they start to close its petals and convert into seeds once again.
Later, these seeds fall down from each plant into the soil. Surprisingly, after a few days with proper moisture in the soil, you will see that new plants are appearing in the same pot of periwinkle flowers.
Composting in periwinkle flowers
Once a month, you can use vermicompost or organic compost to increase the fertility of the soil. Although without composting, plants grow in the same manner it is good to use compost once a month. Just spread a thin layer of compost in the soil and spray some water.
Irrigation water for periwinkle plants
Daily irrigation is not required for periwinkle plants but it doesn't mean that you stop providing water to the plants. Once a day showering with water is essential for blooming flowers.
Although Periwinkle flowers can live up to 3 days without water, you can differentiate the flowers of fresh plants and lack of water plants.
Don't spray water on to the plants. You need to aware that spray water directly in the soil otherwise plant can rot easily.
How to get a bushy Periwinkle plant?
A periwinkle plant can become tall up to 1.5 feet. This plant doesn't contain too many buds if it grows naturally. Everyone wants to see bushy plants with many blooming flowers.
You can transform periwinkle plants into bushy plants. When the plant becomes 1 foot tall, you need to cut the top twig of each plant. It will stop the upper growth and re-transform the upper growth into side growth. Repeat it multiple times in a couple of weeks and you will get a bushy plant after some time.