Its name was given to the genus of mimosa from the Greek root mimos, that is, "actor" or "mime". The name reflects the most interesting ability of the mimosa to "play." But I must say that only some types of mimosa show such a reaction to, for example, the touch of the hand. Of course, among these species is the beloved by many "bashful" mimosa.
In the room it can be grown as an annual herb. At home, mimosa is a prickly branched bush. Leaflets with mimosa double-paired-pinnately. They consist of many oval oblong leaflets. Flowers of mimosa tubular, pinkish-violet. They are collected in a multitude of capitate inflorescences. Those flowers that we are used to, and which appear in the shopping networks on the eve of the holidays in the spring, with yellow fluffy inflorescences, though called mimosa, but it's actually the Silver Acacia (or Acacia dealbata).
As already noted, the mimosa has the amazing ability to fold leaflets at the slightest touch to them. It is because of this interesting ability that all botanical farms consider it necessary to grow this plant. From there, from botanical farms, gardens, greenhouses, mimosa and got to us on the windowsills.
In warm regions of our planet, the mimosa is considered a weed plant. In principle, the mimosa can also be sown in May in the garden, but time should be chosen when no frosts are expected. If the plant is well looked after, it can give a lot of seeds. It helps maintain culture for many years.
The speed with which the mimosa plant reacts to stimuli depends mainly on temperature. If the air is cool, then the leaves do not fold up so quickly. If the plant is old, then its leaves also have a slow reaction compared to the reaction of the young plant.
In the wild, mimosa can reach a height of 1 meter, and this is only one season of vegetation. In the room, the mimosa rarely grows above half a meter.
Mimosa: flowering
Inflorescences of mimosa are like purple balls. They are located on long, out of the leaves, peduncles, peduncles. Months after 3 or 4, after the seeds are sown, the first inflorescences appear. When flowers bloom, some of them form beans of hook-shaped-curved shape.
Mimosa: accommodation
Mimosa is a houseplant that loves light, but it must be scattered. If there is not enough light, the shoots stretch out. If the plant receives direct light, the leaves may turn yellow and curl. Too dry air adversely affects the plant, so pot with mimosa should be put on a wet pebble, which must be periodically moistened. Pebbles can be replaced, for example, with expanded clay. In the winter, the mimosa can not be kept by batteries, radiators and heating appliances. Mimosa feels great in the bathrooms, where the air has high humidity.
Mimosa: care
Mimosa is a plant that loves heat very much. It grows well at an average temperature of 25 degrees. Leaflets stop responding to touch, if the temperature drops even to 18 degrees. In the winter time, the mimosa must be protected from drafts. The soil for the plant must be loose, well-humified, rich. At the bottom of the pot must be a well-formed drainage. Indoors, this indoor plant can be grown only as an annual plant, because as time passes, it loses its attractiveness and decorativeness.
Mimosa: fertilizing, watering
The substrate in the mimosa pot must be moist all the time, but it should not be waterlogged. If the soil dries, the leaves will fall off. Because of the excessively dry air, the growth of the mimosa slows down, so it is necessary, as they say, by all the truths to increase the humidity around the plant.
Feed the mimosa every three weeks. For this purpose, a solution of mineral fertilizers is suitable. On the surface of the substrate, you can pour a little dry mullein.
Mimosa: transplantation
Those plants that grew from seeds should be transplanted into wider pots, their diameter should be about 16 cm, and old plants should not be transplanted.
Reproduction
Before sowing, the seeds are usually soaked in cold water for a couple of days. They sprout faster if the surface is slightly to go through emery. Their skin is hard, so the seed will not be damaged. Seeds, as a rule, are sown in the last days of February or in the first - March. The mixture should contain peat and sand, or you can use a special purchased land. The container with seeds is put in heat. It must receive light, otherwise the shoots will stretch and weaken. If the seedlings seem too much, they should be weeded out. When they form the first leaves, they must be planted in pots. Shoots do not need to pinch. In order to increase the humidity of the ambient air for shoots, it is necessary to cover the container with them for the first time with a film.
So, in reproduction by means of seeds, certain stages are distinguished:
- Soak the seeds in warm water and swell them for a couple of days.
- Scratching the skin with emery for better germination.
- Filling the tray with a mixture of sand and peat and the breakdown of "beds" - grooves every 5 centimeters.
- Planting seeds in the grooves (distance about 5 cm).
- Spraying the surface of an earthen substrate with planted seeds.
- Cover the tray with film and place it in a warm and necessarily lit place.
Mimosa: possible difficulties in growing
- Due to too moist soil, leaflets may not open during the day, so watering should be limited.
- Due to irregular watering, the leaves can fade and fall off. Also, the cause of this can be dry air. It is necessary to maintain a constant level of soil moisture and prevent it from drying out.
- Due to lack of nutrition in the soil, poor lighting and cold mimosa may not bloom for a long time. The plant should be fed and create optimal living conditions.
- The plant can attack a spider mite, because of what leaves can begin to curl and fly around. It is necessary to treat the mimosa with acaripid and destroy the damaged elements of the plant.
- The plant can also attack aphids, because of which the stems of the mimosa can deform. Pests should be washed off the plant with water or treated with a chemical preparation.