Mimosa pudica

Family. Legumes.

Where does it grow? Central and South America.

Description. Mimosa pudica is a very delicate perennial subshrub, the leaves of which fold at the slightest touch, and then straighten out within 30 minutes.

The stems are branched, prickly. Young shoots are covered with sparse pubescence.

The leaves are very unusual, complex - they consist of several branches arranged in a circle, on which, in turn, are pairs of small green oblong segments.

The spherical axillary inflorescences resemble small fluffy balls up to 1.5 cm in diameter and consist of many pink or lilac flowers.

After pollination, the inflorescences turn into oblong green pods with seeds - peas.

Height. In its natural environment it grows up to several meters. When grown indoors, it rarely exceeds 50 cm. 

Home care

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Mimosa pudica reproduces well vegetatively - by cuttings or generatively - by seeds.

1. Seed propagation is considered more successful. Stem cuttings about 10 cm long are rooted, which are obtained by formative pruning in the spring - in April.
2. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings, and the base is dipped in rooting powder.
3. After this, the seedlings are placed in a damp mixture of peat and sand and placed in a warm place with a temperature of at least 21 ° C.
4. Cover the cuttings with glass from above to maintain uniform humidity.
5. Rooting occurs within 1-1.5 months.

You can tell that the first roots have appeared under the soil surface when young leaves form on the cuttings.

Seed propagation is also not particularly difficult: germination occurs within 1-3 weeks if agricultural technology is followed.

The advantage of this method is that the seeds produce bushes that are initially adapted to home conditions.

Seeds collected independently can be used for propagation, but artificial pollination is required for their formation. Pollination is carried out with a dry and clean brush, transferring pollen from flower to flower.

You can also lightly shake one flower over another - the pollen will be transferred on its own.

If pollination was successful, then in a few days the flower will drop down, and the peduncle will become thicker.

In a few weeks, oblong pods with seeds typical of the legume family will form.

As the pods ripen, they dry out and turn brown, and at this time you can collect the seeds.

As a pre-sowing preparation, the planting material requires cold stratification - after collection, the seeds are dried and placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. The cold stratification period will last 3-4 months.

To improve germination, since the seeds are covered with a hard shell, it is better to destroy it. To soften the top layer, the planting material is doused with boiling water and left in hot water for half an hour, and then slightly dried in a warm place.

Sowing of seeds is carried out in the spring - in March - April.

1. For sowing, select a transparent plastic container with a lid or plant directly in separate cups - 2 - 3 peas per container with a diameter of about 9 cm.
2. At the bottom of the cups there should be drainage holes and a drainage layer in the form of small expanded clay or pieces of foam.
3. Suitable soil for planting is a mixture of peat, leaf soil, humus and river sand.
4. The soil is moistened with water at room temperature and planting is carried out.
5. From above, the seeds are covered with a layer of earth 5 - 10 mm thick. Strong deepening will lead to a decrease in germination. 
6. The seedlings are covered with transparent polyethylene, and when planted in a container, with a lid.
7. The container is placed in a warm and well-lit place without direct sunlight with a temperature of 22 - 26 degrees Celsius. If the air temperature drops to 20 degrees Celsius and below, germination may not occur.

Every day, the film is removed and the crops are ventilated; if necessary, the substrate is additionally moistened by spraying warm water, keeping it evenly moist.

The ventilation time is gradually increased and by the time the first shoots appear, the shelter can be completely removed. 

If the seedlings are kept in a container, then diving will be necessary - planting the bushes in separate cups. Carrying out a dive when each bush can boast 2 true leaves.

As the bushes develop, they need to be replanted, increasing the size of the pot - the signal for replanting will be the tips of the root system appearing in the drainage holes of the pot.

After picking or replanting - after 7-10 days - you can feed the flowers for the first time with a highly diluted mineral fertilizer.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for keeping Mimosa pudica indoors during the growing season is 21–24 °C. In winter, a cooler room with a temperature of about 15 °C is required.

Do not expose the bushes to temperatures below 13–14 degrees Celsius.

If kept too warm, the leaves curl up — with the onset of hot weather, increase the frequency of watering and air humidity, but it is better to place the flower in cooler conditions.

How to care 

This sensitive shrub is difficult to grow for inexperienced gardeners. Often the plant does not survive the winter and dies in amateurs.

It is possible to preserve the flower at home for several years only with proper care and compliance with all maintenance requirements.

In the spring, when growth begins, too long branches are cut in half to give the mimosa pudica a compact shape.

The tops of young shoots are pinched in a timely manner to form lateral branches and keep the crown thick and compact. Excessive pinching, unfortunately, can affect flowering.

Corrective pruning is carried out after flowering - buds form on the tops of young branches.

In the fall, pruning should be careful - if too many branches are removed, the bush may die.

Pruning is carried out with a sharp and sterile tool - a garden knife or pruning shears.

In summer, the pot can be taken outside, making sure that the tree is not exposed to strong winds and direct sunlight.

At home, do not place the flower in smoky or polluted places - it will get sick, and do not leave it on a balcony facing a busy street with a lot of traffic.

Tall specimens will need support, which is installed in the pot when transplanting.

In the autumn months, the shoots can shed some of the leaves.

Diseases and pests 

• Leaves may turn yellow when watered with cold water or flooded and moisture stagnates in the soil.
• Leaf blades do not unfold at sunrise if there is excess moisture in the soil.
• Plants shed their leaves when the soil gets too dry.
• Mimosa pudica does not bloom when kept in too cool a room. 
• Lack of light leads to less abundant flowering or no flowering at all.
• The bushes become loose and weak, and the shoots lengthen due to a lack of light.
• Black leg appears on seedlings if they are kept in a poorly ventilated container with high air humidity - remove the cover when the first shoots appear.
• When exposed to tobacco smoke, the leaf blades lose their bright color and become covered with small wrinkles. 

Among the harmful insects on mimosa pudica, you can see spider mites, mealybugs and aphids.

How to transplant  

Care in the winter months is quite difficult, and the flower often dies before spring, so the bushes are often grown as annuals and do not need to be replanted.

If you managed to save the tree until spring, then replanting is carried out when necessary, when the pot becomes cramped and roots appear in the drainage holes.

Transplantation should also be carried out after purchasing a flower in a store. The fact is that flower farms use a substrate that is too poor in nutrients, focusing on fertilizers.

On average, adult specimens are replanted every 2 - 3 years to change the substrate to a fresh mixture. Young seedlings can be replanted every year, as they require more and more space.

If possible, it is worth replanting the plant, keeping the root ball and root system intact.

1. With each transplant of young specimens, the size of the pot is increased by 2 - 3 cm in diameter.
2. For planting, prepare pots with drainage holes in the bottom and place drainage on the bottom as the first layer. Drainage may consist of components such as expanded clay, river pebbles, pine bark, and pieces of polystyrene foam.
3. Add a small layer of soil and place the flower and the lump of soil in the center of the pot.
4. Make sure that the bushes are located at the same depth as in the previous pot.
5. The voids between the earthen lump and the walls of the pot are filled with fresh soil mixture so that its surface is 1 - 2 cm below the walls of the pot. 
6. After planting, the soil is lightly compacted to remove air pockets and watered with warm water.
7. If dips appear after watering, they are also filled with substrate.
8. After transshipment, the shoots and leaves of the sensitive plant can be sprayed with phytohormones and placed in a place protected from direct sunlight for 5-7 days.

The first feeding is carried out after 3-4 weeks. Too early feeding can harm the disturbed roots.

When replanting, try to disturb the leaves as little as possible - folding of leaf blades takes too much energy from the flower.

Replanting with a complete replacement of the soil is carried out only if there are signs of root rot - in this case, the rotten areas are cut off to healthy tissue with a sharp pruner.

Such specimens are planted only in fresh substrate and sterilized pots.

Replanting flowering bushes is possible only if the life of the plant is threatened - in other cases, replanting is postponed until the buds have completely died off.

When it blooms 

From late spring to early autumn.

Individual flowers are short-lived and retain their attractiveness for only a few days, but the buds constantly replace each other over 3 to 4 months in the summer. 

Soil 

The soil for the sensitive mimosa should have good drainage.

A mixture of garden soil, peat and leaf humus is suitable for growing.

To make the substrate less compacted and to allow water and air to pass through to the root system more easily, components such as river sand, perlite or vermiculite are mixed into it.

Watering

During the growing season, spring and summer, water the mimosa so that the top layer of soil dries to a depth of about 3 cm. between waterings.

It is advisable to use bottom watering, immersing the flower pot in a large container with warm, settled water for several minutes and allowing excess moisture to drain through the drainage holes of the pot.

In autumn, the frequency of watering is gradually reduced in accordance with the room temperature.

During the winter months, keep watering to a minimum, protecting the soil from drying out completely.  Regular watering is resumed in the spring, when the first young leaves begin to form on the plants.

For irrigation, use only water at room temperature, pre-settled for 24 hours. During this time, the calcium salts contained in tap water will settle to the bottom of the container and some of the chlorine will evaporate.

The bushes respond well to watering with rain or melt water, but it must be collected in a clean place.

Excess water that appears in the tray after watering is drained after a few minutes.

Lighting

A brightly lit place with light shading on hot summer days. Direct sunlight in the morning and evening will stimulate abundant flowering.

In spring and summer, shoots and leaves are protected from direct sunlight with a light curtain.

In autumn and winter, you can provide the flower with maximum light - a southern windowsill. The rest of the year, the bushes can be kept on the southwest or southeast side. Growing in the north is not recommended - the flower will become loose and elongated, flowering will not occur and over time the plant may even die.

The lack of natural light can be compensated for with artificial lighting in the form of fluorescent, LED lamps or phytolamps.

With the help of artificial lighting, the duration of daylight hours should be increased to 12 - 14 hours per day, including lamps in the morning and evening.

Mimosa pudica does not tolerate sudden changes in lighting conditions - accustom it to any changes gradually, acclimatizing it for a week.

Fertilizer

Feed during the period of active growth with liquid fertilizer with a high potassium content every week or every two weeks.

The solution of mineral fertilizers should be diluted to half the dose recommended on the package. It is better to feed with a weak solution more often than to apply a large amount of nutrients at once.

When choosing fertilizers, it is worth remembering that flowering species with an excess of nitrogen will abundantly form green mass and produce fewer flowers.

Apply fertilizer to abundantly watered soil - too concentrated a solution in dry soil can cause a burn of the root system.

In the autumn months, the frequency of feeding and the content of nutrients in them are gradually reduced, preparing the flower for the upcoming dormant period.

In winter, feeding is not carried out at all, but resumed in the spring, with the appearance of the first signs of new growth.

Spraying

The air humidity should be high - about 60-70% relative.

Place the pot on a tray with water, covered with a grid. The bottom of the pot should not be in direct contact with moisture.

You can use a room humidifier or surround the tray with a layer of wet sphagnum moss.

You can spray the air from a spray bottle with warm and settled water. Spraying should be done in the first half of the day, making sure that there is sufficient air circulation in the room and that no drops of water remain on the leaves at night.

It is better not to spray during the flowering period - moisture getting on the flowers will spoil their appearance.

In the fall, the air humidity can be slightly reduced, and instead of spraying, place a wide open bowl of water in the immediate vicinity.

Purpose

Mimosa pudica is sometimes grown as an ornamental flowering tree in the bonsai style.

Note

Over time, the bushes become bare at the bottom and become less attractive - clip and root the cuttings, and dispose of old specimens.

Plants fold their leaf blades, adapting to changing conditions - during the day, the leaves should take sun baths, and at night, folded leaves evaporate less moisture.

It is interesting that the leaves of the sensitive mimosa fold in two ways: individual leaf segments are pressed against the central vein, or whole pinnate leaves fall along the stem.

The leaves are able to capture the daily rhythms of the planet and fold not only from touch, but also depending on the time of day - at night.

If the flower is placed in a dark place, there will be no reaction - the leaves will still fold only with the onset of darkness.

This feature should not be used for entertainment - the flower requires a lot of effort to fold the leaves and over time the bushes can simply die.

During the flowering period, quite allergenic pollen is formed, so this plant should not be kept by people prone to allergies.

The leaf blades are poisonous - they contain toxic substances that cause poisoning if they enter the body - keep the bushes out of the reach of children and pets.

In open ground, in a warm climate, this tender perennial behaves like a malicious weed and quickly grows, filling all available space.

Grazing cattle on pastures infested with mimosa pudica can lead to serious poisoning of animals. The fact is that when a threat arises, mimosa is capable of releasing toxic substances that are used to protect against being eaten.