The excellent decorative effect of silver acacia, better known to us as mimosa, has always inspired poets and artists. Exquisite Australian from the legume family has long conquered the southern regions of Russia, spread to the Caucasus and the Black Sea coast, and also very confidently mastered the south of the North American states. And although this is not a mimosa, but a silver acacia - a plant belonging to another family - the magnificent sight of its violent flowering is impressive: gentle sunny trees leave no one indifferent. Let's talk about this interesting plant, its useful and decorative properties, cultivation techniques.
Acacia silver: treatment, application
Light and heat-loving culture, widespread in tropical regions of all continents, is used to decorate andlandscaping park alleys. Garden interior designers consider it a fertile material for use in various compositions, both group and single.
Amazing decorativeness is combined in this plant with a very high healing ability. The bark and gum solution of the tree differ in medicinal qualities. Possessing anti-inflammatory and enveloping action, it is used for inflammation and ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract, neutralizing the irritating effect of drugs and significantly reducing the pain that always accompanies diseases of the stomach and intestines. Although infusions and decoctions based on acacia derivatives are not used in traditional medicine, their beneficial effect on the human body has been proven.
Acacia silver: treatment methods, harvesting
The bark and gum from cuts made in advance are harvested after the end of fruiting - in August-September. Medicinal raw materials should be harvested in dry weather, in the morning, until the sun is too hot.
Easy to prepare decoctions of acacia bark are used as a very effective astringent. Acacia oil, used in home cosmetology, is distinguished by its excellent qualities. This is a good antiseptic that relieves skin irritation that occurs both with errors in the diet and from any small mechanical damage. Recommended for oily skin care, the oil perfectly tones and rejuvenates it. Besides, howdecoctions and infusions, oil has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effect, so people with problematic and overly sensitive skin need it. The pleasant aroma of silver acacia is used in aromatherapy: being a natural antidepressant, it calms and induces deep sleep.
Features of the species
Acacia silver, growing up to 10-12 m (and in the homeland up to 30 m), is a beautiful sprawling tree, bewitching during flowering and amazing with enviable fertility. Cirrus-complex graceful, as if carved with a chisel of a skilled craftsman, the leaves can reach 20 cm in length. A delicate silvery coating on the foliage and young shoots of the culture is a distinctive feature of this type of acacia, which is also noted in its name.
The flowering of the tree falls on the period from February to April - the Australian roots of the plant affect, because this time there falls in the spring. Small yellow flowers are collected in small balls-inflorescences, forming large fluffy brushes with a delicate fresh aroma. The high decorativeness of the culture is ensured by the duration of the flowering period: not every tree is able to provide such a festive spectacle for two or even three months. Like all legumes, acacia fruits are somewhat curved flattened pods, reaching a length of 8-10 cm. Silver acacia seeds are medium-sized beans 2-4 mm in size, covered with a dense protective shell.
Acacia is unpretentious and hardy, and in addition, it has another valuablequality - you can grow it not only in parks and gardens, but also at home. It becomes a wonderful decoration for spacious winter gardens and bright greenhouses, surprisingly malleable for the formation of compositions in the famous bonsai style.
Creating conditions for growing crops at home
Given that the silver acacia is a very heat-loving plant and can develop only at positive temperatures and an abundance of light, it is cultivated only in the southern regions.
But flower growers around the world are blessed with the happiness of seeing this magnificent plant in their own home. Due to the high degree of adaptation, silver acacia feels great at home, as evidenced by its lush flowering.
Lighting Requirements
Acacia is photophilous. The sun's rays are necessary for her, if they are scarce, the plant will not bloom. Due to its southern origin, the silver acacia develops well even under the direct rays of the sun, and in winter it requires additional lighting for 3-4 hours a day. The best place to place it indoors is by a south-facing window.
Temperature conditions
The plant has no special requirements for home growth. However, you should be aware of some of its features. In summer, the optimum indoor temperature for the comfortable existence of the tree should be 24-27 ºС. The action is indifferent to air humidity, and it does not need additional spraying. ATin the summer, it is advisable to place the acacia on the balcony, it needs fresh air. You can dig it in the garden, along with the container it grows in, in a sunny spot.
In winter, silver acacia feels very confident at normal room temperature. It is necessary to ensure that the air in the room is warm, the thermometer should not fall below 10-12 ºС. In this case, the development of the plant is suspended, and after all, winter is the time for flowering acacia.
Propagation of crops by seeds
Unpretentious silver acacia is equally successfully propagated by seeds and cuttings. The plant loves light, water- and breathable soils, therefore, for better germination, a mixture of equal parts of leafy soil and river sand is prepared with the addition of vermiculite, and the seeds are soaked in water heated to 60 ºС with the addition of 1-2 drops of a growth biostimulant (Epin will do). or "Zircon") for 1-2 days.
You need to carefully monitor the seeds, not allowing the water to soure. Seeds are planted, deepening them by 0.5 cm, abundantly moisten the substrate in a container and cover the plantings with glass or film. Containers are installed in a warm, bright place, with a constantly maintained temperature of 22-25 ºС. Seeds will take 1 to 5 weeks to germinate. The amplitude in timing is due solely to the quality of the seeds.
Sprouted seedlings grow intensively, as several true leaves appear, they dive into separate containers filled with a substrate consisting of leaf andsoddy land with an admixture of sand. The main role in the good development of the seedling is played by light and heat. With these two components, the seedlings quickly turn into young trees and can bloom in the 2nd year.
Acacia cuttings
Cut the apical stem cuttings after flowering or at the end of summer. Shoots removed during the pruning process are excellent for propagation. The optimal length of the prepared cuttings is 10 cm. Before planting, they are stimulated in a solution of "Epin" or any other similar drug for 6-8 hours.
It is very effective to use small mini-greenhouses for rooting. If the cuttings are planted in separate containers, then they are covered with a glass jar or plastic wrap. Such structures will create a constant humid and warm microclimate, which contributes to the faster rooting of the cutting. Soil can be used universal, purchased at the store, adding a small amount of river sand.
The substrate is abundantly and evenly moistened, cuttings are planted and either placed in a mini-greenhouse, or each pot is covered with jars. In the process of rooting, they should not be removed. Plants do not need watering at this time - silver acacia seedlings are moistened due to accumulated condensate.
Containers with planted cuttings set in a warm sunny place. The most comfortable temperature for high-quality rooting is 22-24 ºС. When heating is provided from below, its speed will increase. It usually takes two to three months for the cuttings to root.
Subtleties of care
Sufficiently unpretentious mimosa (silver acacia) successfully takes root at home, delighting with beautiful flowering and excellent decorative effect. There are usually no serious problems in caring for her. Plant care consists in maintaining moderate soil moisture, timely feeding and transplanting.
It grows quite quickly, so a transplant of a young plant should be carried out annually. Sometimes a heavily grown crop may require an unscheduled transshipment if the capacity becomes small. In this case, having prepared a larger pot in advance, the acacia is well watered and carefully pulled out along with a clod of earth covering the root system. Set the plant in the center of the prepared container and add the missing amount of soil on the sides. It is necessary to periodically inspect the plant. Acacia whitish silver is a very suitable object of pest attack. But it can also simply be ill from a lack or excess of nutrients.
Transfers
High growth, especially in the first years of life, acacia is transplanted into a wider and deeper container every year. Transplants are carried out after the plant has faded. The soil is prepared from a mixture of soddy and leafy soil with humus and sand, which will add nutrients to the composition and increase its breathability. In the process of transplanting, pay attention to the condition of the roots,broken or rotten must be removed.
Comfortably positioning the plant in a container, it is carefully covered with new soil, the surface is compacted and generously moistened.
Feeding and watering
Active growth of acacia requires intensive watering with a regularity of 1-2 times a week, during the dormant period the plant is watered once every 10 days. Nevertheless, one must focus on the state of culture. In very hot weather, the frequency of watering is increased, if necessary, the acacia is sprayed.
Throughout the entire period of activity, acacia is fed with solutions of complex fertilizers. It responds well to fertilizers of the peat-humic group. Top dressing is carried out once every 3 weeks. It is not recommended to fertilize the plant during the dormant period.
Crown formation
All representatives of the legume family grow very quickly, and silver acacia is no exception. Cultivation and care, especially high-quality ones, give tangible results: for the spring-summer period, it gives a significant increase. In order to avoid thickening and giving a beautiful shape to the crown, pruning of the plant is necessary. I must say that acacia tolerates this procedure well. The thickening of the crown is extremely harmful. The sun's rays do not penetrate into the overgrown areas of the crown, flowering on them is noticeably reduced. At the same time, the risk of various pathologies increases.
Therefore, after flowering, the plant is inspected, weak branches and branches growing inside the crown are cut out. Forming the desired volume, shorten the shoots, thereby increasingdecorative culture, at the same time sanitizing it.
Decorative and beautifully flowering culture brings little worries compared to the joy that fills your home silver acacia. Growing it does not involve a lot of time and effort, but it brings great pleasure.
