Product Description
How To Germinate Mimosoid Plants:
Mimosoid plants include hundreds of species of Mimosa, Acacia, Desmanthus, Albizzia, Pithecellobium, and others. Some of the best known plants in this group include jurema (Mimosa hostilis), sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), wilca (Anadenanthera colubrina), Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoiensis), and silk tree mimosa (Albizzia jalubrissin) as well as many acacias, mesquites, and others.
Some mimosoids are difficult to germinate, owing to tough shells. This is more true of some than others, such as most Acacia, Mimosa and Desmanthus species. Others, such as Anadenantheras, have thin shells, which can lead to other problems.
In the case of thick shelled seeds, it may be necessary to use different tricks to help speed germination. These tricks are optional, but will increase the speed and rates of germination. One trick is to use a small file or sandpaper to thin the shell.
Make sure you only file away the coat. If you start to see the white or green seed interior, stop filing! Make sure you file on the flatter side of the seed, and never file on the eye or notch of the seed. In my experience, a light filing is sufficient to get most mimosoids to germinate with a high success rate.
Another trick is to soak the seeds in very hot (but not boiling) water. After heating the water, add the seeds. Let them soak for a few hours, and watch for the seeds to start swelling. Ensure you pick the seeds out before they have doubled in size, or they may drown. Some sources recommend soaking the seeds for 10-20 minutes in either hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol instead.
These methods can be combined, and the seeds can be filed before being soaked in hot water. With really stubborn seeds, this may be the best route. If you do this, you will want to watch the seeds more closely as they will swell up much quicker and also be prone to drowning faster.
With the thin shelled seeds, filing should be avoided. You may wish to soak the seeds, but keep the soaking short, under an hour. These thin shelled seeds are prone to rot, so you may wish to take preventative measures such as coating the seeds in sulfur or copper fungicidal dust before planting them. You may wish to start the seeds out in an inorganic medium such as perlite, coarse aquarium sand, or grit rather than using an organic-rich soil or potting mix. If using an organic potting mix, add some sphagnum moss, as this has some fungicidal properties. After the plants have germinated, you can transplant them into potting mix.
Mimosoids are legumes, distantly related to peas and beans. The important thing about this is that these plants all require microbes known as nitrogen-fixing bacteria to be present in the soil. These species of bacteria (including members of the genii Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium) form a symbiotic relationship with the plants. They form cultures on the plants' roots known as nodules, and the bacteria convert nitrogen (N2, which the plants can not use) into ammonia (NH3, which plants can use).
Without these bacteria, the plants will generally exhibit weak growth and die while still seedlings. There are a few ways to innoculate your plants with these microbes.
Another method is to buy vetch seeds and plant them in the soil at the same time as you plant your mimosoids. Let the vetch establish a root system, and grow to several inches tall, then pinch them back to the soil line. This can also be done using common pea seeds.
A third method is to go and find mimosoids growing in your area. Dig up some soil from around the roots, and break off a few small pieces of the roots. Mix this into the soil that you plant your seeds in. The advantage of this method is that it is free, but the disadvantage is that you may also introduce microbes, insect eggs, or fungi which are harmful.
Once established, mimosoid plants are quite easy to grow. Given adequate root space, they will grow rapidly. Alternatively, many species can be kept in small pots and grown into attractive bonsai specimens. Give them good light, water them according to the sort of environment the plant is naturally used to, and feed them with nitrogen rich fertilizer. The hardest part in growing these plants is getting them established. Once you have a healthy seedling, with proper care, your mimosoid plants should be some of the easiest in your collection to care for.
by Murple
Version 1.0, Dec 7, 2002
Mimosoid plants include hundreds of species of Mimosa, Acacia, Desmanthus, Albizzia, Pithecellobium, and others. Some of the best known plants in this group include jurema (Mimosa hostilis), sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), wilca (Anadenanthera colubrina), Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoiensis), and silk tree mimosa (Albizzia jalubrissin) as well as many acacias, mesquites, and others.
Some mimosoids are difficult to germinate, owing to tough shells. This is more true of some than others, such as most Acacia, Mimosa and Desmanthus species. Others, such as Anadenantheras, have thin shells, which can lead to other problems.
In the case of thick shelled seeds, it may be necessary to use different tricks to help speed germination. These tricks are optional, but will increase the speed and rates of germination. One trick is to use a small file or sandpaper to thin the shell.
Make sure you only file away the coat. If you start to see the white or green seed interior, stop filing! Make sure you file on the flatter side of the seed, and never file on the eye or notch of the seed. In my experience, a light filing is sufficient to get most mimosoids to germinate with a high success rate.
Another trick is to soak the seeds in very hot (but not boiling) water. After heating the water, add the seeds. Let them soak for a few hours, and watch for the seeds to start swelling. Ensure you pick the seeds out before they have doubled in size, or they may drown. Some sources recommend soaking the seeds for 10-20 minutes in either hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol instead.
These methods can be combined, and the seeds can be filed before being soaked in hot water. With really stubborn seeds, this may be the best route. If you do this, you will want to watch the seeds more closely as they will swell up much quicker and also be prone to drowning faster.
With the thin shelled seeds, filing should be avoided. You may wish to soak the seeds, but keep the soaking short, under an hour. These thin shelled seeds are prone to rot, so you may wish to take preventative measures such as coating the seeds in sulfur or copper fungicidal dust before planting them. You may wish to start the seeds out in an inorganic medium such as perlite, coarse aquarium sand, or grit rather than using an organic-rich soil or potting mix. If using an organic potting mix, add some sphagnum moss, as this has some fungicidal properties. After the plants have germinated, you can transplant them into potting mix.
Mimosoids are legumes, distantly related to peas and beans. The important thing about this is that these plants all require microbes known as nitrogen-fixing bacteria to be present in the soil. These species of bacteria (including members of the genii Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium) form a symbiotic relationship with the plants. They form cultures on the plants' roots known as nodules, and the bacteria convert nitrogen (N2, which the plants can not use) into ammonia (NH3, which plants can use).
Without these bacteria, the plants will generally exhibit weak growth and die while still seedlings. There are a few ways to innoculate your plants with these microbes.
Another method is to buy vetch seeds and plant them in the soil at the same time as you plant your mimosoids. Let the vetch establish a root system, and grow to several inches tall, then pinch them back to the soil line. This can also be done using common pea seeds.
A third method is to go and find mimosoids growing in your area. Dig up some soil from around the roots, and break off a few small pieces of the roots. Mix this into the soil that you plant your seeds in. The advantage of this method is that it is free, but the disadvantage is that you may also introduce microbes, insect eggs, or fungi which are harmful.
Once established, mimosoid plants are quite easy to grow. Given adequate root space, they will grow rapidly. Alternatively, many species can be kept in small pots and grown into attractive bonsai specimens. Give them good light, water them according to the sort of environment the plant is naturally used to, and feed them with nitrogen rich fertilizer. The hardest part in growing these plants is getting them established. Once you have a healthy seedling, with proper care, your mimosoid plants should be some of the easiest in your collection to care for.
by Murple
Version 1.0, Dec 7, 2002
Product Tags
Add Your Tags:
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
