What Soil Is Best for Growing Mimosa Pudica? A Guide to Choosing and Mixing Soil Correctly
Mimosa pudica is a plant in the legume family. When touched by people, its leaf stalks droop and its small leaflets close up, as if shy, which is how it got the name mimosa pudica. So what soil is best for growing mimosa pudica?
1. Growing habits of mimosa pudica
Mimosa pudica is native to tropical America and has spread widely across the world's tropical regions. It is found in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places. It grows in open wasteland and among shrubs, and is often cultivated for ornamental purposes in the Yangtze River basin. Mimosa pudica likes a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight, and is suited to well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter. The plant is robust, grows quickly and has strong adaptability.
2. What soil is best for growing mimosa pudica?
Mimosa pudica is best grown in fertile, deep, moist soil. Leaf mold, peat soil and sandy soil can be mixed in certain proportions as the growing medium for mimosa pudica.
3. Is mimosa pudica toxic?
The whole mimosa pudica plant is mildly toxic, but during the day it generally does not harm people. At night it cannot carry out photosynthesis, so it releases toxic substances. When growing mimosa pudica, it is best not to keep it in a closed environment, and best not to put it in the bedroom.
Mimosa pudica contains mimosine. Frequently touching it with your hands can not only cause sparse eyebrows and yellowing hair, but also easily lead to hair loss. So it is best not to touch mimosa pudica with your hands often.
Mimosa pudica closes its leaflets because of its internal mechanism. Its cells are supported by a fine, net-like protein called “actin” (that is, the pulvinus contractile body). When closing movement occurs, the phosphate on the actin falls off. If mimosa pudica absorbs a compound that prevents the phosphate from falling off, it will not change even when touched. When the actin bundles disperse, the cells are destroyed, and as a result water escapes, causing the closing movement.