What Varieties of Mimosa Seeds Are There? A Detailed Guide to Seedling Cultivation
Speaking of mimosa, I believe many friends who grew up in the countryside are familiar with it, especially children who love to touch mimosa for fun. As long as you gently touch it with your hand, its leaves will close up, and after a while they will open again, which is really fun. So what varieties of mimosa seeds are there? What are the seedling cultivation methods? Friends who want to know will understand after reading the following!
1. What varieties of mimosa seeds are there?
1. Thorny mimosa
Thorny mimosa is a thorny perennial herbaceous plant. The flowers are small, bisexual or polygamous, forming dense spherical capitula or cylindrical spikes. The number of stamens is the same as the number of petals or twice the number of petals, and the anther apex has no glands. The whole plant can be used as medicine and has the effect of calming the nerves and settling the spirit.
Mimosine can be regarded as a toxic amino acid. If a person eats a plant containing this alkaloid, it can cause sudden hair loss. It can mildly inhibit alkaline phosphatase, with no significant inhibition of metal-containing enzyme systems.
2. Thornless mimosa
Thorny mimosa is a subshrub-like herbaceous plant, with capitulum flowers, purplish-red flowers, a very small calyx, a bell-shaped corolla, and filaments several times as long as the corolla; the ovary is cylindrical, and the style is slender. The pod is oblong, and there are no bristles on the pod edges or pod joints. It flowers and fruits from March to September.
Thornless mimosa has slender and dense stems and leaves, strong coverage ability, drought tolerance, water saving, and energy consumption saving. The flowers and leaves are elegant and beautiful, and it is used for potted cultivation for ornamental viewing, playful touching, flowerbed arrangement, environmental beautification, ground cover greening, road slope protection, and soil and water conservation. It is also a Chinese herbal medicine with effects such as calming the nerves, relieving pain, and astringing.
3. Smooth pod mimosa
Smooth pod mimosa has the reputation of the "king of hedges." The capitulum is spherical, pure white and fragrant, with flowers densely packed, like snow or catkins, forming a spectacular sight. The plant height is 3-6 m, the branchlets are thornless, and densely covered with yellow down. The petals are oblong, about 2 mm long, and the flowering period is from June to September.
4. Mimosa cassia
Mimosa cassia is a perennial subshrub-like spreading herbaceous plant, with a plant height of 75 cm, leaf length 4-8 cm, and width about 1 mm. The branches, petioles, and leaf rachises are sparsely pubescent. The fruit stalk is 1.5-2 cm long; there are 10-16 seeds; it flowers from August to September and fruits from October to December.
Mimosa cassia often grows on wasteland, is tolerant of drought and barren soil, and is a good cover plant and soil-improving plant, as well as a good green manure; its young stems and leaves can be used as a tea substitute, and the root treats dysentery. It should be noted that patients with conditions such as spleen-stomach deficiency cold, weak constitution, and loose stools must eat little.
2. Seedling cultivation methods for mimosa seeds
1. Seed preparation
Mimosa seeds are flat and round, with a thousand-grain weight of about 5.6 grams. The seeds can be used for 2 to 3 years. Mimosa seeds mature late. In northern cold regions, when cultivated in the open field, large seedlings must be grown for cultivation before seeds can be harvested. When the pods turn yellow, the seeds have matured and can be collected. The pod maturation period is not uniform, and overripe fruits fall off by themselves, so they should be harvested fruit by fruit in stages.
2. Seedling days
For planting with large seedlings, about 60 days are needed for spring seedling cultivation.
3. Sowing and seedling cultivation
Mimosa is afraid of frost and needs to be planted in the open field after the last frost, so sowing and seedling cultivation about 60 days before the local last frost is more suitable. Soak the seeds in warm water for 8 to 12 hours, then promote germination or sow directly. Ordinary nutrient soil can be used for sowing. The sowing rate per square meter of seedbed is about 40 grams, and after sowing, cover with fine soil about 1 cm. Cover the seeds with plastic film, control the soil temperature at 22 to 25°C, and dry seeds emerge in 7 days after sowing. Remove the plastic film immediately after emergence. Lower the soil temperature to about 20°C, control the daytime temperature at 22 to 30°C, and keep it not lower than 10°C at night. Transplant seedlings when the seedlings grow 1 to 2 true leaves. Mimosa has a well-developed main root and relatively few lateral roots, so it is best to grow seedlings in containers with a diameter of about 8 cm. Mimosa likes light, so it needs sufficient light throughout the seedling period, and the soil should be kept moist frequently. When the seedlings are about 8 cm tall, pinching can be used to control plant height, or height can be controlled by appropriately controlling temperature and increasing the nutrient area of the seedlings, or pinching can be omitted. Reduce the temperature 5 to 7 days before planting, increase ventilation, and moderately control water to harden the seedlings. Plant in the open field after the last frost.
Above, the editor has shared with you a total of four common mimosa varieties. Each has its own characteristics. Friends who want to grow them can choose seeds according to their own preferences. In addition, the editor also introduced a relatively detailed method for cultivating mimosa seeds into seedlings, hoping it will be helpful to everyone.
For wonderful pictures and texts and popular comments about mimosa varieties and seedling cultivation methods, you may be interested in the content recommended below by Nongxun Network. Welcome to read.
Agricultural products you may be interested in: national high-quality mimosa seed supply