2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Silver acacia (Latin Acacia dealbata) - a representative of the genus Acacia of the Legume family. Another name is Acacia whitewashed. In Russia and the countries of the former USSR, the culture is often called mimosa. In natural conditions, it grows on the southeast coast of Australia, the island of Tasmania, Madagascar, South Africa and southern Europe. In Russia, silver acacia is cultivated only on the Black Sea coast, since it cannot boast of cold-resistant properties.
Characteristics of culture
Silver acacia is a tree up to 25 m high with a wide-cylindrical crown. The bark of the trunk at a young age is smooth, light green, often with a silvery sheen; in adulthood, it is longitudinally fissured, grayish-brown, gray-brown or gray. Drops of a sticky colloidal solution (gum in reaction with water) sometimes appear on the surface of the bark. The root system of silver acacia is powerful, highly branched, superficial, the main root is present, but underdeveloped. As the trees grow, a huge amount of root growth is formed, as a result, the plants quickly occupy free areas.
Leaves are compound, doubly pinnately dissected, consist of 8-24 pairs of leaflets. The leaves are green, with a gray bloom, small, elongated. Flowers are yellow or grayish-yellow, numerous, fragrant, collected in globular capitate inflorescences, which, in turn, are enclosed in brushes and panicles. The calyx is five-toothed, bell-shaped. Corolla of five-petal. The petals are pointed, ovate or broadly lanceolate. The fruit is an oblong or elongated-lanceolate flat pod, can be light brown or violet-brown in color, opens with two thin valves.
The seeds are flat, elliptical, glossy or dull, hard, usually black or dark brown. The seeds ripen by September, after which they spill out on their own, and after 7-12 days they sprout and develop actively. Such specimens must be removed in time or transplanted to another place, otherwise they will quickly fill the entire garden. Silver acacia is not winter-hardy, plants are able to withstand frosts only up to -10C. But for modern gardeners this is not a problem, some amateurs grow beautifully flowering mimosa at home.
The subtleties of cultivation and reproduction
Silver acacia makes special demands on growing conditions. It needs open, well-lit areas, protected from squally and cold winds. The soils should be loose, light, fertile, without compaction. Heavy and waterlogged soils are not suitable, but the former are acceptable provided there is good drainage. For growing acacia silver in room conditions, a substrate is used, composed of sod and leafy soil with the addition of coarse-grained river sand and humus (in a ratio of 2: 4: 1: 1).
Acacia silver is propagated by seeds, cuttings and root shoots. In regions with warm winters, it is easy to collect material, you need to wait for self-seeding and emergence of seedlings. In phase 2 of true leaves, the seedlings dive into the greenhouse, where they hibernate under cover. Young plants are transplanted to a permanent place throughout the gardening period of the next year. When growing a crop at home, the seeds are treated with hot water before sowing. The seeds are soaked for 24 hours. The optimum water temperature is 55-60C. If the water temperature is lower than the named one, then the seeds are kept in it for up to 2 days, periodically changing, of course.
It is important to remember that young plants need more care than adults. Watering for them is mandatory regular and abundant (without waterlogging and overdrying), fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers will also have a positive effect on the development and growth of plants.2-3 dressings are carried out per season. Indoor trees are fed weekly from early spring to late fall. In the cold season, the silver acacia is dormant. Sanitary pruning is encouraged, as it will keep the trees in order after frost, heat and illness.
Application
Silver acacia has a high decorative effect, its flowering shoots in spring are very popular among the inhabitants of Russia. They are presented as an independent bouquet or in an ensemble with other plants. In warm countries, silver acacia decorates boulevards, squares and parks with its inflorescences. On the Black Sea coast, it is also widespread as an ornamental culture. The flowers of plants are known to contain an essential oil that is used in the perfume industry. Silver acacia bark is also a valuable product, it is widely used in folk medicine.
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