The marigold plants that grow from your seeds, in all likelihood, will be more robust than those that you planted from the six pack. Note: in the nursery trade, a six pack refers to six plastic cells connected together that contain annual flowers. The reason for this is that from day one, the plants that grow in your bed from seeds have to adapt to existing soil, sun exposure and other conditions particular to that garden spot.
Plants imported from the nursery, on the other hand, which may have been grown in Oxnard or Fallbrook or some other distant location, will never feel as comfortable and at home as those that were born — that is, germinated — in your garden. Getting back to our mimosa, it is worth noting that this tree has a unique growth habit. Generally speaking, trees with a mature height of feet are not particularly fast growing.
The mimosa tree, however, despite being of such moderate stature, reaches its maximum height in just a few years. Alas, the mimosa — in the manner of other leguminous trees such as acacias, mesquites, cassias, and sennas — is not known for longevity. During the three decades or so of its life, however, you will enjoy its annual flower display and stylish umbrella form. Although mimosa has proven to be invasive in wetter climates, it does not pose a threat to wilderness habitats in Southern California and the Southwest.
Mimosa pods produce seeds that anyone can sprout. Boil some water and pour it into a cup that contains a handful of mimosa seeds. They do not change color before they drop. The complex composition of the leaves gives the tree a light, feathery appearance. The word "fernlike" is often used to describe the leaves. At night, or when it rains, the leaves close downward. This has earned the tree a second nickname of "night sleeper," notes Nature Hills Nursery. Unfortunately, mimosa trees do have a downside: They are messy.
The leaves, fruit and flowers drop from the tree -- and the flowers are incredibly sticky. Mimosa is considered an invasive species in some areas. It is a vigorous grower that may overtake nearby plants.
Where I live in Alabama, the trees usually start blooming in June and continue for several weeks into July. Two reasons, First, like most all fast-growing trees, mimosa is notoriously short-lived, subject to many pests, and will die on you in a heartbeat.
When people ask me the best way to get rid of a mimosa, I tell them to make it the focal point of their landscape and it will be gone momentarily. Second, after the flowers fade, the tree grows hundreds of 6-inch long, bean-like, brown seedpods which hang from every branch. The seedpods persist all winter, even after the tree has dropped its leaves.
Few trees look as ugly or more forlorn. But wait! It gets worse! Each of those pods is filled with seeds and each and every one of them germinates somewhere, even in cracks in the pavement.
Plant one mimosa in the yard and soon every house in the neighborhood has two or three mimosas. Mimosa adapts to almost any well-drained soil, laughs at heat and drought, and does not mind if you spray-paint the trunk white, hang tires from the branches, or park your pickup on top of its roots.
In hort class, we called it a "pioneer species," because if you disturb the land, remove native vegetation, and open the tree canopy to light, it's one of the first trees to appear. That's why you see it growing along just about every highway and country road in the South. Northerners be glad it doesn't like your cold winters, but with global warming, who knows how much longer you'll be free?
Recently, a new kind of mimosa was introduced to the gardening world, a purplish-bronze leaf selection called 'Summer Chocolate. Probably many of you bought one and are enjoying it right now. But not me. See, any mimosa that flowers is going to produce seeds and lots of them.
And if a thousand seedlings come up in my yard, I don't care if they have green leaves or purple leaves. They need to be eliminated with extreme prejudice. Here's a little crash course. The pink "powder puffs" of mimosa flowers appear in early June throughout the South.
Fernlike leaves give the tree a lacy, graceful appearance. A common problem are mimosa webworms. Silken webs wrap clusters of leaves together. The caterpillars inside those webs eat the leaves. The solution: If possible, prune out and destroy webbing and damaged leaves.
Thoroughly spray the tree trunk with horticultural oil in early March to suffocate pupating larvae. Rake and destroy leaf debris.
Replace mulch under the tree each fall. Spray the tree with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki Dipel, Thuricide, Javelin. For serious infestations, spray with carbaryl Sevin , diazinon, or malathion. Another problem you may encounter with mimosa is wilting. Leaves yellow and droop in early to midsummer. Many drop. Tree branches die over a period of several months. The solution is that there is no control for the soilborne disease that enters through the tree roots.
Discovered in the s, it has now spread throughout the South. Remove infected trees. Do not plant new mimosas in the same spot.
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