Has ANYONE ever grown or seen the plant that moves when you tickle it? I bought some seeds for the TickleMe Plant at sensitiveplant.com and would like to raise them successfully with my kids. The company guarantees that the plants will grow to become ticklish, but I would like any suggestions on how to get them grow to an adult stage and to flower!
Grows wild in the MO Ozarks where my grandma lived. As kids we used to go around and close up all the plants. Thought it was great fun. It will take several hours before it opens up again.
It got quite tall there, maybe 3-4 feet. You'll probably have to keep it in a container and bring it inside during cold weather. Other than that I think it is easy to grow.
Karen
Are you all talking about Mimosa?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1873/
I ask, and sent the link because the ground mimosa grows out here like a weed...its everywhere and it does move and close up when touched. I am growing a Golden Mimosa tree - not as sensitive, but does close all its leaves at night. Very unusual plants.
I think Mimosa pudica is the plant that's most commonly sold as "sensitive plant", but I think most other things in the Mimosa genus will do the same folding up if you touch them. Shari--is your golden mimosa this one (Acacia baileyana)? http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1390/ It's in the same family, most of the things in that family have leaves that will fold up at night even if they don't fold when you touch them.
It was the only thing that came up when I searched for "Golden Mimosa" in Plant Files, that's why I thought that might be it. I don't know if Acacia's leaves close up at night or not, but it's in Mimosaceae family and many of them do. What we usually call mimosa trees here are Albizia julibrissin, but there aren't any yellow flowered ones so I was curious what Shari's tree was and when I looked it up in PF, the acacia was the only thing that came up.
I have heard many people call wattle mimosa and the true mimosa is something else...it is confusing ...for example in Australia our "black eyed Susan is a Thumbergia (orange flowered climber) where I have seen an orange daisy thing called that too in other countries....I find it really interesting to see the different nicknames or common names that different countries have don't you ...but I guess that is one reason we have to check on the botanical names...these days even that can be a little confusing because they keep changing that...look at calla lillies for example now there zeph something or other and many other things we have grown up with are now suddenly something else.....Hey what is that golden mimosa Shari? is it A Dealbata?.....:) (known in Europe as Mimosa)
Maybe this will help you grow them for the kids.
Naturewalker put these growing instructions in the Plant File for mimosa pudica:
Sensitive Plant, Sowing Instructions: Soak the seed in hot water (140F) for 2 hours before sowing. Sow late winter to mid spring at (70-75F) on the surface of a good well drained seed compost and gently firm down. Keep soil damp but not wet. Do not exclude light, sealing in a polythene bag after sowing is helpful. Germination usually takes 21-30 days. Mine germinated fast by pouring the hot water on top of them & leaving them overnight. Some sources recommend soaking the seeds for 10-20 minutes in either hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol instead.
Some mimosoids are difficult to germinate, owing to tough shells.
Once established, mimosoid plants are quite easy to grow.
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.
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.
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.
Wow those are great instructions...I have grown many wattles and It is probably much the same....what we do is to soak the seed in warm water usually overnight...or until you see swelling if you soak them in a glass it is visable....then just plant not too deeply( just cover) and keep lightly moist intil you see the first two leaves.It grows very easily.
Hi all! Sorry I take so long to post.....life interferes with my fun! Yes, my tree (ha - its all of 4 inches high!) is the one you posted ecrane3. The only reason I know it closes up at night, is because I thought it had died. Just looked like a stick, then in the am it was all open again, and I felt so much better. Growing two from 24 seeds I planted. 4 originally germinated, but I lost two to rain.
I hear that if you touch them too much it can kill them because it takes so much energy from the plant. (mimosa) And I would imagine that if you are doing it during the photosynthesis time, it would cut down on its energy production. Just a thunk and a memory from my youth...
Maureen - I think you are right. I had to move my two babies because the wind and rain were causing them to move so much that they were just getting weak and worn out.
Is this the plant I've seen wild in Texas (lays low) that when you touch it curls up into itself?
Just thought you folks would like to know that it is true that if you keep touching your sensitive plant too much, it will die off, this was one of the first plants I ever germinated as a kid, it did really well till I told all my friends what happened to the leaves, they touched it all day just because it was so unusual, and poor plant was on it's side by the end of the week, my grandfather told me it was oversensitised, big word for a wee kid, but sure learned me the leason not to play about with plants, just to enjoy growing and looking after them without too much feeling and mollycoddling. Weenel.
Nel, for some reason....and I know I'm showing my ignorance of world geography here.... the idea of Mimosa in Scotland just has me shaking my head in wonder. I never would have put the two together! To me Mimosa has always been a tropical weed. Fun, but a weed nonetheless. Yet ONE MORE reason why this is such a great site! Learn new things everyday!
Hi Shari,
The sensitive plant has naturalized into some areas where it snows. It may be originally from a tropical area, but it is happy in colder climates, too. I used to play with it when we would visit my grandma in Southern MO, and she got some snow there every winter. I don't know how much cold it will take, but I'm guessing at least down to Zone 6. She considered it a weed, too.
I have not seen it growing here in AL, but that does not mean it is not in this area. We do have the big mimosa trees with the pink fluffy flowers, and they are growing wild everywhere. I have found three baby trees I am going to dig up and transplant somewhere more appropriate. Right now, they are growing only inches from the fence line.
Karen
See....I learn allatime!
If I'm not mistaken, these are sometimes known as bartender's plants. A bartender would keep one behind the counter and if he wanted to politely kick someone out who'd had too much, he would ask the drunk to breathe on the plant. If it closed up, then allegedly the plant knew that you were intoxicated. Of course, if you blow too hard on it it will close up even if you've had nothing to drink, but that was the bartender's secret. Sort of a primitive breathalyzer.
Oh I love it!!!! I'm gonna repot some to take up to the club tonight! Perfect!!!
