Acacia DEALBATA

Acacia DEALBATA - Silver wattle, Mimosa, Blue wattle.

Can be grown in bonsai style!

The genus Acacia includes from 750 to 800 species distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres, with more than half of the species native to Australia. These are predominantly trees or shrubs, often with thorns formed from modified stipules.

The leaves are bipinnate, consisting of numerous small leaflets, rarely simple. The petioles of many acacia species expand into a broad, flat, leaf-like blade (phyllode).

Small flowers with numerous long stamens that give the flower the appearance of a fluffy ball are gathered in cylindrical or globose inflorescences. The corolla is yellow, orange, or white.

The fruit is a flat, elongated pod with numerous seeds.

Silver wattle is a tree with a broad cylindrical crown reaching a height of 25 m (82 ft). In young trees, the bark is smooth, light green with a silvery sheen. Mature trees have gray-brown or gray bark. It flowers with numerous fragrant yellow or gray-yellow flowers gathered in globose inflorescences.

Seeds are scarified beforehand (without breaking the outer seed coat, germination will be minimal); for this, the outer coat is carefully nicked or scratched with a hard tool so as not to damage the seed, while small seeds are scalded with hot (~80 °C / 176 °F) water, after which they are soaked for 12 hours in cold water with the addition of growth stimulants (SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon), then sown into a light, air-permeable mix to a depth equal to the size of the seed, moistened with a spray bottle, placed in a mini-greenhouse or covered with film, and germinated in the light but not in direct sun at a temperature of 20-22 °C (68-72 °F). Seedlings need ventilation. Excessive moisture and drying out of the sowings must be avoided.

Seeds sown at 20 °C (68 °F) germinate from a few days to several weeks. After two true leaves appear, seedlings are pricked out into individual pots. Seedlings are planted into open ground after reaching a height of 30-40 cm (12-16 in). The seeds retain germination capacity for many years.

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All representatives of the genus Acacia are light-loving plants that tolerate a certain amount of direct sun well. In summer, they prefer temperatures in the range of 20-25 °C (68-77 °F); preferably, after preliminary hardening off (through strong ventilation of rooms), the plant is taken out to balconies, terraces, or dug into the ground in the garden. It is best to plant the acacia for the summer into the ground without a pot, in a place protected from wind but bright. It is necessary to provide a cool and sunny wintering in a cool but bright room with a temperature not lower than 10 °C (50 °F). The room must be ventilated, but cold drafts are not permissible.

Water abundantly in summer, and in winter - so that between waterings the top layer of substrate dries out, very moderately if the plant is kept in a cool room in winter. It tolerates average or even low air humidity well. It must be fed from spring to the end of summer with a liquid complex fertilizer for houseplants. Feeding is not recommended during the non-vegetative period.

Repotting is carried out after flowering once every 1-2 years. The plant is distinguished by vigorous growth; a spacious and deep container must be chosen. Young plants are repotted every year, while mature ones can be repotted after two to three years. A mixture of turf-leaf soil or humus-peat soil and sand (2:1:1) is suitable for the plants. The roots of acacia have a garlic odor, which is noticeable during repotting.

Representatives of the genus grow very quickly, and under favorable conditions give great growth over the spring-summer season. In order for the plant to have a bushier crown, weak and crowding branches are pruned out after flowering. Most acacias have a characteristic feature: their leaf blades are reduced, and the petioles are flat and expanded, possessing the capacity for photosynthesis - these are the so-called phyllodes.