Cultivation and care of the Acacia of Constantinople
Among plant fans we can find those who are lovers of today’s protagonist, the Albizia julibrissinbetter known as Acacia of Constantinople. It really has nothing to do with Acacia, but its similarity to them makes them known by that name.
It is a beautiful tree ideal for all types of gardens. In the small ones it will look spectacular as an isolated specimen and in the larger gardens, they can be planted in rows, placing a specimen on both sides of a path, or wherever you like best.
Characteristics of the Acacia of Constantinople
Image – Wikimedia / AnRo0002
The Acacia of Constantinople It is a tree native to the Asian continent. It can measure up to 12 meters, although it is rare that in cultivation it exceeds 6-7 meters. It has neither a very fast nor a very slow growth, rather its growth rate is medium.
In windy areas it needs to be subject to a tutor for at least one or two years, as the trunk can break easily, especially if the specimen is young. You can use a log of wood that you can bury near the young specimen Or use a not very thick metal rod grape. With a little rope it will be fine.
The Albizia likes to be located in full sun, although it can be adapted if you have sun in the morning and some shade in the afternoon and it is an ideal tree to give a little shade in summer. In winter however it will lose its leaves, but in spring it will sprout again since it is a deciduous tree.
The good news is that its glass is not pointed, but rather open. Which gives the tree a lot of width, providing plenty of ground where there will be shade.
In addition, its easy cultivation and maintenance allows you to have a tree obtained from seedor buy it in a nursery. The difficulty with which this tree is planted is very low and does not require as much maintenance to make them grow
Starting with the bark of this great tree, It should be noted that its color is a dark gray tonebut the vast majority turn green at some point in their maturity. The older the plant, the number of vertical stripes that appear on its trunk will increase.
It is curious that this plant has very small leaves and still can provide excellent shade and cover a whole space and does not leaver pass the sun’s rays. For this reason there is a tendency to believe that the leaves are large and / or wide, but this is not the case.
From the main trunk, increasingly thin branches are created. Some thick enough to be branches of good size and thickness, but others very thin and small that will give rise to the leaves.
And it is from here where the leaves take their place, being small clusters where smaller clusters that contain the leaves are detached. A single cluster of these can have up to 20 or more leavesand from the main branch, a greater quantity can be derived.
This plant blooms towards spring and flowering can last until summer. They can even be seen until early fall. Su flowering changes as it grows, just as they can flower during the month of June, with time their flowering can and will occur during the month of September. To the point of covering three months from September.
The smell that the flower gives off Albizia julibrissin it is simply unique and pleasant, so whoever is under this plant while it is in its flowering phase, it will have a pleasant aroma for a while.
The fruit (the legume) will ripen in autumn, turning brown. It is then when we can collect the fruits to obtain new plants. Once at home, we will open the legume and remove the seeds that are inside.
Reproduction
By seeds
Unfortunately, it is an intermediate growing plant, but the good thing is that generates a vast quantity of seeds that can be used for its cultivation and reproductionalthough it can also be easily reproduced through its cuttings.
Once the plant has fully flowered, that is when you can acquire the seeds that are legumes in a way. These are usually green in color, but in autumn it will change its color to brown. This color is indicative that the seed is ripe.
Keep in mind that if you intend to take its seeds to plant them in your home, garden or any other space, you must know that you have to open the legume. From there he proceeds to remove the cover that has waterproof characteristicsand then you just have to wait long enough.
To achieve a higher germination percentage, the you must subject to thermal shockin other words, you have to put them insideof a glass of boiling water for 1 second, and then 24 hours in another glass of water at room temperature.
In case you want to opt for the option of cuttings or fragments of the stem of the Albizia julibrissin, you have to do a different procedure. For this occasion, you will have to cut a portion of about 1.5 cm of stem. This small portion should be planted specifically when spring is beginning.
It is recommended that you take into account the constancy of irrigation and the amount of it. Of all the risks, the first is the most importantas this will serve to stabilize the soil that has been removed to plant the cut stem.
On the other hand, you do not need to give it special care, just give it a constant watering but not so abundant in order to avoid waterlogging. It can be nourished only with water and must be Make sure the soil is not too wet for long.
Uses
Obviously it is a plant whose characteristics make it perfect to have them in the center of a garden or create natural paths. But the truth is that they are not the only uses that can be given to it.
Surprisingly, the plant has medicinal properties that many are unaware of. Although it is not entirely determined, it is said that this panta can be perfect for cases of people who suffer or are going through an episode of anxiety or depression.
In the same way, its flowers are very useful to prepare infusions. These infusions can benefit you in terms of:
Problems with intestinal gas
It can be used as a natural sedative.
It has properties that allow it to be used as a tonic.
Helps in the digestion process.
It offers greater ease to people who go through an episode of insomnia, or suffer from it.
Effective for treating mild respiratory problems.
Effective in controlling or reducing memory loss.
Furthermore, the flower is not the only thing that can be taken advantage of being a plantbut also its stem. This is how the benefits or uses that can be given to the stem are attributed to:
Preparation of analgesics.
As a natural dewormer.
Powerful diuretic
It can help in the birthing process for women.
Helps control abscesses that appear on the skin.
Helps stimulate healing on the skin.
Diseases
The resistance of this plant to the problems caused by typical diseases is quite high, since it is very rare for it to get sick. The only problem that exists is that being a plant with too many benefits for human health, it is very coveted.
But as such, This plant does not have any type of diseases, much less is it prone to common pests. In case you need to use insecticideit may only be due to the mealybugbut any insecticide it’s effective and in no time the plant will be fine.
