Albizia

Family Fabaceae. Albizia or sleeping tree or silk tree or silk acacia (albizia julibrissin).

A tropical and subtropical tree or shrub with rather large bipinnate leaves and flowers, gathered in heads that grow on a stalk from the leaf axil, or in bottle-shaped hairy spikes.

Indoor cultivation

Placement: from bright to sunny, protect from strong sunlight. In winter the temperature should not exceed 15 °C.

Humidity: even. In most cases drying out of the root ball means the plant will die.

Fertilization: from spring to autumn weekly, in winter every 3-4 weeks, 0.1%.

Repotting: first planting at the age of 3-5 years, repot every 2-3 years. Handle the roots with care. Soil mix loose, nutrient-rich.

Propagation: by seeds, preferably in spring.

Training: young plants are often and severely shortened, as they branch little on their own. Later pruning should be carried out in spring. Wiring is possible, but it is better to use other shaping methods.

Recommended species: Albizia левонкаранская (A. julibrissin) with light-pink flowers, gathered in heads with stalks, located at the tips of the upper shoots. There are cultivars with bright-pink flowers. The pinnate second-order leaves fold at night. Albizia crested {А. lophanta) grows extremely fast. Yellowish flowers are gathered in woolly panicles.