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Touch Me Not Plant (Mimosa pudica): How to Grow with 10 Amazing Facts

By Sarwat Rehman

Touch me not plant (Mimosa pudica) is a plant full of shyness under its protectiveness is a masterpiece of nature.

People find this plant fascinating due to its shy nature of closing and opening leaves.

As it is said “Plants are social organizations” so this Touch me not plant is the real face of it.

You can also easily grow this plant by following this article.

Here you will get easy way to grow and propagate with care, uses and all amazing facts and information about this happiness giving plant. 

Further Reading:

What Kind of “Touch Me Not Plant” Is?

Have you ever heard plants moving? You must hear but would never have seen.

Touch me not plant (Mimosa pudica), a shy sleeping plant that people love to grow is due to its fascinating movements.

Its Fan like movements give them a happy smile.

Mimosa pudica is native to Tropical South and Central America. Growing this sensitive plant is fairly easy as it doesn’t require any sophisticated conditions.

It can easily grow indoor when you start with cozy environment.

The plant is perennial, 30-40 cm in height, but is usually grown as annual because it is not so easy to keep it alive in winters but if managed, you can have plenty of seeds.

Touch Me Not Flower

 Mimosa pudica is a shrubby annual and perennial plant with fluffy ball like pretty pink flower that bloom all the way. Hundreds of fine filaments make flower bloom.

Touch me not flower
Touch me not flower

Touch Me Not Plant Leaves

 Likewise, pretty pompom like pink flowers, this sensitive plant has amazing sets of leaves that fold up when get stimulus of touch; by an individual, an insect or strong blowing wind.

They find it disturbing and dangerous.

Every time when touched, their leaves droop on stem in synchronized way that recover after few minutes when it feels danger is gone.

Young plants give quickest movements in bright sunshine.

Their leaves fold up at night to sleep, that’s why called sleepy plant as is sleeping beauty.

Touch Me Not Plant Scientific Name – Renowned Common Names

Scientific name of Touch me not plant is Mimosa pudica.

Just like nick names of individuals due to certain characteristics, this plant also has certain names that depict its characters as well as love with this plant.

  • Sensitive plant
  • Action plant
  • Sensible plant
  • Humble plant
  • Shameful plant
  • Chuimui
  • Amourette herbe,
  • Lojjaboti
  • Prayer plant

You can also have fun experience to touch its feathery leaves. Kids love cuddling sensitive plants.

How to Grow Touch me Not Plant ??? Use Touch Me Not Seeds

Growing touch me not plant (Mimosa pudica) is so easy and fun-loving.

As this plant is specific houseplant that you can grow indoor using seeds. They do not need much pampered conditions that you can easily provide.

Growth Requirements: 6 Requirements You Must Follow

Here are some important requirements you must fulfill to grow Touch me not plant

1. Potting Soil

First most important thing is the soil in which seeds are grown. Mimosa pudica can grow easily in any type of soil but grows best in moist and well-drained soil.

You can use commercially available potting soil but if you want to make on your own, it is very easy. You have to mix two parts peat moss, two parts loamy soil and one-part builder’s soil.

If you will do this way, you will get best soil.

2. Pot Selection

As sensitive plants like moist soil to grow, self-watering pots are best for their growth.

One more important thing you must keep in your mind that pot must contain holes so that soil could not get soggy.

3. Proper Light Source                   

 Sensitive plants require bright light. If they are not in proper light their leaves will get fold and would never be able to recover.

That is why if you are growing indoor, place them in window that receives direct sunlight (east facing window is ideal) for proper growth.

Artificial lighting e.g, full spectrum fluorescent lighting can also be used if proper sunlight is unavailable.

4. Temperature and pH of Soil               

Place this plant in warm temperature to grow easily. It requires 20-23oC (75-85o F) temperature.

pH 6-7 is best suitable for its propagation.

5. Watering

Give proper water when plant is in growing phase but reduce in winters.

6. Fertilization

Fertilize the plant after regular intervals of time. Use all purpose liquid fertilizer once in a month for proper growth. 

touch me not plant leaves
Touch me not leaves

Grow Your Plant- 3 Steps Easy Way

After considering all requirements for growth of Mimosa pudica, here is simple three steps practically beneficial way to grow touch me not plant:

1. Soak the Seeds 

 Soak the seeds in a container full of warm tap water for few hours so that seeds can sprout faster. By soaking, outer tough seed coat weakens and help to sprout fast.

Before soaking seeds of Mimosa pudica, choose best appropriate planting time.

Spring is best for planting indoors. If you have good temperature and light control, you can grow any time.

2. Plant the Seeds

After soaking the seeds, transfer them from container of warm water to the potting soil mixture. Plant the seeds almost 1/8th inch of the soil and place in warm place.

Wait to sprout after covering it. It may take a week.

3. Get Plants    

After a week or two you will get young plants.   

Propagation

To grow new plants from mature is quite easy. What you have to do is to follow simple guideline and you will get new plants.

  • Cut a shoot from mature sensitive plant.
  • Selected shoot must have at least one node on it and size ranging from 10-12 cm (approximately 4 inches) is most appropriate for propagation.
  • Take potting mixture in a pot and make a small hole by digging.
  • Now place the shoot in it and fill in the hole.
  • Cover the top of the pot with plastic sheet to make humid environment so that shoot can grow easily.

Have a check on the soil condition and temperature. Make sure soil is moist but not soggy. If it is dried, give it water on regular basis and maintain temperature as well.

Touch Me Not Plant Uses – Top 7 Medicinal Uses

  1. Problem of excessive urination can be solved with paste of the leaves of this plant. Apply paste of the leaves on lower abdomen. It will give good results to reduce excessive urination.
  2. It is also beneficial to treat insect bites. Make a paste of leaves and stem and apply on affected area twice a day.
  3. If you are having high blood pressure, you can try it but also take medicine side by side.
  4. Mimosa plant is highly beneficial to treat hair loss and baldness. It helps in the growth of new hair cells and certain shampoos are also available containing extract of this plant.
  5. Touch me not plant has anticonvulsive properties and is widely used in traditional African medicine.
  6. Mimosa plant has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and is widely used to treat infections.
  7. This plant also has anti-venom and anti-inflammatory properties.           

Mimosa pudica Care

Caring for Mimosa pudica is not difficult. You can have much by little effort. Here are some caring tips you should follow to care your sensitive plant:

Disease Control

As plant require moist conditions to grow that is why it is susceptible to fungal attack. Your lovely touch me not may  be attacked by aphids and scales so, do not over water and have a proper check on it.

Pruning

After flowers bloom, remove dried leaves and shorten stem so that too long stems would be no longer its part.

Thorns Removal

Mimosa pudica contain thorns that may hurt you. You must remove them so that they can not damage your hands and in this way, plant will be safe.

touch sensitive plant
Touch me not plant with thorns

Mimosa pudica: 10 Amazing Facts You Must Know

  1. This plant is exceptionally significant against cobra venom. The aqueous extract of its roots is beneficial in neutralizing poisonous effects of monocled cobra.
  2. “Mimosa pudica” the Latin name of Touch me not plant arises from its unusual habit to shrink its leaves when touched (“Pudica” means “bashful”)
  3. Rate of seed production is quite high as it can produce over 600 seeds per year. This high amount of seeds is because of its extensive growth.
  4. The plant closes its leaves at night and opens in day. It also sleeps!
  5. The Alkaloid Mimosine, a toxic compound when used in high amounts, is present in Mimosa pudica. So, avoid consuming it in high dose. 
  6. The plant shows Thigmonastic movements when get touch stimulus.  
  7. Mimosa blooms during the summer.
  8. This sensitive plant has beneficial effect over other plants. It lives in symbiosis, beneficial relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria, as a result soil is enriched with nitrogen and bacteria get food from plant.
  9. Mimosa plant protects itself from predator but never attacks and gets rude like carnivorous Venus Fly Trap. It just eliminates annoying insects and hides from people disturbing it.
  10. It may be grown as annual plant; having life span of one year or perennial plant with life span over two years.

Also know about amazing flowering

Science Behind – Why Mimosa Plant Closes When Touched?

One can think why sensitive plants show movements? Whether they have brain or any type of reflex system?

It remained mystery from early times and scientists are showing great interest to explore this. But fact is they are not having any type of brain.

As far as science behind opening and closing of plant leaves is concerned, it is found that specialized hinge like structures called “Pulvinus” are present in leaves that contain oppositely working motor cells.

When leaves recognize stimulus, they release chemicals that cause water to flow out of the motor cells on one side of pulvinus and into matching cells on the opposite side.

As a result, turgor pressure changes that causes cells to collapse and expand giving plants fan like movements upon touch or other stimuli. 

Sensitive plants also exhibit learning behavior on continuous application of external triggers. This amazing learning behavior was shown by Mimosa pudica in experiments when scientists sprinkled water on plants.

They responded for first few times but stopped responding after experiment was performed few more times.

Interesting thing about experiment was that same plants were sprinkled water after one month and they did not show response. Plants showed learnt behavior.

They found it safe.

 

 

So, in light of all above facts and information, it would not only be easy but also very interesting for you to grow this shy and sensitive “Touch me not plant”. Hope this article provided all that you were looking for.

Now you can grow pretty flower containing beautiful plant and have fun to see its nastic, sleep awake movements.

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