Acacia cognata dwarf form or Cousin Itt plant

[Tracy]

Since Peter expressed interest in my Acacia cognata in front of my Copernicia x textilis post, I thought I would post this larger one I have growing in my backyard.  They provide a nice contrast to the other colors and textures of my Cycads as well as being much more pleasant to brush up against.  I like the mounding look.  This dwarf form doesn't seem to get any taller than this, and for fans of The Addams Family, you get the Cousin Itt reference.

We removed a couple because I had overplanted them, not realizing how much spread they would get.  This has been in the ground about 6 years now.  Anyone else want to share photos or experiences with theirs?

[Tracy]

I forgot to mention that the blossoms on this are pretty small.  You really have to look for them, but it is bloomin' season now.

[Peter]

Really nice Tracy-I've given up after three attempts.  I've tried everything I could think of, and I've never fertilized them, so not sure why they don't grow for me.  And to make it even stranger, I am growing the 'regular' cognata and it does fine, even flowering those tiny inconspicuous flowers like yours.  I'll just enjoy it in your garden-well done!

[Tracy]

14 minutes ago, Peter said:

Really nice Tracy-I've given up after three attempts.  I've tried everything I could think of, and I've never fertilized them, so not sure why they don't grow for me.  And to make it even stranger, I am growing the 'regular' cognata and it does fine, even flowering those tiny inconspicuous flowers like yours.  I'll just enjoy it in your garden-well done!

Peter, I don't think I have ever seen the regular A cognata, so when you get a chance, please share a couple of photos of yours.  It is extremely puzzling as to why the regular would do well in your garden and these dwarf variations didn't take.  It sounds like you tried some different exposures and placements to make sure it wasn't something in the soil or light.  When I planted mine, they were in full blazing sun, but seem to do well in partial shade as well, but I know my full sun is a very filtered full sun compared to a little further inland.

[Peter]

Here's my cognata Tracy-been in the ground for a year and is growing decently.  I've been watering it in so a good drink once or twice a week in the summer(I have sandy soil on a steep hill), but eventually should become quite drought tolerant when established.  I'm going to use it as a screen-hopefully will get 10-15' tall.  Full sun.   Cousin itt perished in every setting I tried it in-finally decided to move my last attempt into mostly shade but I think I was too late and it fizzled away-perhaps it can survive there, but I don't feel inclined to try again.   The full size version seems perfectly happy where it is-go figure.

[Tracy]

6 hours ago, Peter said:

Here's my cognata Tracy-been in the ground for a year and is growing decently.

Yes, you will have to follow up at the end of summer so we can see how much growth it has after another season.  Glad the standard form is doing well for you.

[Keys6505]

On 3/14/2022 at 9:24 PM, Tracy said:

Since Peter expressed interest in my Acacia cognata in front of my Copernicia x textilis post, I thought I would post this larger one I have growing in my backyard.  They provide a nice contrast to the other colors and textures of my Cycads as well as being much more pleasant to brush up against.  I like the mounding look.  This dwarf form doesn't seem to get any taller than this, and for fans of The Addams Family, you get the Cousin Itt reference.

We removed a couple because I had overplanted them, not realizing how much spread they would get.  This has been in the ground about 6 years now.  Anyone else want to share photos or experiences with theirs?

I don't want to brag and I know it's not a contest, buuuut... I think it's safe to say I win.

Jk.  This plant hates me.

[Tracy]

It is flowering season again for my dwarf form of Acacia cognata.  The puffy mounds are a nice contrast to the may angular leaflets on my adjacent Cycads.  I also am happy about the miniature size, as it fits the bill of a shrub more than a tree.  Part of my success has been to keep any fertilizer away from its root zone when I apply my palm specific fertilizer to nearby palms and cycads.

[epiphyte]

save me some seeds?  one of my latest obsessions is testing nitrogen fixers for how well they boost nearby plants, especially slower growing fruit trees like the achacha.  

[Tracy]

44 minutes ago, epiphyte said:

save me some seeds?  one of my latest obsessions is testing nitrogen fixers for how well they boost nearby plants, especially slower growing fruit trees like the achacha.  

Will do.  I can pass them off to Gene next time I see him, as I am past due on that. 

[tinman10101]

very cool tracy. i am just trying my first plant last year and its is growing steady although slow.  i have it in a quite shaded area since high desert during summers are brutal and dry.  hope it will make it.  

i saw a couple last week when i was in monterey bay in planters at a restaurant and loved how they look.  so nice they and you can grow them in open sky. do the seeds germinate easily?  i am ignorant to the horticultural aspect of this plant.  

tin

[Tracy]

22 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

do the seeds germinate easily?  i am ignorant to the horticultural aspect of this plant.

 

On 4/13/2024 at 5:39 PM, epiphyte said:

save me some seeds? 

Carlos, I am going to defer to you on how easily the seeds germinate.  I have never collected them from this plant and just let the flowers mature and eventually drop.  Tin they aren't an issue with germinating on their own in my soil below the plants, so I assume Carlos will share that it takes a little additional effort.

[epiphyte]

even for succulents, it takes a surprising amount of consistent moisture for seeds to germinate.  otherwise we'd have aloes, aeoniums and cactus volunteering everywhere all the time.  naturally, grow enough succulents long enough and you're bound to have the occasional volunteer or two.  same goes for legume type plants.  

in order to achieve a higher rate of germination i generally sow pretty much all types of seeds on a moist but well-drained medium in zip lock bags indoors right next to a bright window. or under lights.  the bags keep the medium moist long enough for the seeds to think it's safe to germinate.  i've sown seeds outdoors as well without any bags but then i have to water the pots often enough to keep the medium moist.  once the seeds germinate i have to worry about the tender seedlings getting wiped out by a single slug.  so i generally don't do this with rare seeds.   

in terms of legumes, i've only recently started sowing their seeds ever since i learned about the three sisters and inga alley cropping.  basically plants in this family can share nitrogen with nearby plants.  it isn't actually sharing though, it's an exchange of resources facilitated by fungi.  for example, i had the legume guaje (leucaena leucocephala) volunteer right next to a banana plant.  they both grew really quickly, even too quickly.  what i didn't realize at the time was that the guaje was exchanging its surplus nitrogen for the banana's surplus potassium.  i ended up removing them both for lack of space.  

what i've been learning is that some legume seeds really don't like being in bags.  last year a friend shared a bunch of schizolobium parahyba (brazilian fern tree) seeds with me.  they germinated quickly in bags but they collapsed when the leaves or stem touched the bag.  normally i would have started gradually opening the bags but there were other species in the bags that hadn't germinated yet.  more recently, mimosa seedlings have been perfectly fine in bags.  pigeon pea seedlings, not so much.  the few seedlings that are in a hanging plastic pot inside a 2 gallon bag are fine (for now) because the hanger prevents the bags from touching the seedlings.  so technically, legume seedlings are fine in bags as long as the bags don't touch them.  once the weather warms up i'll sow some outside and hope they germinate and grow fast enough to avoid being wiped out by slugs.  

 

[tinman10101]

not much to look at but it has grown in a year so i am very pleased and hopeful it will turn out to its potential