It is subject to attack by the mimosa webworm, which mats and blights the foliage and makes a general nuisance of itself by its creepy-crawly activities. Repeated sprays of insecticides are necessary to keep this critter under control. Even worse, the tree is plagued by a widespread and destructive soil borne fungus called mimosa wilt disease. This causes a dieback and kills the trees. There is no control for this disease, and it can kill a mature tree in one season.
Mimosas appear to be most reluctant to leaf out in the spring, being among the last trees to do so.
They also suffer from the extreme weather when we have severe winters. The mimosa tree is a southern tree, and is growing at its northern-most limit here in New Jersey. This is the reason we experience a considerable amount of loss in mimosa when we have extremely cold winters. In addition, the trees' brittle wood makes them prone to splitting and breaking under snow or ice. However, if you wish to plant this tree, be aware of its shortcomings and use it with discretion in the landscape.