How often should you water Bougainvillea? Causes of yellowing leaves and how to fix them

When it comes to bougainvillea, everyone is surely very familiar with it, because bougainvillea is a fairly common flowering plant in our lives. Its flowers are brightly colored and its leaves are emerald green, giving it extremely high ornamental value. So do you know the watering techniques for bougainvillea? Let's learn about bougainvillea care tips together below!

How to water bougainvillea (how often to water)

Bougainvillea has many leaves, and the leaves are also large, so bougainvillea easily consumes water and has a high evaporation rate, especially in summer. Therefore, appropriate watering measures should be taken.

First, during the early summer growth period, increase the amount of watering, which can promote the growth of branches and leaves. After the growth period has passed, in late summer, reduce the amount of watering, generally 3 or 4 times is enough, which can speed up its sprouting and growth.

Second, after bougainvillea sprouts and grows flower buds, increase the amount of watering again to promote flowering.

Finally, after October in early winter, because the temperature drops, the amount of watering should also be reduced, once every three days is enough. As the temperature continues to drop, if the soil is not dry, do not water. Or wait until the soil is completely dry before watering.

Bougainvillea water control lasts for about three weeks and is carried out before flowering. Moreover, water control must be completed. During water control, use half the usual amount of water, or only spray. On rainy days, you may skip watering. In hot weather, appropriately increase the amount of water. During the water control period, do not fertilize.

What to do if bougainvillea leaves turn yellow

1. Improper watering

Bougainvillea has different water needs in each season. Improper watering can easily cause yellow leaves. In spring and autumn, water bougainvillea once a day. In summer, water once in the morning and once in the evening each day. In winter, when the temperature is lower, the plant enters a semi-dormant period, so watering should be reduced, and it is best to keep the potting soil slightly moist.

2. Improper light

Throughout the year, except that newly potted seedlings should first be placed in a semi-shady place. In winter, it should be placed in front of a south-facing window, and the light duration must not be less than 8 hours, otherwise a large amount of leaf drop can easily occur.

3. Improper soil choice (waterlogging)

Bougainvillea is not strict about soil requirements, but it fears waterlogging and is not tolerant of waterlogging. Therefore, a loose, well-drained growing medium must be chosen. Generally, a growing medium made of 4 parts humus soil, 4 parts garden soil, and 2 parts sand can be used. Sun-dried pond mud mixed with some coal cake residue can also be used as potting soil. In addition, when repotting each year, half of the old soil needs to be replaced with new soil, which can ensure sufficient nutrients in the soil.

4. Improper fertilizing

Bougainvillea often develops yellow leaves due to improper fertilizing. In the hot summer or cold winter, bougainvillea grows slowly or even goes dormant, so fertilizing should be stopped. Fertilizing at this time will cause fertilizer burn, leading to root rot and yellow leaves. Or if fertilizing is sometimes too concentrated and sometimes too weak, or if raw fertilizer is applied, it will damage the roots, causing leaves to fall off and even the plant to die.

What to do if bougainvillea leaves turn black

1. Soil compaction

If the soil is not loosened for a long time, it will clump, affecting the plant's ability to absorb nutrients from the flower soil. This will cause the lower part of the main stem not to grow leaves, and the upper leaves will also turn black.

Solution: You can make your own soil with humus material. Crush red soil that has no stones or sand, add some rotten vegetable leaves, put it in a bag, add a little water, and ferment it. This kind of soil is much better than ordinary soil, because after fermentation, the red soil becomes mature soil. It is not only rich in nutrients, but also loose and breathable, making it more suitable for planting. In addition, it should also be given a larger pot. Without damaging the original root ball, add some fresh soil.

2. Leaf spot disease

If its leaves turn black, another possibility is disease. If it gets leaf spot disease, at the beginning the spots are brown, and a greenish-yellow halo appears around them. Then they will expand into round shapes and become dark brown. After that, they will become small black spots, so the leaves turn black.

Method: If there are relatively few spots, you can apply Daktarin cream on them and cut off branches with relatively many diseased spots. Then spray with carbendazim once every 7-10 days. If it is more serious, after spraying the first time, spray again four days later, and then spray once every week, for a total of three or four times, and the effect will be very good.

How to extend the flowering period of bougainvillea

1. Flower fertilizer: There is no doubt that this aspect is very important. We all know that flowering consumes a very large amount of nutrients. To extend the flowering period, the nutrients contained in the soil alone are not enough. At this time, we need to apply some flower fertilizer. We can choose to use some compound fertilizer, as well as superphosphate. Using them alternately has the best effect. In addition, other liquid fertilizers are also acceptable. As for specific nutrient elements, you can use more fertilizer containing higher amounts of the two elements P and K to promote flower bud differentiation.

2. Light: This plant loves light very much. Especially during the flowering period. Light allows the plant to accumulate some nutrients. Therefore, to extend its flowering period, we must give it more sun. Ensuring ten to twelve hours per day is best. If this cannot be met, artificial supplemental lighting is also acceptable. However, it should be noted that ventilation conditions must be ensured.

3. Temperature: Only by adjusting this factor well can it be ensured that it blooms for a long time. We can control it at around 20 degrees. In addition, it is also somewhat related to the amount of flower fertilizer used. If the temperature is high enough, then applying more flower fertilizer is also fine.

As mentioned above, many people like to grow brightly colored bougainvillea at home to decorate rooms or courtyards. However, due to incorrect care methods, bougainvillea develops various problems. In fact, problems are not scary. As long as the causes are found in time and the right remedy is applied, what is scary is flower lovers who do not pay attention even when problems arise!