How to grow bougainvillea? A detailed guide to the latest cultivation methods
Bougainvillea is also known as triangle flower, room flower, nine-fold ge, etc. It is a woody vine-like shrub of the genus Bougainvillea in the Nyctaginaceae family. The plant is robust, the flower shape is unique, the colors are brilliant and diverse, and it is especially bright and eye-catching when in bloom, particularly indoors in winter when the crimson and purple bracts open, shining brilliantly and passionately, and it is deeply loved by people. Now let us take a look at the cultivation methods for bougainvillea!
Growth habits of bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is native to tropical America and is cultivated for ornamental purposes in southern China. It likes a warm, humid climate and a sunny environment. It is not cold-tolerant, tolerates poor soil, tolerates drought, tolerates saline-alkali soil, tolerates pruning, and has strong growth vigor. It likes water but dislikes waterlogging, and requires sufficient light. In the Yangtze River basin and areas to the north, it is grown in pots. It is not strict about soil, but can grow vigorously in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. Insufficient light will affect its flowering. The suitable growing temperature is 20-30°C.
Propagation methods for bougainvillea
1. Cuttage: In May-June, select robust 1-year-old branches and cut them into 10-15 cm long cuttings. Use vermiculite or plain sandy soil as the cutting medium. Insert the branches 4-6 cm deep into the soil, spray thoroughly with water, and place in a semi-shaded place or a sunny indoor spot. After 40 days, they can be potted.
2. Layering: In May-June, select 1-2-year-old branches from the lower part of the plant and press them into a pot. The branches must be girdled, and the width should be more than 2 times the diameter of the branch. After layering, cover with soil and fix in place, frequently spray water to keep moist. After more than 2 months, they can be cut off and potted.
3. Grafting: Carry out in spring when the temperature is above 15°C. Use 3-4-year-old common bougainvillea as rootstock, and select excellent varieties such as double-petaled ones as scions, 5-10 cm long. Use the cleft grafting method. After grafting, they can heal in 40-50 days and send out new buds.
4. Water cuttings: In late spring and early summer, cut 1-year-old branches from robust plants and cut them into 15-20 cm long sections as cuttings. Wash and disinfect a wide-mouth bottle, fill it with clean water to about 2/3 of the bottle's volume, and insert the cuttings to a water depth of 1/3. When the roots grow to 1 cm, pot them.
Cultivation methods for bougainvillea
1. Planting: For planting bougainvillea, choose a place with sufficient light and good drainage to help its growth. The time for potting or repotting is before bud break each spring. For the potting soil, use leaf mold, garden soil, sand, and horse manure or bone meal mixed evenly in a ratio of 2:3:3:2 as the growing medium, and water thoroughly after planting.
2. Temperature: Bougainvillea is a light-loving plant and should be placed in a sunny place during the growing season. Before the first frost in winter, move it into a greenhouse, keep the temperature at 10-15°C, place it in a sunny spot, and the lowest temperature should not be lower than 3°C. Around Grain Rain in April, move it out of the greenhouse and place it in a ventilated, sunny place for care. Move it indoors before the first frost.
3. Fertilizing: Fertilizing bougainvillea varies with the season. Stop fertilizing in winter. When planting or potting and repotting in spring, apply sufficient base fertilizer. After potted plants are moved out of the greenhouse, apply thoroughly decomposed cake fertilizer water or hoof water 3-4 times a month. Before the flowering period, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer several more times. Reduce the amount of fertilizer in autumn. In summer, when growth is vigorous, apply fertilizer water once a week.
4. Watering: Bougainvillea likes water but dislikes waterlogging. After planting or potting and repotting each year, water thoroughly once. During the peak growing season, spray water once every morning and water once in the afternoon (after 4 p.m.). In spring and autumn, water once every 2 days as appropriate. In winter indoors, watering can be controlled to promote full dormancy of the plant, and do not water until the soil is dry.
5. Pruning: Bougainvillea has strong growth vigor, so it needs shaping and pruning every year, and a heavy pruning for renewal every 5 years. The time can be each spring or after flowering. Cut off overly dense branches, dry branches, diseased and weak branches, crossing branches, etc., to promote new branches. After leaf drop and flower drop during the flowering period, clean them up promptly, and remove spent flowers promptly after flowering.