Bougainvillea Latest Cultivation Methods and Detailed Daily Care Guide
Bougainvillea's scientific name is Bougainvillea glabra, also known as three-leaf bougainvillea, hairy paperflower, cockspur coral vine, triangle flower, etc. It is a vine-like shrub plant of the genus Bougainvillea in the family Nyctaginaceae, native to Brazil. In southern China it is planted in courtyards and parks as an ornamental plant, while in the north it is cultivated in greenhouses, and can also be used for bonsai, hedges and pruned topiary. Let's take a look together at how to cultivate bougainvillea!
How much does bougainvillea cost?
The price of bougainvillea is generally set according to its height, crown width and ornamental performance. Generally, a bougainvillea with a trunk diameter of 2 cm, a height of 200 cm and a crown width of about 100 m costs about 100 yuan per plant. Of course, for smaller saplings with a height of about 30 cm and a crown width of about 30 cm, the price is generally 10-20 yuan per plant.
Bougainvillea's cultivation environment
Bougainvillea is a tropical plant that prefers a hot and humid climate environment, and is also relatively tolerant of dry heat. It is not cold-tolerant and avoids frost. South of the Tropic of Cancer in China, it can overwinter safely outdoors. In the vast areas from northern South China to Central China and North China, it is only suitable for pot cultivation, and in winter it should be moved indoors or into a greenhouse. Bougainvillea does not have high requirements for soil fertility; sandy soil or clay soil are both suitable, and it can tolerate waterlogging as well as relatively tolerate drought. Potted bougainvillea enters a forced dormant state when the temperature drops to a certain level. During the non-dormant period, bougainvillea may experience abnormal flower drop due to insufficient light, and with sufficient water the flowers fade early. In the dormant state, bougainvillea is not sensitive to light intensity, but due to low temperature it shows a longer lifespan, and due to less water it also shows a longer lifespan.
Bougainvillea's cutting propagation
Bougainvillea is commonly propagated by cuttings and is easy to raise from seed. In May and June, cut mature woody branches, cut 2-year-old branches into 10 cm long cuttings, and insert them into culture soil (use plain sandy soil plus one third humus or sawdust, add an appropriate amount of water and stir evenly). After inserting, seal well with plastic film. At a temperature of 20°C to 25°C, roots can form in 25 days, and they can be divided into pots in 2 to 3 months. If you want to obtain a more ideal new seedling, you should use the aerial layering method for propagation. This method does not affect the growth of the original plant, and can also obtain a complete new seedling, so it is often used by home gardeners, and the method is simple, with a high survival rate, convenient later transplanting, and easy management.
Bougainvillea's cultivation methods
1. Choosing culture soil: Bougainvillea is not strict about soil requirements, but it fears water accumulation and is not tolerant of waterlogging. Therefore, a loose culture soil with good drainage must be selected. Generally, a culture soil made of 4 parts humus soil, 4 parts garden soil and 2 parts sand can be used. Dried pond mud mixed with some coal cinder can also be used as potting soil. When potting, 30 grams of decomposed cake fertilizer should also be mixed in as base fertilizer.
2. Reasonable fertilization: Bougainvillea generally needs liquid fertilizer once every 7-10 days during the vigorous growth period from April to July. Fertilizers such as 10-20% decomposed soybean cake, rapeseed cake water or human manure water can be used. From August onward, in order to promote flower bud formation, fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer should be applied once every 10 days. A 20% liquid fertilizer of decomposed chicken, duck and pigeon manure and fish scraps can be used. From October onward, it enters the flowering period. From this time until mid-November, a fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer needs to be applied once every half month, with a fertilizer water concentration of 30-40%. After that, an additional topdressing should be applied once after each flowering, so that the flowering period is continuously supplemented with nutrients.
3. Water control before flowering: Usually, watering follows the principle of “do not water if not dry, and water thoroughly when watering”, but for neat and abundant flowering, water control must be carried out before flowering. Starting in September, control the watering of bougainvillea. Each watering should wait until the potting soil is dry and the branches and leaves are soft and drooping before proceeding. Repeat this continuously for half a month, and after half a month resume normal watering. During the water control period, fertilization must be strictly avoided to prevent fertilizer from burning the root system. In this way, about one month is enough for buds to appear and flowers to bloom, and the flowers will open neatly and abundantly.
4. Loosening soil and repotting: Due to long-term watering, fertilization and rain washing, the potting soil easily becomes compacted, so the soil must be loosened regularly, and weeds in the potting soil should be removed at the same time, to benefit the growth of bougainvillea. Otherwise, if the potting soil is compacted and water accumulates, it is easy to cause root rot or poor growth. In addition, bougainvillea grows relatively fast, has a developed root system and many fibrous roots, and needs to be repotted once a year.