How to Grow Bougainvillea (Paperflower)

Paperflower is also called triangle flower, indoor flower, bougainvillea, spring-welcoming red, and so on. Its colors are delicate and gorgeous, and its ornamental value is extremely high, making it very popular. So, what are the growing methods for paperflower? Let's find out together!

1. Growth habits of paperflower

Paperflower is native to tropical America, and is cultivated for ornamental purposes in southern China. Paperflower likes a warm, humid climate and a sunny environment. It is not cold-tolerant, tolerates poor soil, tolerates drought, tolerates saline-alkaline soil, and tolerates pruning. It has strong growth vigor and likes water but fears waterlogging. It requires sufficient light. In the Yangtze River basin and areas to the north, it can be grown in pots. Paperflower is not strict about soil, but it grows vigorously in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. If there is insufficient light, its flowering will be affected. The suitable growth temperature is 20-30 degrees.

2. Propagation methods of paperflower

1. Cuttage

Cuttage is best carried out in May and 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 them in a semi-shaded spot or a sunny indoor spot. After 40 days, they can be potted.

2. Layering

Layering should be carried out in May and June. For layering, select 1-2-year-old branches from the lower part of the plant and layer them into a pot. The branches must be ring-barked, and the width should reach more than 2 times the diameter of the branch. After layering, cover with soil to fix them in place, and spray water frequently to keep them moist. This can increase the survival rate. After more than 2 months, they can be cut off and potted.

3. Grafting

Grafting needs to be carried out in spring when the temperature is above 15 degrees. Too low a temperature will affect the success rate of grafting. Use 3-4-year-old common paperflower as the rootstock, and select excellent varieties such as double-petaled ones as the scion, 5-10 cm long, using the cleft grafting method. After grafting, it can heal in 40-50 days and send out new buds. Sending out new buds indicates that the grafting was successful.

3. Growing methods for paperflower

1. Planting

Paperflower should be planted in a place with sufficient light and good drainage to facilitate its growth. The time for potting or repotting is before bud break each spring. For the potting soil, use leaf mold, garden soil, sand, 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

Paperflower is a light-loving plant, and during the growing season it should be placed in a sunny place. Before the first frost in winter, it should be moved into a greenhouse, with the temperature kept at 10-15 degrees, placed in a sunny spot, and the lowest temperature not lower than 3 degrees. Around Grain Rain in April, move it out of the greenhouse and place it in a ventilated, sunny spot for care. Move it indoors before the first frost.

3. Fertilizing

Fertilizing paperflower varies with the season. Stop fertilizing in winter. When planting or potting or repotting in spring, apply sufficient base fertilizer. After potted plants are moved out of the greenhouse, apply well-rotted cake fertilizer water or hoof piece 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

Paperflower likes water but fears waterlogging. After planting or potting or repotting each year, water thoroughly once. In 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. Depending on the soil dryness and moisture, do not water if it is not dry.

5. Pruning

Paperflower has strong growth vigor, so it needs shaping and pruning every year. A heavy pruning for renewal is carried out once every 5 years, and the time can be each spring or after flowering. Cut off overly dense branches, dry and withered branches, diseased and weak branches, crossing branches, and so on, to promote new branches. After leaf drop and flower drop during the flowering period, clean them up in time, and promptly remove residual flowers after flowering.

The above are the growing methods for paperflower. We hope they can help those of you who love flowers!