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What soil is best for bougainvillea? A detailed guide to soil mixing methods

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Apart from garden soil, other soils are all quite suitable for it. We can generally use our own custom mix with a pH of around 6-6.5, ensuring it is loose enough and breathable enough, which is very suitable for it. If the soil used tends toward alkaline and is heavily prone to waterlogging, it will cause its roots to rot, making it difficult for it to grow.

I. What kind of soil to use

Generally, it is suitable for many types of soil, but it is best not to use garden soil, because its breathability and drainage results are not very good, and its resistance to pathogens and weeds is not very good either. But do not use all peat either, because although it is relatively light, it is not easy to soak through, nor is it easy to become compact.

If you mix it yourself, to keep it at a pH of 6-6.5, you can use peat plus vermiculite and the like. If you are more casual about it, you only need to ensure the soil is loose enough and breathable. However, note that if the soil is very clayey, or rather alkaline, or easily waterlogged, it will be bad for its growth and can easily make its roots rot and kill it.

II. Notes on using soil

It likes fertilizer, so the soil must have sufficient fertility. You can use local materials and mix it yourself, stirring rotted leaves with soil; do not use fresh leaves. You can also add coal cinders; they are relatively light, and after crushing them, stir them evenly into the soil.

Sand can be left out; its drainage results are not as good as coal cinders, and over time it will also cause the soil to harden. Finally, you can add some ash from burned grass, which contains potassium and can make the branches stronger and the roots more vigorous.

III. Appropriate topdressing

It is not that after preparing nutrient-rich soil you no longer need to topdress. During its growth, you must give it appropriate fertilizer to meet its needs. The fertilizer must first be fully decomposed, and it should be applied many times in light doses, otherwise it can easily damage the roots. Starting in May, apply cake fertilizer once every fifteen days to help its branch tips grow. If it is a high-temperature season, add a little calcium phosphate every fifteen to twenty days. After September, reduce nitrogen fertilizer and you can add scorched mud ash to help its flowers look more beautiful.

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