Bougainvillea won't bloom? Miss Wang puts a bag over it, and 20 days later it's covered in flowers

Miss Wang loves growing flowers, especially bougainvillea. The bougainvillea she grows always blooms all over, and she can make it bloom whenever she wants. Isn't that impressive? How does she do it? Let's read on.

Miss Wang says it's actually very simple. As long as you get the other care right, if your bougainvillea has lush leaves but won't bloom, then just use a black plastic bag to force it to flower.

The principle is this

Bougainvillea is native to tropical regions and loves ample light. It needs light throughout its entire growing period, and even full sun exposure is fine. The longer the sunlight hours, the more flowers it produces and the more vivid the flower color. Conversely, it not only won't bloom, but the leaves will gradually become dull and drop off.

The method is as follows:

First, during the flower-forcing period, stop applying additional fertilizer and water less.

Every day after 4 p.m., put a black bag over the bougainvillea, or shut it in a dark room. Poke a few holes in the bag to ensure air circulation, and then remove the bag at 9 a.m. the next morning.

Repeat this for about 25 days and you'll see the bougainvillea bloom. This flower-forcing method is generally suitable when you want bougainvillea to bloom early.

Of course, if you want your bougainvillea to fill the pot with blooms year after year, care really matters. Xiaohua has put together a few points to note, and I hope you like them!

1. Bougainvillea has a well-developed root system and grows quickly, so it needs to be repotted in time. Bougainvillea planted in gardens and courtyards in open ground often blooms profusely, because its roots have plenty of room to grow and can extend without limit. But potted plants at home are limited by the size of the pot. If not repotted in time, the roots won't grow well, and blooming will inevitably be affected.

2. The soil for bougainvillea is generally made by mixing garden soil, leaf mold and fine sand, with an appropriate amount of bone meal added. Mix garden soil : leaf mold : sand in a 5:3:2 ratio, or mix peat soil : leaf mold : sand : perlite in a 5:2:2:1 ratio.

3. It likes high temperatures and strong light, so put it in an area with very ample sunlight to help it grow better. Flowers grown this way will have shorter internodes, more blooms, deeper colors, and a longer blooming period.

4. Bougainvillea has a high water demand, especially in midsummer. Lack of water easily causes leaf drop and affects growth and blooming.

During the summer flowering period, water twice a day: mist in the morning, and after 4 p.m. give 1 watering; after the flowers fade, watering can be reduced appropriately, as overly wet soil will cause leaf drop and root rot;

In winter, control watering: don't water if the potting soil isn't dry.

But 4 to 5 weeks before bougainvillea blooms, water should be withheld, that is, after 1 watering, wait until the leaves or young shoots all droop before watering again. This helps flower bud differentiation and formation.

5. For new branches, pinch the tips frequently to promote branching and ensure vigorous blooming. When planted in the ground, frequent fertilizing isn't needed. Usually in late spring and summer, fertilize regularly, and the best fertilizer is organic fertilizer.