Prune flowers while it's hot, eliminate scorched edges and yellow leaves, and they'll grow like crazy right away

How do you prune bougainvillea?

1. Pruning during the seedling stage

For newly rooted bougainvillea cuttings, when the main branch grows to 20~30cm long, you need to pinch off the growing tip, remove the top leaves, eliminate apical dominance, and promote the sprouting of side branches.

2. Pruning during the growing season

Bougainvillea grows vigorously in summer, so you need to cut off leggy branches, crossing branches, and messy branches, increase ventilation, maintain the original shape, and save nutrients.

3. Pruning after flowering

After flowering, promptly cut off the spent flowers, dead branches, weak branches, and old branches. Old, aged branches should be cut back by 1/2, and the remaining branches should be shortened, keeping 2~3 buds per branch.

The branches pruned from bougainvillea can be used for cuttings. Below, Huahua will teach you how to take cuttings!

How do you propagate bougainvillea by cuttings?

Steps

1. Select branches: Choose semi-lignified mature branches, cut each section to 7~10cm long, and keep 3~5 leaves.

2. Soak: Mix carbendazim diluted 500 times with rooting powder to make a solution, put the cuttings in, soak for 3~5 hours, then place them in a cool, ventilated spot to dry.

3. Prepare the soil: You can mix leaf mold, vermiculite, and river sand in a 4:4:2 ratio to make the cutting medium.

4. Insert the cuttings: Bury the cuttings into the soil, 3~5cm deep is enough, leaving the leaf-bearing part exposed, and be careful that the distance between the cuttings is not too dense.

5. Water: After inserting the cuttings, water thoroughly once, keep the soil moist, then place the flowerpot in a ventilated spot with bright, indirect light for care, and they will take root.

How do you care for bougainvillea in summer?

1. Watering

Water once each morning and evening. During consecutive rainy days, water less, and after rain, promptly clear away standing water to avoid root rot. Starting in September, you need to control watering, and only water again when the leaves droop and the potting soil is completely dry. Absolutely do not fertilize during the water-control period.

2. Fertilizing

May to July is the peak growing season, so apply diluted nitrogen fertilizer water about once every 7 days to promote the growth of branches and leaves; after August, to promote flower bud formation, apply decomposed chicken manure fertilizer once every 10 days; from October to November during the flowering period, apply monopotassium phosphate solution once every half month.

3. Light

Bougainvillea loves light, so maintain more than 8 hours of light per day. In summer, avoid harsh sun exposure; at other times, the more sun it gets, the better it grows.

4. Pest and disease control

Bougainvillea is prone to aphids and dieback disease in summer. Usually increase ventilation. When you find pests or diseases, quickly cut off the diseased branches and leaves, then spray a little homemade chili water or tobacco water for control.

If the pests and diseases become serious, you'll have to spray some chemical pesticides. You can try Huahua's Bug Killer, the effect is very good.

Flower friends, how is your bougainvillea doing?

Take advantage of the rainy day and quickly take a pot of cuttings

Next year it will bloom all over the pot!