Flower Care Methods: How to Make Bougainvillea Bonsai Bloom More

Potted Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea, commonly known as paperflower, lesser bougainvillea, lesser bougainvillea, jiuchongge, baojin. Scientific name: Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd. Nyctaginaceae, Bougainvillea genus. Native to Brazil, Peru, and Argentina in South America. An evergreen climbing woody large vine plant, with branches often arching and drooping. Flowers mostly in clusters of 3. It was discovered at the end of the 18th century, and was not introduced to England for cultivation until the 1820s, and was introduced to China in the 1950s. In the early period of introduction, it was cultivated only in botanical gardens in southern provinces and exhibition greenhouses in large northern cities. It was not until the 1980s that it spread in Guangdong, Yunnan, and Fujian. Because bougainvillea is easy to cultivate and highly adaptable, it has gradually become a native tree species in the provinces of South China.

Bougainvillea has a long flowering period and many flowers, wide plant adaptability, strong vitality, and rich flower colors. Divided by petal form: there are double-petaled and single-petaled; divided by cultivation method: there are cutting-propagated, grafted, and natural variant types; divided by flower color: there are purplish red, white, orange-yellow, light red, peach red, rose red, bright red, and also red-and-white mixed forms. It can be used both for landscaping and as a household potted plant.

Anyway, since it is all about blooming, let's talk about how to make it produce fresh flowers covering the branches.

Full-flower style: that is, the whole tree is covered in flowers. The flower-forcing method is: 45 days in advance, apply a 1:1:1 compound fertilizer, then begin water control; after the leaves wilt, add a small amount of water, combined with foliar spraying. Repeat this process until all the leaves have dropped, then water thoroughly. The growth that then emerges will be flowers all over the tree. This process must be carried out under full sun.

Bougainvillea is a plant that likes high temperatures and strong sunlight, so potted bougainvillea should always be placed in a sunny spot. This is not only beneficial to its vegetative growth, but also favorable to reproductive growth.

1. Frequent exposure to sunlight

Bougainvillea is a plant that likes high temperatures and strong sunlight, so potted bougainvillea should always be placed in a sunny spot. This is not only beneficial to its vegetative growth, but also favorable to reproductive growth. Practice has proved that plants treated with strong sunlight have shorter internodes, more substantial growth, more flowers, deeper flower color, and a longer flowering period.

2. Frequent pruning

Bougainvillea has a long growth period and fast growth speed, so timely pruning and pinching are necessary to fix and maintain the plant shape. Pinching also helps promote new branches, making it bloom more, because flowers only open at the tips of new branches. Pruning is generally carried out in spring and summer; pruning after mid-August will affect flowering and should not be done again. The targets of pruning are inner-canopy branches, weak slender branches, leggy branches, crossing branches, etc. Some overly long branches should also be shortened to leave 1-2 buds.

3. Strictly control water

Purple bougainvillea should begin water restriction before flowering, that is, from mid-August. After watering once, water again only after the leaves and young buds all droop. The degree of water restriction is based on the plant not dying of dryness. Repeat this treatment until flower buds begin to appear in the leaf axils at the branch tips, then gradually restore normal watering. Water restriction increases the concentration of cell sap, thereby promoting flower bud differentiation and formation.

4. Fertilize skillfully

Bougainvillea is very sensitive to urea; at the early stage of flower branch growth, urea still needs to be applied once to facilitate flower branch growth. The most important are the last two points. If these two are mastered well, the adverse effects caused by insufficient sunlight can be completely overcome.

Bougainvillea is not cold-tolerant. Once the temperature drops sharply, the plant will shed a large number of leaves. Leaves are prone to freezing damage below 3℃. At this time, do not water too much. It should be placed in an environment of 10℃ to 15℃, watered about once every 10 days, and watering should be gradually increased after buds sprout and leaves grow in the coming spring. Otherwise, it will cause root rot and death.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation techniques, bougainvillea bonsai care methods

Bougainvillea habits: bougainvillea likes a warm and humid climate, is not cold-tolerant, can safely overwinter only above 3℃, and can bloom only above 15℃. It likes sufficient light. It has no strict requirements for soil, grows well in well-drained, mineral-rich clay loam, is tolerant of poor soil, tolerant of alkali, tolerant of drought, avoids waterlogging, and is tolerant of pruning. Paperflower is native to Brazil in South America, and was not introduced to Europe for cultivation until about the 1830s. It is now cultivated in various parts of China. It likes a warm, humid, and sunny environment and is not cold-tolerant. In China, except in southern regions where it can be cultivated outdoors and overwinter, other regions require pot cultivation and greenhouse cultivation. The most suitable soil is well-drained sandy loam. Paperflower is commonly propagated by cuttings, and raising seedlings is easy. In May and June, cut mature woody branches, 20 cm long, insert them into a sand pot, cover with glass, keep moist, and they can root in about one month; after two years of cultivation, they can bloom.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation methods
1. Pot selection: Bougainvillea has no strict requirements for soil, is tolerant of poor and dry conditions, and avoids waterlogging. Soil rich in humus, loose, fertile, and with strong permeability is best; avoid clay. For pot cultivation, use one part each of leaf mold, peat soil, sand soil, and garden soil, and add a small amount of decomposed cake residue as base fertilizer, mixing them into culture soil.
2. Temperature: The suitable growth temperature is 15—30℃, of which May—September is 19—30℃, and October to the following April is 13—16℃. In summer it can withstand high temperatures of 35℃. When the temperature exceeds 35℃, appropriate shading or measures such as spraying water and ventilation should be taken. In winter, the environmental temperature should be maintained not lower than 5℃. Flowering requires a temperature above 15℃. To prolong the flowering period, it should be moved indoors in time for care before the cold wave arrives in early winter.
3. Light: Bougainvillea likes light. Insufficient light during the growing season will lead to weak plant growth and affect bud formation and flowering. Therefore, throughout the year, except that newly potted small seedlings should first be placed in semi-shade. In winter, it should be placed in front of a south-facing window, and the light duration must not be less than 8 hours, otherwise a large number of leaves will easily fall. It is a short-day flower. If the daily light time is controlled at about 9 hours, bougainvillea will form buds and bloom after one and a half months.
3. Soil use: Bougainvillea grows relatively fast, has a developed root system and many fibrous roots, and needs repotting once a year. Because of long-term watering, fertilizing, and rain washing, the pot soil is prone to compaction and needs regular loosening, while also removing weeds from the pot soil. Otherwise, compacted pot soil and water accumulation can easily cause root rot or poor growth of bougainvillea.
4. Select varieties that bloom frequently, have variegated leaves, and are easy to regulate in plant shape, such as double-petaled bright red, Yijin, and orange-yellow; variegated red, silver-edged white; single-petaled green-leaf water red, orange red, cherry red, etc.; in Hangzhou, they can generally bloom 2-3 batches of flowers a year.
5. Cutting propagation and selection of seedlings: Miniature bougainvillea bonsai is fast and convenient to propagate by cuttings. In Hangzhou, in May-June, choose short-noded, 0.3-1 cm diameter annual woody or semi-woody branches; the cuttings are 6-8 cm long with 3-4 nodes. Keep the front two leaves (or half leaves) and insert them into sterilized substrate, keep moist and give light for care, apply fertilizer outside the roots after about 20 days, and gradually expose them to strong light for hardening after rooting. After 45-60 days, transplant them early with a small amount of substrate into miniature pots, and after 2-3 days of recovery they enter routine management. Miniature bougainvillea seedlings can also be obtained directly by finding small perennial dwarf twisted-trunk stumps, trimming roots and branches, and potting them; they can also be obtained by air layering old twisted and varied branches in bags.
6. Goals and measures of early-stage care. Early-stage care is the foundation; the goal is shaping and cultivating the crown. All measures revolve around dense nodes, short branches, compact plant shape, and concise, smooth modeling. Branches may be curved or bent, but there is no deliberate pursuit of winding twists; generally 1-2 bends on the main trunk and 2-3 branches are enough. The branches and leaves should be more numerous than those of other woody miniature bonsai types, but should not be too dense, so as to facilitate overall balance of metabolism; the plant-form picture and branch-leaf trend should be designed according to the pot and the original characteristics of the material, with some emphasis in layout, so that branches and leaves are orderly in density and well arranged. The crown is about 1.5 times the pot diameter.
a. Watering and fertilizing: The pot is small in volume and has little soil, so avoid heavy watering and concentrated fertilizer. The soil should be kept on the dry side; do not water unless dry. On sunny days in spring and late autumn, water in the morning and forenoon; in summer and early autumn, water at both ends of the day, with a small amount of water in the evening to moisten the soil so the leaves can recover from wilting, and water thoroughly in the morning. For fertilizing, occasionally mix a little dilute fertilizer water into the irrigation water; the first few times mainly nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as supplements, and afterward mainly phosphorus and potassium. To prevent excessive rain from causing leggy growth, if conditions permit, it can be placed under a sunny rain shelter for care.
b. Pinching tips, wiring, and pruning: Determine the timing of tipping and pinching according to shaping needs. Generally, after 4-5 leaves, pinching and tipping can be done to lower plant height and lower the branching position. After one round of branching has formed, pinch again to form secondary branches.
Wiring should be done early; it can be carried out once the plant has been established and resumed growth. Use 0.6-0.8 mm diameter aluminum wire, insert one end into the soil, and wind the other end around the branch in a spiral at about a 45-degree angle, from the main trunk to the young branches, from bottom to top; when wrapping, the aluminum wire should fit closely to the branch, with moderate spacing. After winding, bend the branch into the required shape, and finally use the aluminum wire to press the leaf axil of the young top leaf, prompting the young branch internodes to elongate and form natural bent branches. Wiring should be carried out promptly as the branches grow. A plastic binding tape can also be used to bundle thicker aluminum wire with young branches and then bend them for shaping. During vigorous growth, when branches are too long, moderate pruning should also be done in time, by heading back and cutting back, to promote another round of branching, while cutting off overlapping branches and other excess branches.
c. Spraying growth retardant: When new branches appear, begin spraying 0.5% daminozide, once every 7-10 days. If spraying 20-50 PPM paclobutrazol, attention should be paid to controlling the dosage and extending the interval.
d. Bougainvillea is a strongly sun-loving plant, heat-tolerant and not afraid of sun exposure, and should be cared for under direct light, generally without shading. Semi-cascade and cascade forms can be placed tilted or inverted.
e. When the branches and crown have initially formed, some flower-promoting measures must be taken: such as widening the spacing between pots, placing them high for ventilation, increasing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, controlling the amount of watering, and continuing wiring to regulate plant shape, etc.
7. Flowering period management: About two months after planting, flower buds may appear. At this time, pause wiring. For one branch, leave 3 or 4 inflorescences for double-petaled varieties, and leave 6 or 7 inflorescences for single-petaled varieties, then pinch. Concentrate nutrients so that double-petaled flowers bloom into balls and single-petaled flowers are large and brightly colored. During the flowering period, appropriately increase evening watering, continue watering with dilute fertilizer water mainly containing phosphorus and potassium; to prevent severe wilting, a small amount of water can be added at noon, and the water temperature should be close to the soil temperature.
8. Post-flowering management: If miniature bougainvillea bonsai is managed properly, it can bloom three batches a year; new plants propagated by cuttings in May may also bloom twice in the same year. After flowering, cut back and shorten in time to maintain plant shape and prevent branches from becoming too long; apply dilute fertilizer water mainly of nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as supplements; wire new branches early, spray growth retardant, etc.
9. Overwintering: Miniature pots are greatly affected by external temperature changes and are susceptible to cold damage in winter. They should be placed on a sunny windowsill indoors, or in a warm cabinet, and strive to stay not lower than 8 degrees. If cold causes leaf drop, keep the pot soil on the dry side and let it remain dormant; when too dry, pour a small amount of lukewarm water around the edge of the pot. If the temperature is high and sunlight is good and leaves do not drop, and it can still bloom normally, then normal maintenance and management are required.
10. Later-stage care: After 1-2 years of growing miniature bonsai, repot, change soil, trim roots, and prune branches; or partially change the soil, raise the roots, and take measures to make the main trunk appear aged. After one year of care, the prototype begins to appear. Transitioning from an ordinary miniature bonsai to an artistic bonsai and miniature bonsai still requires a shaping process of many years, mainly pruning with wiring as a supplement.
Precautions for bougainvillea bonsai cultivation
1. When pruning bougainvillea, the principle of “short, heavy, thin” should be mastered, that is, shorten horizontal branches and heavily prune new branches. Thin out dense branches and weak branches. Red-flowered bougainvillea has weaker growth and is pruned about once a year in March—April. Bougainvillea needs comprehensive pruning twice a year, the first before sprouting in March—April, and the second after flowers fade and before new branch growth in November-December, to ensure vigorous flowering year after year.
2. The common pests of bougainvillea are mainly leaf beetles and aphids, and the common diseases are mainly shoot blight. Usually strengthen soil loosening and weeding, remove dead branches and diseased leaves in time, and pay attention to ventilation to reduce the spread of disease sources. Strengthen disease inspection and deal with problems promptly when found; solutions such as dimethoate and thiophanate can be used for control. In ordinary care and management work, care for its growth with more attention.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation methods and precautions

Bougainvillea is also known as baojin, lesser bougainvillea, small-leaf jiuchongge, triangle flower, etc. It is a vine-like shrub of the Nyctaginaceae family and Bougainvillea genus. The stem is stout, branches drooping, hairless or sparsely pubescent. Thorns are axillary, 5-15 mm long. Leaves are papery, ovate or ovate-lanceolate. It likes a warm and humid climate, is not cold-tolerant, and likes sufficient light. There are diverse varieties and the plant is highly adaptable; it is not only widely distributed in southern China, but can also be cultivated in the cold north. Today I will briefly introduce the cultivation methods and precautions for bougainvillea bonsai for everyone.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation methods

Pot soil requirements:

Bougainvillea has no strict requirements for soil, is tolerant of poor and dry conditions, and avoids waterlogging. Soil rich in humus, loose, fertile, and with strong permeability is best; avoid clay. For pot cultivation, use one part each of leaf mold, peat soil, sand soil, and garden soil, and add a small amount of decomposed cake residue as base fertilizer, mixing them into culture soil.

Pot soil replacement:

Bougainvillea grows relatively fast, has a developed root system and many fibrous roots, and needs repotting once a year. Because of long-term watering, fertilizing, and rain washing, the pot soil is prone to compaction and needs regular loosening, while also removing weeds from the pot soil. Otherwise, compacted pot soil and water accumulation can easily cause root rot or poor growth of bougainvillea. Temperature conditions:

The suitable growth temperature is 15-30℃, of which May-September is 19-30℃, and October to the following April is 13-16℃. In summer it can withstand high temperatures of 35℃. When the temperature exceeds 35℃, appropriate shading or measures such as spraying water and ventilation should be taken. In winter, the environmental temperature should be maintained not lower than 5℃. Flowering requires a temperature above 15℃. To prolong the flowering period, it should be moved indoors in time for care before the cold wave arrives in early winter.

Light conditions:

Bougainvillea likes light. Insufficient light during the growing season will lead to weak plant growth and affect bud formation and flowering. Therefore, throughout the year, except that newly potted small seedlings should first be placed in semi-shade. In winter, it should be placed in front of a south-facing window, and the light duration must not be less than 8 hours, otherwise a large number of leaves will easily fall. It is a short-day flower. If the daily light time is controlled at about 9 hours, bougainvillea will form buds and bloom after one and a half months. Watering method:

Bougainvillea needs water control before flowering. For paperflower, usually master the principle of "do not water unless dry, and water thoroughly when watering." But to make paperflower bloom neatly and abundantly, water control must be carried out before flowering. Starting in September, control watering of paperflower; each watering should wait until the pot soil is dry and the branches and leaves are soft and drooping. Repeat this continuously for half a month, and after half a month restore normal watering. During water control, absolutely do not fertilize, so as to avoid fertilizer burning the root system.

Fertilizing method:

Bougainvillea is very sensitive to urea. If the fertilizing period is improper or the proportion is improper, it may produce the phenomenon of luxuriant branches and leaves but few flowers, so applying urea must be especially cautious. In summer, the temperature is high and there is more rain, and the plant is prone to leggy growth, so urea should not be applied alone. Some fertilizer made by composting rotten vegetable leaves can be applied. It is best to use a 0.2%-0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution as foliar topdressing, fertilizing once every half month. At the early stage of flower branch growth, urea can be applied once to facilitate flower branch growth.

Precautions for bougainvillea bonsai cultivation

When pruning bougainvillea, the principle of "short, heavy, thin" should be mastered, that is, shorten horizontal branches and heavily prune new branches. Thin out dense branches and weak branches. Red-flowered bougainvillea has weaker growth and is pruned about once a year in March-April. Bougainvillea needs comprehensive pruning twice a year, the first before sprouting in March-April, and the second after flowers fade and before new branch growth in November-December, to ensure vigorous flowering year after year.

The common pests of bougainvillea are mainly leaf beetles and aphids, and the common diseases are mainly shoot blight. Usually strengthen soil loosening and weeding, remove dead branches and diseased leaves in time, and pay attention to ventilation to reduce the spread of disease sources. Strengthen disease inspection and deal with problems promptly when found; solutions such as dimethoate and thiophanate can be used for control. In ordinary care and management work, care for its growth with more attention.

That is all the editor has to introduce about bougainvillea bonsai cultivation methods and precautions. I hope it is helpful to you!