Bougainvillea Planting Methods and Care Guide: Keep It Blooming Year After Year

Bougainvillea is also called three-leaf flower, hairy bougainvillea, paper flower, triangle flower and so on. Its flower language is "a life without true love is a sorrow." It symbolizes passion, perseverance and a tenacious, striving spirit, and it is a very beautiful flowering plant.

Bougainvillea is native to Brazil, and it is now grown in many parts of China as well. In Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and other places it has already been planted on a wide scale. As long as the temperature is suitable, this flower's blooming period is especially long, reaching about 180 days, and bougainvillea also comes in a great many colors. As far as this editor knows, there are purple, red, pink, yellow, vermilion and peach red.

Because of its powerful climbing ability, bougainvillea is now regarded by many flower lovers as a "climbing expert." Plant a few bougainvilleas in the yard or on the wall, and when the flowering season comes, the home turns into a sea of flowers, very beautiful. But when planting bougainvillea, pay attention to the following points, otherwise sometimes it will only climb and not bloom:

1. Fertilize regularly every year

What fertilizer is best? This editor thinks phosphorus fertilizer, because the bougainvillea at this editor's home is given phosphorus fertilizer every year, and every year it produces clusters of blooms that make people envious.

2. How should bougainvillea be watered?

Bougainvillea is drought tolerant and afraid of waterlogging, so it should not get too much water. You can wait until the surface soil is dry before watering. In summer, if it is placed in the sun, watering once a week is completely fine; in spring and autumn, once a month is enough; in winter it hardly needs watering at all.

3. Prune appropriately

Give bougainvillea appropriate pruning every year. After pruning, many side branches will grow out, and this will make its blooming ability stronger.

The above is the bougainvillea care guide compiled by the editor of Huinong Network. Have you all learned it? When planting bougainvillea, flower lovers should pay attention to its water and fertilizer management and pruning techniques, so that the bougainvillea you grow can bloom continuously year after year.

How to keep bougainvillea blooming continuously? Teaching you the 3 key points of bougainvillea planting and management

The Start of Autumn has passed, and the weather already has a touch of coolness. Having endured the high temperatures of summer, many flower lovers are already thinking about what varieties to plant in autumn. Bougainvillea has become a favorite flower for many flower lovers, but its cold resistance is poor. If no protective measures are taken, it will drop its leaves at 5 degrees above zero, and it will freeze to death at minus ten degrees. So many southern friends plant bougainvillea. Setting aside this shortcoming of poor cold resistance, bougainvillea's blooming ability is very good, but management still needs attention, otherwise it easily grows only shoots and does not bloom. Below, this editor has compiled the 3 key points of bougainvillea care and management. Let's learn them together.

First point: Control water to promote flowers

Bougainvillea likes sunlight and is not afraid of sun exposure. It does not demand much water; whether potted or planted in the ground, keeping the soil moist is enough. In autumn and winter, it is best to control water for a month and a half, keeping the soil half dry and half moist. Even if green leaves drop, it does not matter. Controlling water instead helps promote flowering, which is also the reason why home-grown bougainvillea "blooms not when tended diligently, but blooms continuously when neglected."

Second point: Fertilizing

After the weather warms up in spring, apply nitrogen fertilizer once every 20 days; during the growing period, apply cake fertilizer once a month; during the peak flowering season, apply phosphorus fertilizer several more times. Mainly just these three kinds of fertilizer are used. These three fertilizers mainly target the growth and flowering of bougainvillea. When the three fertilizers are sufficient, the flowering period can be extended by two months, and the flower quantity can also double.

Bougainvillea is relatively sensitive to urea. This kind of fertilizer should be used as little as possible; if the amount is not grasped well, it will only grow leaves and not bloom. In winter, bougainvillea's demand for fertilizer drops greatly, so in winter, the fertilizing frequency can be kept at one third of that in summer, and the amount can also be kept at one third.

Third point: Loosening the soil

In autumn, generally at the end of October, loosen the soil around the roots of bougainvillea. For potted plants, the soil can also be changed, because soil at the roots, if not loosened for a long time, will form hard clods, which is not good for the bougainvillea root system to absorb nutrients.

If repotting potted plants, the main root needs to be protected and must not be damaged too much. Serious damage may cause the seedling to wither and die, so pay attention to this point.

The above is the 3 key points of bougainvillea planting and management compiled by the editor of Huinong Network. If these three points, fertilizing, controlling water and loosening the soil, are done well, bougainvillea can bloom continuously year after year.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation techniques, bougainvillea bonsai care methods

Bougainvillea habits: bougainvillea likes a warm and humid climate and is not cold tolerant. It can overwinter safely only above 3°C, and can bloom only above 15°C. It likes sufficient light. It is not strict about soil and grows well in clayey loam that drains well and is rich in minerals. It is tolerant of poor soil, alkali and drought, hates waterlogging, and tolerates pruning. Paper flower is native to Brazil in South America and was only introduced to Europe for cultivation around 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 grown outdoors and overwinter, other regions all need pot cultivation and greenhouse cultivation. Sandy loam that drains well is most suitable for the soil. Paper flower is commonly propagated by cuttings, and raising seedlings is easy. In May and June, cut mature woody branches 20 cm long and insert them into a sand pot, cover with glass, keep moist, and roots can form in about one month. After two years of cultivation it can bloom.

Bougainvillea bonsai cultivation methods
1. Choosing a pot: Bougainvillea is not strict about soil, tolerates poor and dry conditions, and hates waterlogging. Sandy soil rich in humus, loose, fertile and highly permeable is best, and clay should be avoided. For potting, 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 a growing medium.
2. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature is 15—30°C, of which May—September is 19—30°C, and October to the following April is 13—16°C. In summer it can tolerate high temperatures of 35°C. When the temperature exceeds 35°C, appropriate shading or measures such as misting and ventilation should be taken. In winter, the environmental temperature should be maintained no lower than 5°C. Blooming requires a temperature above 15°C. To extend 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 cause the plant to grow weakly and affect bud formation and blooming. Therefore, throughout the year, except that newly potted seedlings should first be placed in semi-shade. In winter it should be placed by a south-facing window, and the light duration must not be less than 8 hours, otherwise a large number of leaves will drop. It is a short-day flower. If the daily light duration is controlled at about 9 hours, bougainvillea will form buds and bloom after a month and a half.
3. Soil: Bougainvillea grows relatively fast, has a developed root system and very many fibrous roots, and needs repotting once a year. Because of long-term watering, fertilizing and rain washing, the potting soil of bougainvillea easily becomes compacted, so it needs regular loosening, and at the same time weeds in the pot should be removed. Otherwise, compacted potting soil and water accumulation easily cause root rot or poor growth in bougainvillea.
4. Choose varieties that bloom frequently, have variegated leaves and are easy to regulate in plant shape, such as double-petaled large red, Yijin, orange yellow; variegated red, silver-edged white; single-petaled green-leaf water red, orange red, cherry red, etc.; in Hangzhou they generally can produce 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-jointed, 0.3-1 cm diameter one-year-old 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 a sterilized medium, keep moist and give light for care. After about 20 days apply fertilizer to the roots, and after rooting gradually expose them to strong light for hardening. At 45-60 days after cutting, move them early with a small amount of medium into miniature pots. After 2-3 days of recovery they enter routine management. For miniature bougainvillea seedlings, you can also directly look for small multi-year-old short-trunked, twisted-branched stumps, trim the roots and branches and pot them; they can also be obtained by bag air-layering propagation on old branches with winding, varied forms.
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 short nodes and short branches, a compact plant shape, and concise, smooth modeling. Branches may be curved or bent, but there is no need to deliberately pursue twisting and turning; generally 1-2 bends on the main trunk and 2-3 branches are enough. The branches and leaves should be somewhat more than those of miniature bonsai of other woody types, but should not be too dense, so as to benefit the overall balance of metabolism. The plant form and composition should be designed according to the original characteristics of the pot and the material, with the trend of branches and leaves and the layout given appropriate emphasis, so that the branches and leaves are orderly in density and pleasingly staggered. The crown should be about 1.5 times the diameter of the pot.
a. Watering and fertilizing: The pot is small in volume and has little soil, so heavy water and concentrated fertilizer should be avoided. The soil should be on the dry side; do not water until it is dry. On sunny days in spring and late autumn, water in the morning or late morning; in summer and early autumn, water at both ends of the day, in the evening water a little to moisten the soil so the leaves can recover from wilting, and in the morning water thoroughly. For fertilizing, every few days mix a little dilute fertilizer water into the water used for watering. The first few times should be mainly nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as a supplement, and afterward mainly phosphorus and potassium. To prevent excessive rain from causing leggy growth, if conditions allow, it can be kept under a sunny rain shelter for care.
b. Pinching, wiring, and pruning: Determine the timing of pinching and topping according to shaping needs. Generally, pinching and topping can be done once there are 4-5 leaves, to lower the plant height and lower the branching position. After the first branching has formed, pinch again to form secondary branches.
Wiring should be done early; it can be carried out once the plant has been planted and resumed growth. Use 0.6-0.8 mm diameter aluminum wire, insert one end into the soil, and wrap the other end around the branch in a spiral at about a 45-degree angle, from the main trunk to the tender branches, from bottom to top. When wrapping, the aluminum wire should be close to the branch and moderately spaced. After wrapping, bend the branch into the desired form, and finally use the aluminum wire to press down on the leaf axil of the tender leaf at the tip, prompting the internodes of the tender branch to elongate and form natural bent branches. Wiring should be carried out promptly as the branches grow. You can also use plastic binding tape to tie thicker aluminum wire together with tender branches and then bend them into shape. When growth is vigorous and branches are too long, moderate pruning should also be done in time, cutting back and shortening to promote further branching, and at the same time remove overlapping branches and other excess branches.
c. Spraying growth retardant: When new branches appear, begin spraying 0.5 percent B9, once every 7-10 days. If spraying 20-50 PPM paclobutrazol, then pay attention 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 the plant shape.
7. Flowering period management: About two months after planting, flower buds may appear. At this time, pause wiring. For each branch, leave 3 or 4 inflorescences for double-petaled varieties, and leave 6 or 7 inflorescences for single-petaled varieties before pinching. 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, and 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 promptly to maintain the plant shape and avoid overly long branches; apply additional dilute fertilizer water mainly of nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as a supplement; wire new branches early, spray growth retardant, etc.
9. Overwintering: Small pots are greatly affected by changes in outside temperature and are prone to cold damage in winter. They should be placed on a sunny windowsill indoors, or in a warmth-retaining cabinet, and strive to keep the temperature no lower than 8 degrees. If cold causes leaf drop, keep the potting soil on the dry side and let it go dormant; when it is too dry, water a small amount of lukewarm water at 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 needed.
10. Later-stage care: For miniature bonsai, after 1-2 years of planting, repot and change the soil, trim the roots and prune the branches; or change part of the soil, raise the roots, and take measures to make the main trunk appear old and gnarled. After a year of care the rudimentary form begins to appear. Transitioning from an ordinary miniature bonsai to an artistic bonsai or miniature bonsai still requires a shaping process over 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 time in March—April before budding, and the second time in November-December after the flowers fade and before new branches grow, to ensure vigorous blooming year after year.
2. The common pests of bougainvillea are mainly leaf beetles and aphids, and the common diseases are mainly tip blight. Usually strengthen soil loosening and weeding, promptly remove dead branches and diseased leaves, and pay attention to ventilation to reduce the spread of disease sources. Strengthen disease inspection and handle problems promptly when found. Solutions such as dimethoate and thiophanate can be used for control. In ordinary care and management work, take care to nurture its growth with attention.