How to Create and Care for a Bougainvillea Bonsai
Bougainvillea is also known as Baojing and Ledujuan. Its vine stems grow rapidly, the branches tolerate pruning, it takes shape easily, and it has a long flowering period. In southern regions, the beautifully curved trunks of bougainvillea are often used to create bonsai. Its new branches have obvious axillary buds, which is favorable for pruning, while old branches harbor many latent adventitious buds with strong sprouting ability; after trunk truncation they can promote adventitious buds and sprout irregular young shoots. When truncating the trunk, leave it somewhat longer; after the buds are set, a second truncation can be carried out.
Choose trunks with graceful posture; for small and medium-sized trunks a diameter of 3-6 cm can be selected, and for large trunks a diameter of 8-15 cm. First conceive the truncation according to the shape of the trunk, and create a straight-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, cascade style, and so on. Saw the trunk off with a saw, then shave the cut surface smooth with a plane blade. Generally, after truncation the bougainvillea stump forms a bare trunk; then trim the overly long roots and cut flat the broken and rotten root parts. Trim the roots in one go according to the requirements of the ornamental pot.
In the first year it can be planted in a training pot to grow the stock. If planted in April, buds can be selected and set in May, and in June some semi-lignified branches can be bent and shaped; afterward, the selected branches that have reached semi-lignification are bent and shaped one by one. Note that bending should be done on sunny days, and 1-2 days of proper water restriction before bending reduces the moisture in the branches, making them easier to bend and less likely to break. When bending, wrap the branches with soft aluminum wire to bend them, forming a wandering-dragon curve, or twist the branches to form floating branches, pendulous branches, or cascading branches.
After twisting and shaping, side buds are easily stimulated to form side branches, and then the side branches are bent and shaped in turn; in this way the shape can be set within 1 year and the tree can be formed in 2 years. Adopting this technique of trunk truncation and branch growing with bending and shaping can shorten the time needed to reach finished form.
Bougainvillea stumps are suitable for the trunk-truncation and branch-storage shaping method. In the south, pruning can be done year-round; in the north, it can be done in spring and summer. After pruning, the trunk and branches of the stump can sprout new buds at any time, and the new buds grow quickly, which is favorable for storing branches.
After the stump is truncated and potted, it can be placed directly in a sunny spot for care. Water thoroughly once at initial planting, then water when the soil looks dry; when new buds and new branches emerge, water once a day. Sufficient sunlight enables the new branches after trunk truncation to grow strong.
During the branch-growing period, supply sufficient fertilizer, mainly nitrogen. During the flowering period, apply a top dressing of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once. If you want the bougainvillea to bloom, restrict water and fertilizer in advance; by controlling water, controlling fertilizer, and providing sufficient light, flowering is promoted. For a finished bougainvillea, fertilization should not be excessive, to avoid leggy growth that affects the tree shape.
Bougainvillea is not cold-tolerant. When the temperature is below 5°C, take care to protect it from the cold, otherwise it will suffer frost damage and drop its leaves.
Occasionally, small wood-boring bark beetles bore into the phloem and xylem of branches and trunks, causing broken branches and trunks. When insect damage is found, a thin iron wire can be used to poke and stab directly along the insect hole until the iron wire shows moisture, and the pest is then stabbed to death. A syringe can also be used to inject a 1000-fold dilution of 80% dichlorvos into the insect hole, and cotton soaked in the above-mentioned solution can also be used to plug and seal the insect hole.
How to Create a Bougainvillea Bonsai: Bougainvillea Bonsai Creation Methods
Bougainvillea bonsai has a distinctive shape, lush branches and leaves, bright colors, and high ornamental value. Placing a bougainvillea bonsai at home is very pleasing to the eye. Today, the wed114 wedding editor will introduce to you how to create a bougainvillea bonsai.
How to Create a Bougainvillea Bonsai
Bougainvillea bonsai is relatively easy to create. According to the condition of the potted bougainvillea, it can be made into different shapes such as single-trunk style, double-trunk style, slanting-trunk style, curved-trunk style, recumbent-trunk style, water-and-land style, waterside style, cascade style, pagoda style, flower-basket style, and so on.
The shaping method for bougainvillea bonsai is mainly pruning, with tying as a supplement. For young trees, bending and shaping can be done according to the needs of the design, and several bougainvillea plants of different flower color varieties can also be planted together for approach grafting as needed.
Below, the editor will introduce several specific methods for creating bougainvillea bonsai.
Flower-basket style: On the premise of pruning the bougainvillea into a large flat plane, at the diagonal corners of the bougainvillea plane, leave one branch 500-600 mm long at each corner, gently bend the bougainvillea branches inward, overlap them at 100-200 mm, and tie them together to form the carrying handle of a flower basket; the flower-basket-style bougainvillea bonsai is then complete.
Pagoda style: Cut off all the side branches of the bougainvillea, leaving only one or three upward upright branches. If three are left, they must be tied or braided together. When they reach the desired height, cut off the tips to stimulate side buds; at intervals of 400-500 mm, remove excess buds to form a multi-pagoda style.
Cascade style: Use the tying method to make part of the bougainvillea branches droop, shaped like a cliff. The cascade-style bougainvillea bonsai is then complete.
Approach Grafting Method for Different Varieties
Plant several bougainvillea plants in the same pot, with 3 cm between the stems and branches. After they grow normally, at a suitable height (determined according to the design), tie them with plastic-covered electrical wire, binding tightly to fix them. After the bougainvillea growth has set its shape, loosen the binding, use a knife to shave off the outer bark at the junction of the stems and branches, align the cambium layers, and carry out approach grafting.
After approach grafting, the bougainvillea branches are still tightly bound (protect the wound from rain and from water when watering). After they have grown firmly and formed as one, remove the binding wire. The part below the approach graft can be regarded as the root, and can be bent and shaped as needed; it can also be matched with stone to form a root-clasping-stone. Strengthen management; the part above the approach graft will grow many branches, which can be pruned as intended, cutting away excess branches.
When pruning bougainvillea branches, do not prune blindly; you must have an overall bonsai-style concept. The branches remaining after pruning should be further bent and shaped. As time goes on, the part below the approach graft will form a new trunk, but its surface will be rough and uneven, making it appear even more vigorous and antique.
Bougainvillea Bonsai Care Methods
Full sun exposure: Bougainvillea is a plant that likes high temperatures and strong sunlight, so the bougainvillea bonsai should always be placed in a sunny spot. Sufficient sunlight is favorable for the growth and flowering of bougainvillea. A bougainvillea bonsai treated with strong sunlight has short internodes, solid growth, more flowers, deeper flower color, and a longer flowering period.
Timely pruning: Bougainvillea has a long growing period and fast growth, so it must be pruned and pinched in a timely manner to fix and maintain the plant shape. Pinching helps the bougainvillea bonsai stimulate new branches and produce more flowers. Bougainvillea bonsai is generally pruned in spring and summer; pruning after mid-August will affect flowering and should not be done. The bougainvillea bonsai needs to have inner branches, thin and weak branches, leggy branches, crossing branches, and so on pruned away.
Strict water control: Bougainvillea should begin water control 5 weeks before flowering (that is, around mid-August). After watering once, water again only after the leaves and young buds have drooped. Repeat this treatment until flower buds begin to appear in the leaf axils at the branch tips, then gradually restore normal watering. Water withholding increases the cell sap concentration of the bougainvillea bonsai, thereby promoting the differentiation and formation of flower buds.
Proper fertilization: Bougainvillea is very sensitive to urea. If the timing and proportion of fertilization are improper, it may produce the phenomenon of a bougainvillea bonsai with luxuriant branches and leaves but few flowers; therefore, be especially cautious when applying urea. In summer, when the temperature is high and there is a lot of rain, the plant is prone to leggy growth, so urea cannot be applied alone; some fertilizer made by composting waste vegetable matter can be applied.
If conditions permit, a 0.2-0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be used as a foliar top dressing, once every half month. In the early stage of flower branch growth, the bougainvillea bonsai still needs one application of urea to favor the growth of flower branches.
Summary: The above are the bougainvillea bonsai creation methods introduced by the editor. You have also enjoyed so many bougainvillea bonsai pictures and learned how to create a bougainvillea bonsai. Why not try making a bougainvillea bonsai at home to delight body and mind. I hope the editor's introduction can be of help to you.
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, growing well in well-drained, mineral-rich clay loam; it tolerates poor soil, tolerates alkali, tolerates drought, dislikes waterlogging, and tolerates pruning. Bougainvillea 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, sunny environment and is not cold-tolerant. In China, except in southern regions where it can be cultivated outdoors and overwinter, other regions all require pot cultivation and greenhouse cultivation. Sandy loam with good drainage is most suitable as soil. Bougainvillea is commonly propagated by cuttings, and raising seedlings is easy; in May and June, cut mature lignified 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 is not strict about soil, tolerates poor and dry conditions, and dislikes waterlogging. Humus-rich, loose, fertile, highly permeable sandy soil is best; avoid clay. For potting, one part each of leaf mold, peat soil, sand soil, and garden soil can be used, with a small amount of decomposed cake residue added as base fertilizer, mixed to prepare the growing soil.
2. Temperature: The suitable growth 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 withstand high temperatures of 35°C; when the temperature exceeds 35°C, appropriate shading or measures such as spraying water and ventilation should be taken. In winter, maintain an ambient temperature of no less than 5°C. Flowering requires a temperature above 15°C; to prolong the flowering period, move it indoors for care promptly 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 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 fall. It is a short-day flower; controlling the daily light duration to about 9 hours will make bougainvillea form buds and bloom after one and a half months.
3. Soil: 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 of bougainvillea tends to compact, so it needs regular loosening, and weeds in the pot soil should be removed at the same time. Otherwise, compacted pot soil and waterlogging can easily cause root rot or poor growth of bougainvillea.
4. Choose varieties that bloom frequently, have variegated leaves, and are easy to regulate in plant shape, such as Double Red, Yijin, and Orange Yellow; Variegated Red, Silver-edged White; single-petaled Green Leaf Water Red, Orange Red, Cherry Red, and so on; in Hangzhou they generally can 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-jointed, 0.3-1 cm diameter one-year-old lignified or semi-lignified branches; the cuttings should be 6-8 cm long with 3-4 nodes, retain the front two leaves (or half leaves), insert them into sterilized substrate, keep moist and give light for care, apply foliar fertilizer after about 20 days, and after rooting gradually expose them to strong light for hardening. At 45-60 days after cutting, move them early into miniature pots with a small amount of substrate; after 2-3 days of recovery they enter routine management. For miniature bougainvillea seedlings, one can also directly look for small perennial stumps with short trunks and twisted branches, trim the roots and prune the branches, and pot them; they can also be obtained by bag air layering propagation on old twisted and varied branches.
6. Goals and measures of early-stage care. Early-stage care is the foundation, and 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 do not deliberately pursue winding twists; generally the main trunk has 1-2 bends and 2-3 branches are enough. Branches and leaves should be somewhat more than those of miniature bonsai of other woody species, but should not be too dense, so as to favor overall balance of metabolism; design the plant shape and composition according to the original characteristics of the pot and material, with the trend of branches and leaves and the layout having emphasis, so that branches and leaves are orderly in density and pleasingly arranged. The crown should be about 1.5 times the pot diameter.
a. Watering and fertilizing: The pot is small in volume with little soil, so avoid heavy watering and concentrated fertilizer; the soil should be on the dry side, and water only when dry. On sunny days in spring and late autumn, water in the morning and late morning; in summer and early autumn, water at both ends of the day, in the evening water a small amount to moisten the soil so the leaves can escape 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 mainly nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as a supplement, and afterward mainly phosphorus and potassium. To prevent excessive rain from causing leggy growth, those who can should place it under a sunny rain shelter for care.
b. Pinching, topping, wiring, and pruning: Determine the timing of topping and pinching according to shaping needs; generally, pinching and topping can be done at 4-5 leaves, lowering the plant height and lowering 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 established and resumed growth. Insert one end of 0.6-0.8 mm diameter aluminum wire into the soil, and wrap the other end spirally around the branch at about a 45-degree angle, from the main trunk to the young branches, from bottom to top; when wrapping, the aluminum wire should be close to the trunk and branches, with moderate density. After wrapping, bend the branches into the desired form, and finally use the aluminum wire to press down on the leaf axils of the young leaves at the tip, prompting the young branch internodes to elongate and form natural bent branches. Wiring should be carried out promptly as the branches grow. A plastic wrapping tape can also be used to bind thicker aluminum wire together with young branches and then bend them into shape. When growth is vigorous and branches are too long, moderate pruning should also be done promptly, by heading back and cutting back, to promote branching again, while cutting away excess branches such as overlapping 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, pay attention to controlling the dosage and lengthening the interval.
d. Bougainvillea is a strongly sun-loving plant, heat-tolerant and not afraid of sun exposure, and should be kept in direct light for care; generally no shading is needed. Cascade and semi-cascade styles can be placed tilted or inverted.
e. When the branches and crown have initially formed, some flowering-promoting measures must be taken: for example, widening the spacing between pots, raising them for ventilation, increasing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, controlling the amount of watering, and continuing wiring to regulate the plant shape, and so on.
7. Flowering period management: About two months after planting, flower buds may appear; at this time, pause wiring. For one branch, double-petaled varieties should retain 3 or 4 inflorescences, and single-petaled varieties should retain 6 or 7 inflorescences and be pinched. 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 the amount of 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 the miniature bougainvillea bonsai is managed properly, it can bloom three batches of flowers a year; new plants propagated by cuttings in May may also bloom twice in the same year. After flowering, cut back and head back promptly to maintain the plant shape, so as to avoid overly long branches; apply top dressing of dilute fertilizer water mainly nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium as a supplement; wire new branches early, spray growth retardant, and so on.
9. Overwintering: Miniature pots are greatly affected by external temperature changes and are prone to cold damage in winter. It is best to place them on a sunny windowsill indoors, or in a warm cabinet, and strive to keep the temperature no lower than 8°C. If cold causes leaf drop, keep the pot soil on the dry side and let it go dormant; when it is too dry, water a small amount of lukewarm water along the edge of the pot. If the temperature is high and sunlight is good and leaves do not fall, and it can still bloom normally, then normal maintenance and management are required.
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 partially change the soil, raise the roots, and take measures to make the main trunk appear old and rugged. After one year of care the rudimentary form first appears; transitioning from an ordinary miniature bonsai to an artistic bonsai and miniature bonsai still requires many years of a shaping process centered on pruning with wiring as a supplement.
Precautions for Bougainvillea Bonsai Cultivation
1. When pruning bougainvillea, master the principle of “short, heavy, thin”, that is, head back 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 sprouting, and the second time in November-December after the flowers fade and before new branches grow, to ensure vigorous flowering year after year.
2. Common pests of bougainvillea are mainly leaf beetles and aphids, and 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 deal with diseases promptly when found; solutions such as dimethoate and thiophanate-methyl can be used for control. In ordinary care and management work, take good care of its growth with more attention.