In Guangdong and Guangxi, grow it however you like; this flower can bloom into a tree waterfall

Bougainvillea: for gardening friends in Guangdong and Guangxi, it can be seen everywhere at this time of year, and when it blooms it covers the whole tree with red flowers. Seen from afar, it looks like a red waterfall, not only spectacular but also very beautiful.

So, if you want bougainvillea to grow spectacularly and become a tree waterfall as soon as it blooms, how should we care for it normally?

After bougainvillea cuttings have survived, pot them up promptly. The potting soil should be a mixture of loam, cow dung, leaf mold and sand, piled up and composted, with an appropriate amount of bone meal added when used. During cultivation, pinch out the growing tips regularly to form a bushy, low-growing plant shape. A support frame can also be set up to let it climb upward.

Bougainvillea is a light-loving plant, and whether grown indoors or in the open ground, it should be placed in a spot with plenty of sunlight. With sufficient light, bougainvillea can bloom abundantly; with insufficient light, the leaves are sparse and the flowers few, the new shoots grow thin and weak, and the bract colors are dull, or it may even fail to bloom.

Repot before it sprouts in spring. During the vigorous growth period, water thoroughly, and when watering, water until it runs through; after flowering, reduce the amount of watering appropriately. In early October, move it indoors and control watering and room temperature so that the buds do not sprout. In May, move it outdoors for open-ground care, fertilize once every half month, increase phosphorus fertilizer during the flowering period, and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer during the growing period to prevent leggy growth.

During the flowering period, there are many fallen flowers and leaves, so clean them up promptly to keep the plant neat and attractive. After flowering, prune to adjust the tree shape, cutting off dead branches, dense branches, diseased and weak branches and shoot tips, to encourage more sturdy new branches and ensure abundant flowering. For plants about 5 years old, they can be heavily pruned and renewed once.

In winter, care requires controlling watering so the plant goes into full dormancy; in this way, the following spring and summer it will bloom even more abundantly and with brighter colors.

If gardening friends want bougainvillea to bloom on "May 1st" or "October 1st", the following methods can be used: for "May 1st" blooming, warming treatment can be applied; at a room temperature above 20°C, it can bloom after 40-50 days; if you want it to bloom on "October 1st", carry out short-day treatment by shading, with 8 hours of light per day, and it will bloom in about 30 days.

If you are a hands-on gardening friend, you can also propagate bougainvillea by cuttings. In spring, March-April, select full, sturdy 2-year-old branches, cut them into 10-15 cm cuttings, and insert them into fine sand or vermiculite to a depth of 3-5 cm. After insertion, keep the soil moist; at a room temperature of about 20°C, they will root in about 20 days and can be transplanted into pots in 30-40 days. Alternatively, in May-June, take semi-lignified young shoots for cuttings, and they will generally bloom in about 2 years.