Bougainvillea plant - a beautiful and original tree that can decorate any home territory. This vine is originally from South America, namely from Brazil. It has quite flexible branches, which allows it to cling to the support. The tree blooms in spring and summer. Speaking of garden bougainvillea, it is worth noting that the cultivation and care of it is quite simple.
A tree can grow in open ground only in a warm climate zone, because when the temperature drops below 5 degrees it dies. Therefore, many gardeners grow it in containers, and in the summer period they take it out to the garden. In this article we will provide information about the most important points, the knowledge of which will help to grow this ornamental plant on your site.
Choosing a place
To choose the right place for planting bougainvillea, you need to pay attention not only to the soil, but also to the degree of illumination of the site.
Did you know? The name of the flower was in honor of Louis Antoine de Bougainville - the navigator who lived in the XVIII century and explored the Pacific Ocean. During his life, he was committed to many geographical discoveries. In addition to the flower, geographic objects were named after him: the strait and the depression.
Lighting and shadow
This plant is very fond of bright, diffused light, while not afraid of the direct rays of the sun. In the winter period for bougainvillea comes a period of rest, then the need for the sun is slightly reduced. When growing a plant in a house, it should be placed on the south side, otherwise you will need to provide additional lighting. In order for bougainvillea to grow well and blossom, the temperature regime in the summer must be maintained within 20-25 degrees, while in winter it must be reduced to at least 12-16 degrees.
Growing soil
For the cultivation of bougainvillea bushes need alkaline dense soil. You can buy a ready-made substrate for tub plants in specialized stores, or you can prepare the mixture yourself. To do this, you will need three parts of leafy land, the same amount of sod land, two parts of peat and one part of fine-grained sand. Soil must pass air and water, so do not forget about quality drainage.
Oleander, bougainvillea and lemons are the most popular tub plants.
Proper planting garden bougainvillea
Bougainvillea planting and subsequent care are usually held in the spring. Capacity for landing should be deep. Drainage should be filled to the bottom, which should take up about a third of the planting pot. Then the prepared soil mixture is poured to about half and a bougainvillea bush is placed in the center. The substrate must be distributed around the stem of the plant and compact it. Soil should be poured abundantly with water, and within a couple of days the roots should grow.
Did you know? The Bougainvillea record holder is growing in Brazil. Plant height exceeded 15 meters, and the age is more than 200 years.
Features plant care
While caring for bougainvillea, you should be aware of the regular wetting of the soil, as well as feeding the shrub.
Watering
To grow a beautiful and strong plant without compliance with the water regime is impossible. Bougainvillea does not tolerate drought, quickly loses its decorative qualities, so you should not forget to water it. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the soil, and as soon as it dries up, add water. In winter, watering will not be as frequent as in summer.
Important! Stagnation of water in the pot can not be allowed too, because the root system may rot. From the pallet excess water must be regularly poured.In summer, it is necessary to spray bougainvillea leaves with warm clean water every day. If the air in the room is very dry in winter, irrigate the plant too.
Fertilizer
A solution of complex drugs with mineral fertilizers need to feed the young bougainvillea once a week. You can also use organic and special purchase tools for flowering plants. Older bushes need feeding more rarely, it will be enough twice a month. Nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers will help bougainvilleas grow and bloom well.
To nitrogen fertilizers include: ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, potassium nitrate, urea, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate.
Important! In winter, at rest, the tree does not need additional feeding.
Support
Due to the fact that bougainvillea is a curly shrub, it is somewhat difficult for her to hold her weight. Therefore, the gardener needs to provide her support. Wire or bamboo supports are used for this purpose. It is noteworthy that the wire can be made completely different forms of support, than you can achieve beautiful volumes and effects. Did you know? It is believed that bougainvillea can attract money to the house. Her name is a symbol of energy, wealth and well-being. It is recommended to put a coin in the pot to the flower in order to enhance the effect of the positive impact.
Pruning shoots
Bougainvillea is cut not only to form an attractive crown shape, but also to stimulate further flowering. In the process of pruning, it is necessary to leave about 5-7 cm of the branch of the current year, since on the old branches the buds will regenerate longer and harder than on the young ones. And the new ones still may not have time to form.
Reproduction of bougainvillea garden
Growing bougainvillea, you need to know not only about taking care of it, but also about the methods of its reproduction. There are several:
- Layering. To do this, you need to fix in the ground newly formed shoots and sprinkle them with soil for a few centimeters. Where the roots are supposed to appear, you need to make light cuts, this will help the roots to form more quickly.
- Cuttings. From May to July, it is possible to conduct cuttings of bougainvillea. For this, young shoots with 3-4 leaves and about 10 cm long should be cut from the mother plant. The cut is done under the bud. Then the sprout is immersed in ordinary warm water and allowed to stand for several hours, after which it is immersed in a solution of heteroauxin or epine, or in any growth stimulant. After that you need to cut the leaves, which are located at the bottom of the cutting. A mixture of sand and peat is poured into a container, and the cutting is placed in it so that it plunges into the substrate until the second internode. The design is placed in a room where a constant temperature of 25 degrees is maintained. You can cover the stalk with a jar or build a mini-greenhouse. Every day, the stalk is ventilated and sprayed with water. In about a month, the root system should develop well, which means that the seedling can be transplanted to a permanent place.
- Seeds. This method is the most time consuming and lengthy to implement. You can collect seeds from well-established, large plants. Inside the dried bracts are pods, from which you need to get the seed. Planting material to sow on the prepared soil in a container, then level the surface. From time to time slightly moisten the soil. It is advisable to cover the seeds with a film or make a mini greenhouse for them.
Did you know? In San Clemente (USA), a bougainvillea flower is selected as the official flower of this city.
Plant Diseases and Pests
The plant as a whole is very resistant to pests and diseases. Problems may occur with improper care.
Yellow leaves are a sign of excessive substrate moisture. Bougainvillea loves water, but it is also unacceptable to add too much water.
Old leaves fall, but new ones do not grow. The reason most often becomes the frequent movement of a plant or the redirection of its shoots. But if these factors are eliminated quite simply, that is, diseases that can be cured only with the help of special preparations. Root rot. This is the result of frequent, non-cultivated irrigation, as a result of which the earth lump is constantly too wet and slowly begins to destroy the roots of the plant. It is quite difficult to diagnose such a problem. You should pay attention to the fact that in such cases the plant begins to turn yellow and wilt. Treat bougainvillea with fungicides. Sometimes to save it fails.
As for such pests as aphid, mealybug, and scytchuk, they practically do not affect garden bougainvillea. Nevertheless, it is necessary to inspect the plant, and in the case of the first signs of the appearance of any harmful individuals, use purchased chemical preparations. Almost always, such a plant can be saved.
Growing bougainvillea garden is not so difficult. It is enough to choose the right place for the plant and regularly feed it with water and dressings. In return, you can get an incredibly beautiful flowering tree-like plant that will please your eyes for a long time.