How to Care and Grow Bougainvillea Plant at Home

How to Care and Grow Bougainvillea Plant at Home
How to Care and Grow Bougainvillea Plant at Home

In harsh climates, the imposing foliage Bougainvillea cannot be grown as a garden plant. But the colorful South American has found success in containers and as a much-loved indoor or outdoor container. One cannot even imagine a more spectacular and full-bodied exotic. Turned into a dazzling cloud of color, Bougainvillea indoors looks amazing. Of course, overwintering in a shady spot is a must. But with regular care and attention, it will thank you with abundant growth and unique, vivid blooms. You will learn how to grow Bougainvillea plants in ThumbGarden’s article.


BOUGAINVILLEA PLANT DESCRIPTION

This fascinating plant can be called by different names – either Bougainvillea or Ninebark. However, whether the botanical name is accurately transcribed or not, the beauty of the foreign object does not change in the slightest.

Bougainvillea in-room culture represents the rare Nyctaginaceae family. The evergreen Bougainvillea often drops its leaves in winter in the room form. Once indoors, it emerges as a compact cloud of flowers that transforms quickly and usually thrives. The standard height of the house Bougainvillea is about 60 inches (1.5 m). If left unpruned (by pruning or standing upright), Bougainvillea can grow to over 120 inches (3 m).

The climbing shoots are slender and slender. The leaves are arranged in rows; they are large, elliptic-lanceolate, with smooth, firm, medium green margins, up to 5 inches (12.5 cm) long.

Flowering Bougainvillea looks more like bright clouds in which the leaves are not easily seen. They usually bloom from July to October, but the flowering period can last from late summer to spring in some hybrids.

The most beautiful aspect of Bougainvillea is the bright bracts, which are almost triangular in shape and heart-shaped, with fine veins and a transparent paper-like texture. The bright “petal-like” frame distracts attention from the three small, beautiful tubular flowers.

Bougainvillea’s flowers are white or pale cream. On the other hand, the bracts are of the most dazzling pink, mauve, red, yellow, and purple colors, although some cultivars are snowy white. As it fades, the hues change, creating a watercolor transition effect.


TYPES OF INDOOR BOUGAINVILLEA

There are three types of Bougainvillea commonly used indoors that differ in whimsy and flowering.

Bougainvillea glabra is a fast-growing, large variety with climbing shoots that are completely covered by “paper” flowers during flowering, with a large selection of varieties in a wide range of colors.

Bougainvillea spectabilis is a lively and capricious, heat-loving species with densely arranged purple flowers that can bloom in a room even in winter, provided enough light.

Today’s increasingly common are hybrid Bougainvillea x buttiana cultivars, which are slow-growing, bushy, and darker in color because the flowers bloom in very dense inflorescences.


BOUGAINVILLEA PLANT GROWING CONDITIONS

Bougainvillea Plant Growing Conditions
Bougainvillea Plant Growing Conditions

Growing conditions

The closer the conditions are to ideal, the less trouble the plant will have. However, the extremely light-loving nature of Bougainvillea makes it difficult to find a comfortable place in the house.


Lighting and Placement

Bougainvillea is “used” to long periods of sunlight and maximum brightness, and it pays to choose the brightest windowsill for them. They are not afraid of direct sunlight. Bougainvillea plants need five to six hours of direct sunlight and at least 12 hours of light per day to bloom. Additional light can be avoided during the cooler overwintering period. Flowering Bougainvillea plants do not like being turned over or changing positions frequently.


Temperature control and ventilation

During the boom period, Bougainvillea plants are unaffected by high temperatures and grow well at all room temperatures.

Cool overwintering is essential. Bougainvillea can be wintered in the same conditions as most gardeners, i.e., between 50-53 °F (10-12°C). The plant can survive a 5-degree frost or a 59 °F (15 °C) warm spell – but no more than 59 °F (15 °C).

Bougainvillea is best grown outdoors in the summer. They like drafts but do not like ventilation.


HOW TO CARE FOR BOUGAINVILLEA PLANTS AT HOME

How to Care for Bougainvillea Plants at Home
How to Care for Bougainvillea Plants at Home

Reducing watering and stopping fertilization during the winter is the key to Bougainvillea blooms. However, you must also provide faultless care during active growth to enjoy the bright flower clouds.

Watering and air humidity

During the summer months, Bougainvillea should be watered frequently and heavily, without letting the water stagnate and without over-drying the substrate. It is best if the soil becomes dry between waterings and will have time no more than 2 inches (5 cm). During the resting period, watering should be gradually reduced, keeping the soil lightly moistened during the winter and dry to at least half the depth of the pot. When all the leaves have fallen off, watering can be stopped completely. Water Bougainvillea with only soft, slightly warm water.

Bougainvillea prefers high humidity. Spray only outside of the flowering period. It is best to install a humidifier or use a sprayer to stabilize the humidity.


Feeding and fertilizer composition

After watering, fertilize Bougainvillea with liquid fertilizer only, in standard doses every 2 weeks from the start of growth until October. It is best to use a balanced compound fertilizer until midsummer, starting in July for beautiful flowering plants. From the end of August, reduce the amount of fertilizer applied and, if possible, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer altogether. From October to February, no fertilizer should be applied. Additional applications of foliar fertilizer can be applied after each pruning.


Pruning and shaping the appearance of Bougainvillea

To keep Bougainvillea shaped and compact, it should be regularly guided along with the stand, tied with soft natural twine, without severely squeezing the branches. Not only universal potted planters but also wire curved or shaped stands work well.

Pruning can form low, severe, or even Bougainvillea stems. Still, its main purpose is to encourage flowering at the ends of lateral branches by stimulating the regeneration of branches and buds. For Bougainvillea, pruning should be done not only in early spring but also regularly, at intervals of about 1 month or slightly less after each wave of flowering.

Pruning the top ⅓ of the length (leaving 6-8 buds), pruning stimulates flowering, while regular pruning along the contour line maintains a strict shape. Old, 3-year old shoots should not be cut back on Bougainvillea.

Sanitary cleaning is done in the spring by cutting off damaged, dry, weakened, and unproductive shoots.


Repotting, containers, and substrates

Plants can be disturbed only when the substrate is completely full of roots. Bougainvillea is transplanted at the end of February or the beginning of March using the transplanting method, leaving the soil mass fully intact except for the top layer of contamination. The root neck is left at the same level, and its burial is harmful.

Bougainvillea grows well in an ordinary universal substrate, although a loose and nutritious mixture for cadmium or beautiful flowering plants is best. A neutral pH of 5.5 to 6.0 and perlite or coarse sand and wood ash will only improve the soil mixture.

There are no special requirements for the container, only that the size is “by the rhizome” with a slight increase to the diameter-an rise of 1 inch (2.5 cm), sufficient depth, and good drainage holes. A coarsely crushed drain must be placed in the bottom to a height of ⅓ of the container. After transplanting, Bougainvillea should be shaded and protected from high temperatures.


Diseases, pests and cultivation problems

Bougainvillea reacts very strongly to improper care or conditions and drops leaves and flowers even without obvious serious failures. Sometimes even a slight drying of the soil is enough to cause bud drop, not to mention prolonged drought that leaves the plant “bare.”

This Bougainvillea responds to a lack of light as well. Without proper overwintering and adequate light, the plant will not bloom in oversized containers and improper fertilization.

Bougainvillea is often subject to diseases (powdery mildew, rot) and insect pests (mealybugs, Lepidoptera, whiteflies). Do not hesitate: the sooner you apply fungicides and insecticides, the better.


Propagation of Bougainvillea

Propagation of this plant is very easy using shoots left after pruning. Neck cuttings about 8 inches (20 cm) long are used for rooting by treating the ends with a stimulant. For Bougainvillea, temperatures of about 75-77°F (24-25°C) should be maintained, and typical conditions are a bright light and stable light soil moisture. Rooting takes about 2 months.

Bougainvillea can also be grown.

  1. From the air layer.
  2. From seed (sowing is done after treatment with a stimulant, at a depth of 5 mm, with bottom heating).

Rare and interesting varieties can be grafted onto the stems of simple plants, creating multi-colored variations. However, this effect can also be achieved more simply by planting several varieties in the same pot.

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