Bougainvillea - home care and variety of species

For lovers of flower ensembles in the apartment, an exotic perennial bougainvillea will become a worthy specimen. Before purchasing and growing a plant, you should find out about its preferences, character. Experienced flower growers warn that the exotic species has a peculiar disposition.

Caring for him must be thorough. If you follow all the recommendations, the house will be decorated with a gorgeous bush that blooms for 5 months a year. Many believe that the bougainvillea flower brings prosperity and wealth to its owners.

Origin story

For the first time, this plant was discovered by travelers who arrived in the subtropics of Brazil. There they saw a liana-like shrub with bright large petals. Later it turned out that the plant does quite well in the tropics and subtropics around the world. Now the shrub can be seen in the Russian south, in Turkey, Italy, etc.

Bougainvillea is considered one of the brightest and most positive plants.

He feels well where there is a lot of sun, and in the cold season the temperature does not drop below + 6 ... + 3 degrees. Bougainvillea home care is about being thorough. Only miniature specimens grow at home, it is difficult to grow a vine in a room.

Features and description of the flower

Bougainvillea is a representative of the family of dicotyledonous plants, Nichtaginaceae. This is a liana, which with thorns, shoots clings to the support and stretches upward. In some cases, it is a small shrub tree.

Most of the platinum leafs are light emerald, sometimes light green and variegated. They look like an elongated egg with a pointed tip at the tip. Small leaves - from 2 to 5 cm.

The trunk is strong, the trees are powerful, woody. The bark is brownish, elastic.

The bracts are considered the most beautiful part, which frame the small size of whitish-yellow or grayish bougainvillea flowers. It was the bracts that the discoverers of the plant mistook for huge flowers. Bracts are thin, graceful. A pattern of thin veins is visible below them. Bracts have different shapes: from triangular, round to heart-shaped. Because of this feature, the plant was named "paper flower".

Bicolor flower species

The bracts are mesmerizing with their colors. They can be pink, lilac, scarlet, red, cream, white. Bracts can be seen during the entire flowering period of bougainvillea. In this case, the flowers fall off faster than the bright "paper" petals.

Varieties of bougainvillea

There are just over a dozen different types of heat-loving plants. The most popular are the Brazilian views (naked and wonderful). Over time, a large number of different varieties have been bred. Among them are:

1. hybrids;
2. terry;
3. changing color;
4. bicolor;
5. with variegated leaves;
6. various varieties for bonsai.

Brazilian views

Among the Brazilian species, the most famous mansions are:

• naked bougainvillea;
• wonderful bougainvillea.

Naked - represents a vine, stretching from the ground for 3-6 meters. She has a smooth, nice trunk. At home, the flowering period lasts more than 8-9 months.

One of the Brazilian species

A wonderful (another name is beautiful) liana with thorns grows up to 13-15 meters. Its difference is in its very rapid growth. In addition, the bracts change color from bright pink at the very beginning of flowering to snow-white at the end of flowering. In addition, the flowering crown can hide all the foliage.

Hybrids

Bougainvillea indoor in some cases are hybrids bred specifically for breeding in an apartment. They have bright bracts, miniature shapes, small thorns and lack of liana-like features. The following hybrids are popular:

• Sanderian;
• Butt;
• Glabra Donker;
• Dona;
• White cascade.

The colors of the hybrids are different: from pale pink, golden, scarlet to snow-white and ivory.

Terry varieties

These varieties are distinguished by an increased stipule density. The blooming part of the plants resembles volumetric airy bright clouds. For example, this is bougainvillea double gold. Popular representatives of terry varieties:

• Lilarose. Differs in unpretentiousness. Its stipules can be salmon, flamingo-colored, purple.
• Double pink. Greenish tints can be seen at the bases of the stipules.
• Double ed. Differs in rich red petals.
  

  Terry representative

• Don Mario. A charming variety with burgundy-colored petals.

Changing colors

Unusual varieties include:

• Bois De Roses;
• Vera;
• Thai Gold.

The first variety changes the color of stipules from orange to flaming. The second grade is from raspberry to cream. The third is from gold to blush pink.

Bicolor varieties

These are also extraordinarily beautiful flowers. Among the famous are Strawberry Lace, Snowcap Multi. The flower cloud of varieties consists of deep pink and snowy.

Variegated

The house will be decorated with bougainvillea with variegated leaf plates. The leaves of these varieties have an emerald color, which is adjacent to yellow-gray, whitish. These varieties include:

• Delta Dawn;
• San Diego Red Variegata;
• Raspberry Ice.

Variegated specimen

Varieties for bonsai

Evergreen varieties are suitable for ancient Chinese art of bonsai:

• Spectabilis;
• Speciosa;
• Mini-tai.

Transplant after purchase

Bougainvillea care and maintenance begins with competent work after purchase. A bright shrub should not be immediately placed on the windowsill after the store or placed in the garden next to other plants. He must go through a 10-day quarantine. To do this, it is removed to a separate place, where at least + 23 ... + 25 degrees and enough light. After this period, the plant is transplanted.

What needs to be prepared

The bougainvillea owner needs to prepare:

1. pot;
2. soil mixture;
3. drainage;
4. support.

Pot

For transplanting, you should purchase a not too voluminous, but high pot. Its size should be ideal for the root system of the flower. Before choosing a pot, you should know how the bougainvillea grows and how much. The plant grows for at least 8-10 years. Its root system grows larger every year. Therefore, transplants should be carried out at least once every 12 months.

Soil mixture

The soil is light, but with an admixture of loam and coal. You should get a mixture of garden soil with light additives.

Drainage

Bark, pebbles, coals, polystyrene are suitable as drainage.

Support

A peg, a handle, a knitting needle can become a support.

New place of residence

Bougainvillea will feel best on the sunny side of the house.She needs direct sunlight for at least 12 hours a day. You don't have to worry about burns - the tropical dweller loves the sun. The main thing is that there are no drafts. Wind and drafts are the enemies of the bizarre plant.

The pot should not be too bulky

The new place should become a home for a pot with a mini-tree for a long time. Since, among other things, bougainvillea care implies exclusively in one place. Rearrangements negatively affect her condition.

Step-by-step Transplant Guide

When everything you need is prepared, the place for the installation of the beauty is chosen, you can go directly to the transplant:

1. First, the soil mixture is prepared.
2. After that, a drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the pot. It should be about 1-2 cm.
3. If the pot is high, then the lower part is filled with soil.
4. The landing is fast. A root with a clod of earth is taken out of the old pot. He sinks into a new pot.
5. The voids are filled with earth.
6. Attention should be paid to the root collar. It is allowed to root it shallowly. It is enough to deepen by 1 cm.
7. Do not compact the soil. The ground should be loose.

Reproduction

Bougainvillea breeding involves several species. The simplest is grafting. The most laborious is the seed method.

Cuttings

You need to take a stalk 8 to 12 cm long. It is cut from an adult plant that is at least 4-6 years old. For 10 hours, the stick with the kidneys is placed in a growth stimulator. Then they are planted in a pot with loose airy soil and covered with a bag. After 30 days, the plant should take root.

First, the cuttings are soaked in a stimulator, then planted in the soil

Seed

It is allowed to propagate a bright flower by seeds. For this, the seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator, then planted in the ground. An important condition is that the container must be heated from below to make the seeds feel comfortable. Only after 50-80 days it will be possible to see the seedlings. Bougainvillea seeds can multiply, but growers rarely resort to this method.

Care Tips

Bougainvillea care and maintenance in an apartment implies special. In addition to protection from drafts, worthy of lighting, it is necessary not to forget about such points as:

• watering;
• top dressing;
• care during flowering;
• resting care;
• preparatory activities for the winter.

Watering

Watering is carried out with settled water every 10 days. Moisture stagnation must not be allowed.

Top dressing

It is impossible to grow a flower healthy without top dressing. Complex mixtures for petunias are suitable. Fertilize during the growth period.

During flowering

During flowering, complex mixtures with iron content are introduced every 1-2 months. Why doesn't bougainvillea bloom? There are many answers to this question. Perhaps the plant is cold or lacks light.

During flowering, the plant needs fertilizing, watering

Dormant care

The rest lasts for 4-6 months. It is also important to take care of the plant during this time. It should be shaded and watered no more than once every 30 days.

Preparing for winter

Preparatory measures consist only in transferring the flower to a room where the temperature is from +8 to +16 degrees. The best place for him is an insulated loggia. You can not leave the flower to winter near the battery.

Cultivation of different varieties of bougainvillea does not mean very difficult, but without the help of a person, she cannot survive in an apartment. Therefore, the owner should monitor the state of the exotic and be aware of its cycles (flowering, dormancy).