Bougainvillea is an evergreen shrub or tree liana with an unusual form of bracts, which, like bright petals, surround small flowers. The plant belongs to the family Niktaginovye. Its homeland is the west coast of Latin America. For the first time, the traveler Louis de Bougainville saw the enchanting flowers in Rio de Janeiro. Already at the beginning of the XIX century. they adorned the parks and greenhouses of Europe. The heat-loving bougainvillea does not tolerate cold snap, so it can grow in gardens only in the south of the Caucasus and Crimea. But as a room flower, this slightly capricious beauty will feel great.
Botanical Description
Bougainvillea is a perennial plant with long, curly stems. The height of the shoots can reach 5 m. Over time, the base of the stem lignifies and thickens, and the plant turns into a short tree. The shoots are covered with a dark brown, grayish bark with age. Sharp, long spikes are present on the branches.
Regular petiole leaves grow on young shoots. They have solid edges and an oval or ovoid shape with a pointed end. The leaf plate folds slightly along the central vein. It has a plain bright green color.
Young shoots are covered with single small flowers. White or yellowish tubular buds with strongly bent edges consist of 5 petals. The reproductive organs practically do not peep out of the tube. The flowers themselves hardly attract attention, but each bud is surrounded by three large bracts. They look like leaves with a thin, paper-like surface. A mesh of veins is visible on it. The color of the bracts can be white, cream, yellow, pink or raspberry. Flowers fade and fall much faster than these bright leaves.
Hummingbirds and some species of tropical butterflies are natural pollinators for bougainvillea. Without them, fruit set does not occur.
Species diversity
The genus of bougainvillea can not be called large. It contains only 14 species of plants. But there are a lot of different varieties.
Bougainvillea is naked. The variety got its name because of the smooth, almost devoid of thorns of the stem. Glossy bright green leaves grow on it. During the flowering period, which can last up to 9 months at home, small yellow flowers with a long tube are surrounded by large bracts of a rich raspberry hue. They can grow both around a single flower, and around a small inflorescence.
Bougainvillea is beautiful. Long flexible shoots of shrubs are covered with velvety dark green foliage on long stalks. During flowering, almost the entire crown is hidden under flowers with bright leaves. Initially, they are painted in a rich red hue, but eventually fade and become almost white.
Bougainvillea Peruvian. Long shoots do not give lateral processes. They are covered with narrow foliage, at the base of which short spikes are hidden. The variety stably dissolves a large number of inflorescences. Their bracts have a terry shape and a slightly wrinkled surface.
Breeding methods
Bougainvillea can be propagated by sowing seeds, rooting of stem cuttings and layering. Seed propagation is complicated by the fact that for sowing you need to use only fresh seeds, which are not tied up at room conditions. But vegetative propagation is quite easy. With it, varietal signs of plants are preserved.
In May-June, year-old half-lignified sprouts are cut. They are rooted in pots with a sand-peat mixture at a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C. To maintain the greenhouse effect, the cuttings are covered with a film or plastic bottles. In order for the roots to appear sooner, it is recommended to treat the lower section with a special composition. Soil heating is also good. With the advent of the roots, plants are transplanted to a permanent place in the ground for adult plants.
Root air lay is possible throughout the year. To do this, the young non-lignified process is slightly scratched to damage the bark. It is placed in the soil. A long branch can be bent to the ground in the main pot. A small container is tied to the soil near the upper shoot. The rooting process takes about a month, after which the shoot is separated from the mother plant and planted in a separate pot.
Landing rules
Bougainvillea can be planted in the garden, but then in the fall during the cold snap you will have to dig a plant. Only in the south of the country does it winters with good shelter. It is much more convenient to immediately plant a flower in a pot, and as it grows, move it into a large flowerpot. In the fall it is brought into the room.
Young plants are transplanted annually, and for more adult specimens one transplant is enough in 3-5 years. This is best done in the first half of spring. The root system develops slowly, so the next pot should be slightly larger than the previous one. You can leave the old container, but shake off part of the old earthen coma and slightly prune the roots.
The optimal soil mixture for planting bougainvillea should contain:
- turf land;
- deciduous humus;
- river sand;
- peat.
At the bottom of the pot must drain material. When transplanting, the roots should be inspected for damage and trimmed. The earth is tamped and carefully watered. The first days of bougainvillea are kept in a shaded place.
Care Features
At home, it is important for the plant to provide a permanent habitat. It painfully reacts to any changes, whether it is a turn of the pot relative to the light source, a sharp fluctuation in temperature, a draft and more.
Lighting. Bougainvillea needs bright, diffused light. From direct sunlight at noon, shading with a thin curtain or gauze is necessary. If the sun is not enough, flowering will become less plentiful.
Temperature. The optimum temperature for the flower is + 22 ... + 25 ° C. On hot days, the room needs to be ventilated regularly. The flower grows very well in the fresh air, in a place protected from drafts. If the summer is too cold, the bougainvillea will bloom, but its bracts will be pale and will not acquire the usual brightness. In winter, the temperature is reduced to + 12 ... + 15 ° C. Cooling to + 5 ... + 10 ° C leads to illness and death.
Humidity. The inhabitant of the tropics needs high humidity. It should often be sprayed with a well-cleaned liquid. During flowering, water should not fall on the buds, so use trays with wet pebbles and a humidifier. Several times a year, a flower is bathed in a warm shower.
Watering. The plant must be abundantly and often watered, but the surface of the soil must have time to dry out. Since the end of summer, as the temperature drops, the frequency of irrigation is reduced. In winter, a dormant period begins, when part of the foliage falls and the evaporation of moisture is reduced. Watering is almost completely removed, only slightly moistening the ground.
Fertilizer. From April to October, bougainvillea is fertilized twice a month with the mineral composition for flowering indoor plants. Diluted top dressing is poured into the soil at a distance from the shoots.
Pruning. Crown formation plays a very important role in the decorative appearance of bougainvillea. Also, this procedure stimulates the formation of buds and lateral processes. In spring pruning, shoots dried out in winter and thin, weak processes are removed. In summer, fading inflorescences should be cut. Autumn vegetation is shaped. Sprouts are shortened by a third and thin out too thick places. On the shoots of the current year should remain at least 5-7 cm.
The base of the stem is gradually thickened and lignified. With enough effort, bougainvillea can form a bonsai (in the form of a tiny tree with a thick trunk and a spreading crown), a multi-trunk bush or a green sculpture.
Diseases, pests. Bougainvillea is distinguished by good immunity and resistance to parasites. Only with prolonged disturbance in agricultural technology can fungal diseases and leaf chlorosis develop. Of the pests on it, only occasionally can you find a mealybug, aphid or spider mite. The sooner insects are discovered, the less harm they will cause to the plant. To do this, you need to inspect leaves and stems from time to time. If necessary, they are sprayed with insecticides.
