Bougainvillea Care, Light, Water and Soil for the Colorful Blooming Plant
Question: My Bougainvillea needs some plant care help. At the moment they are blooming but we will be going out of town, and my bougainvillea seem to love lots of water. Can I put saucers under them to try and keep them watered? My sprinkler system will water them every other day but I don’t know it that will be enough. I don’t want to lose them and where do Bougainvilleas come from? Cindy, Charleston, SC
Answer: Bougainvillea has become a very colorful and popular plant for spring and summer color making a great addition for a colorful patio or deck in the backyard. So let’s try and give a general overview on Bougainvillea care blooming, light, water, soil, origin and more…
Bougainvilleas are perhaps the most popular and one of the most widely grown tropical vines.
A native to the coast of Brazil. In the 1760′s the French botanist Philibert Commerson discovered the colorful vining plant and named it bouganvillea after his friend and captain, Louis A. de Bougainville, a noted lawyer, mathematician, and explorer from Canada.
The Bougainvillea often has spiny, cascading stems which end with colorful bracts of red, orange, purple and other shades to shield small white, inconspicuous flowers.
Bougainvillea can be used in a multitude of ways:
Cultural Requirements
Water and Soil
Bougainvillea will thrive in almost any soil as long as it is well-drained and fertile. Soils that work for other plants you grow will be fine for your bougainvillea.
Growers use a soil media that drains well but make sure you don’t let the plants dry out between waterings. If you want to be successful with bougainvillea keep containers moist but also they need to be well drained. No sitting plants in standing water!
DO NOT USE SAUCERS under your bougainvillea pots.
A healthy bougainvillea in a container will drink a lot of water during the warm times of the year. In cooler periods or when you bring your bougainvillea indoors for the winter, the water requirement will be much less.
SO how much water does a Bougainviilea need for proper plant care and blooming. As always it depends on:
- Soil type
- Root system
- Size of the plant
- Air temperature
Don’t water just to water your plants. Inspect your plants regularly, and learn when they are close to wilting. Then give the plant a good, thorough soaking just before it reaches the wilt stage.
Remember during the summer heat plants will use up water quickly, so inspect often.
Light
For the best results put your bougainvilleas in full sun. If you want good blooming give them at least 5 hours a day of full sunlight as a minimum. More hours of direct sun is better. Less than 5 hours and the plant may not bloom very well. Your plants will thrive in shade or partial shade, but only have nice growth with little or no blooms.
Don’t expect your bougainvillea to flower indoors. If possible, keep your plant outdoors and give it the maximum sun exposure. Any flowering you may receive indoors is a bonus.
Temperature
Bougainvilleas are hardy throughout the South but young growth will be damaged by frost. Optimum growing temperatures are warm days (70-85of) and cool nights(60-70of).
A light frost will not kill the plant, but you can soon expect all the leaves and bracts to fall off. In this case, the plant will regrow if not subjected to more frosts for longer duration.
Fertilizer
Bougainvillea can be heavy feeders. Here is some quick fertilizer tips.
- High phosphorus with micronutrients, as well as additional iron and magnesium
- Slow or timed release fertilizers are acceptable. Make sure you follow the fertilizer label
- Plants grow best with small amounts of nutrients constantly available
- Do not apply fertilizers to dry soil – Do not overfertilize – in this case less is better than more
Pests
Caterpillars, mites, aphids; Leaf spot if foliage and/or soil stays too wet, especially in cool weather. Contact your local nursery or garden center for treating the pest. Make sure you READ AND FOLLOW the label.
Where and How to use Bougainvillea
- Hanging baskets
- 1 to 3 gallon pots either sheared as bush, staked, or trellised.
- Trained as a tree – standard
- Summer annual up North.
- In the South grown as groundcover, hedge, trellis, standard, or cascading planter plant.
What to Expect From Bougainvillea when it arrives at the Garden Center
Bougainvilleas aren’t fond of changes. Any shipping over 2 days and you may experience some leaf drop and possible total defoliation. Don’t worry, give the plants a good drink and they’ll come right back out in about 3 to 4 weeks and usually full of flowers.
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