Why do bougainvilleas have pale leaves. Bougainvillea: home care, pruning, reproduction, photo

A plant with an interesting and complex name "bougainvillea" is rarely found in city apartments and even in cottages of residents of central Russia. This beautiful flowering shrub looks very impressive, so many are afraid that they will not be able to cope with cultivation. Of course, this plant requires certain skills from the grower, but nothing is impossible. In this article, we will introduce you to the rules for caring for bougainvillea and tell you how to propagate it.

plant description

Bougainvillea is native to Latin America, most commonly found in Brazil, Peru and western Argentina. For the first time this shrub was discovered and botanically described by the scientist Philliber Kommerkome, who named the plant in honor of the admiral with whom he sailed around the world. The French were the first Europeans to meet bougainvillea in the 19th century. Since that time, they began to actively propagate it and develop new varieties, so the flower spread throughout the world.

Bougainvillea is a shrub with curly oval leaves. There are sharp thorns on its long shoots. blooming plant big amount lush flowers, the petals of which are connected into a bizarre rosette resembling a star. The second name of bougainvillea is "paper" or "triple" flower. Most often it can be found in the resort areas of a humid climate. There, bougainvillea feels good and blooms actively, so it is decorated with arches, hedges and high borders.

Popular varieties

There are a huge number of bougainvillea hybrids, they differ in the shape and size of the bracts, and their shades. We will only talk about the most common of them.

naked

This species differs from the rest in that its stem does not have thorns. The plant looks like a liana, as it twists a lot. The shrub blooms with bright buds up to 5 cm in diameter, it can reach 9 meters in height, it tolerates drought and cold well, but is picky about the sun. This variety of bougainvillea is loved by residents of houses on the Black Sea coast.

naked

wonderful

The funny-named shrub is a subspecies of naked bougainvillea, but it has more thorns. This variety is used to decorate Japanese gardens and borders.

wonderful

Peruvian

This variety originated in Germany. It is unlike other species as it has green bark on the stem. The petals framing the flowers are pink or purple. This variety does not differ in branching, but it can bloom more than once a year.

Peruvian

Buttiana

This evergreen hybrid blooms in miniature buds. white color, they are surrounded, as a rule, by three main oblong leaves of purple color. This hybrid looks very impressive.

Buttiana

Mini Thai

Miniature shrub - a hybrid of bougainvillea naked and Peruvian. It has orange or pink flowers. Such a plant can be started if you do not have a small area.

Mini Thai

How to grow a plant at home?

This delicate shrub is picky about the sun and warmth, so residents of central Russia can only keep it in winter gardens or at home. And even there, the flower will need increased attention.

illumination

IN open field bougainvillea feels great under the rays of diffused sunlight. Sometimes placement in partial shade is allowed. If you are growing a plant at home, then choose south or west windows for it. In warm weather, be sure to place the plant pot on the balcony, so the shrub will receive the necessary amount of oxygen and light. Do not place bougainvillea where direct sunlight will constantly shine on it to avoid burning the foliage.

Temperature regime

The plant loves when the ambient temperature is in the range of 25-30 degrees Celsius. If you are growing shrubs at home, winter period rest, it is better to place it in more extreme conditions (5-7 degrees Celsius). This will provoke the shedding of old foliage and the appearance of new, healthy leaves in the spring. However, if the temperature drops below, the shrub may die.

Watering and humidity

If bougainvillea grows in your garden, in spring and summer it is necessary not only to water it regularly, but also to spray the leaves. This should be done in the morning, until the sun's rays hit the plant. When growing shrubs in an apartment, watering the soil should be done regularly and plentifully, monitor the soil so that it does not dry out. In winter, the amount of water should be reduced, focusing on the condition of the soil. If heating devices are actively working in the room, it is necessary to additionally spray the leaves of the shrub.

soil and container

At home, bougainvillea feels good in a mixture of garden soil, peat and sand in equal proportions. It is better to choose a pot made of plastic or wood, of medium size, if it is too wide, it will actively grow, but it may cease to delight you with flowering, giving all its strength to foliage and stems. A drainage layer must be laid at the bottom of the pot.

pruning

Periodic pruning is necessary in order for the shrub to bloom regularly. Prune old shoots right after he seasonally drops flowers. Before the dormant period, it is necessary to shorten all branches by about 30%. It is also better to get rid of weak shoots.

top dressing

During the flowering period of the shrub, the soil must be fertilized. Complex nitrogen and phosphorus mixtures are suitable for this. Fertilizers should be applied after you have abundantly moistened the soil, this will avoid burning the plant. Please note that fertilization for bougainvillea should include iron. With a lack of this substance, the leaves of the vine may turn yellow.

Transfer

It is better to avoid transplanting a shrub, however, if it has grown and the pot has become cramped, this will have to be done. It is better to transplant bougainvillea in early spring. The bush is transplanted along with a lump old earth in a pot with a diameter exceeding the previous one by a couple of centimeters. Bougainvillea is placed vertically in the center of the pot and sprinkled with water. After transplanting, it is necessary to water the plant with pre-prepared water at room temperature.

reproduction

With the help of cuttings

Usually cuttings from bougainvillea are cut in spring or summer. Choose a healthy, strong young shoot and divide it into about 6 parts. The soil is prepared in advance from a mixture of coarse sand, foliage and garden soil and parts of the stem are placed in it. Above the container where the cuttings will be placed, you need to install a small greenhouse. It's easy to make with transparencies and holders. Make sure that the temperature in the room does not fall below 18 degrees Celsius. The cuttings will produce fresh shoots in about 40 days.

With the help of air outlets

A container filled with a mixture of sand and earth is placed next to an adult bougainvillea. Choose a healthy, old shoot, carefully bend it down and dig it into the new pot. A new layer should be looked after as carefully as an adult shrub: water it, watch temperature regime and lighting in the room. The fact that the shoot has taken root will be indicated by the formation of new leaves on it. Then it should be cut off from the original bush.

How can a shrub get sick?

No flowering

At adverse conditions content (poor watering and illumination, low temperature environment) shrub stops blooming. If you are growing a plant at home, provide it with additional lighting in the fall and winter.

dull leaves

Sometimes this evergreen shrub ceases to please you with brightly colored buds, and its leaves become pale and unhealthy in appearance. This happens because the plant does not have enough light or nutrients. Be sure to feed the bougainvillea and, if possible, take it to fresh air. So she will receive the necessary amount of sunlight and again appear before you in all its glory.

leaf shedding

Don't worry if the plant did this while dormant. However, if you see this phenomenon in the spring or summer, it may mean that you have dried out the soil or are not providing enough sunlight to the bougainvillea. Change these conditions of detention - the shrub will recover and release new shoots.

spider mite

Mealybug

Shchitovka

sooty fungus

In this article, you learned how to properly care for bougainvillea. As you can see, this is not the most demanding shrub for keeping conditions, the main thing is that it has enough light and heat. Follow the advice of this article, and the plant will delight you with lush flowering.

Many flower growers have long been decorating their homes and apartments with flowering plants from the tropics and subtropics, such as jasmine. Bougainvillea, about the care of which we now want to tell, began to appear in our apartments relatively recently. But in vain. This flower in its homeland, in Brazil, and in other countries with a similar subtropical climate, blooms all year round, the tops of the shoots are constantly covered with flowers with lush, brightly colored bracts. It is unpretentious, lives among stones, along roads, climbs many meters high on rocks and braids the walls of multi-storey buildings. Some Brazilians have adapted well to life at home.

It is known that in the Brazilian homeland the flower does not have a dormant period and continuously grows and blooms at temperatures above 5 g. Below 5 gr. The plant can't stand the heat. In some subtropical regions of the Caucasus, Bougainvillea grows in open ground throughout the year, but even then we recommend covering it at a particularly critical time of the year in terms of temperature for preventive purposes.

In central Russia, Bougainvillea is considered a plant of protected ground. It is grown exclusively in houses, greenhouses, greenhouses. She needs space and bright light. Having adapted to the new conditions of existence, where neither one nor the other is enough, she changed her habits - she does not bloom all year round without a break, she has a clear dormant period. With good care, it can please its owners with bright flowering several times a year. What is included in the concept of "good care", we will now tell.

Location and temperature of containment

Bougainvillea should be placed on the southern or, in extreme cases, the western windowsill in order to daylight direct sunlight was at least 5 hours a day. Even from the midday sun, it should not be hidden. This is the main condition for its growth and intense coloring of perianths during flowering. With a lack of light, the shoots begin to stretch, the foliage turns pale, flowering stops.

The plant does not like drafts, but the room should be ventilated regularly. Make sure that air currents do not fall on the plant.

In warm summer time, the plant is useful to take out to the garden, to the veranda or open balcony. Find a place there, sheltered from the wind and rain.

In winter, the flower will feel good on a glazed and well-insulated loggia, where bright lighting and temperature do not fall below 10 degrees. heat.

Bougainvillea is not very fond of moving from place to place. Especially during the flowering period. A capricious beauty may be offended, especially if the conditions are changed for the worse. The flower will shed not only flowers, but also leaves. If you return her to comfortable conditions with optimal temperature and lighting, after a short period of time the leaves will begin to grow again.

During the period of active growth of the plant, in spring and summer, the temperature in the room should be maintained within 22-25 gr. During winter dormancy, it is desirable to reduce the temperature to 12-16 degrees. This must be done so that Bougainvillea forms as many flower buds as possible during this period, which will guarantee its abundant flowering in spring. If you do not have the opportunity to keep it at low temperatures, then you will have to organize additional lighting for the flower using a fitolamp or fluorescent lamp up to 12 hours a day. Then Bougainvillea will not go into a dormant period and will bloom weakly. But even in summer you will not see lush flowering.

Air humidity

Bougainvillea loves high humidity habitat. This should be achieved through regular spraying. During flowering, only the surrounding air should be sprayed, and it is better not to touch the flower itself so as not to hit the bracts with a jet. At other times, spraying the leaves of Bougainvillea, moreover, on both sides, will only benefit the flower. You can increase the humidity with a container of water placed near the flower pot, or put the pot itself in a tray on wet pebbles. Or you can buy a humidifier and use it.

Watering and spraying should be carried out only with soft, filtered, settled or boiled water.

Watering

Abundant watering of Bougainvillea is required during the period of active growth, in spring and summer. The substrate must be kept moist but not wet. Water it after the topsoil is half dry. Usually, it is once or twice a week. Pour water until it runs through the drain holes and into the pan. It will not be superfluous to remember that in nature the flower grows on the rocky soil of mountain slopes, and is not adapted to stagnant waterlogging - be sure to drain excess water from the pan.

Reduce watering in autumn, Bougainvillea should prepare for a dormant period. During hibernation, from November to February, watering is reduced to a minimum. But it is impossible to allow complete drying of the substrate. It needs to be watered once every 2-3 weeks. The cooler the air in the room, the less often you should water. If during the winter dormancy the flower dropped all the leaves, watering is completely stopped.

top dressing

In order for the plant to grow well and bloom intensively, it should be properly fed. From early spring to mid-autumn, it must be regularly fed. liquid fertilizers. Use fertilizers for flowering plants with a high content of phosphorus, potassium and iron. Such fertilizers contribute to the formation a large number buds and lush blooms. Excess nitrogen fertilizer weakens flowering.

Land for Bougainvillea

The pot for Bougainvillea should be chosen small, just a couple of cm larger than the old pot or earthy coma. If you immediately pick up a large pot, then in it the flower will intensively grow roots, shoots will also grow - to the detriment of flowering. In addition, thin roots will not be able to quickly master a large amount of soil, which will lead to its acidification. The height of the pot should be greater than its width. A good drainage layer should be laid at the bottom, 3-4 cm, made of expanded clay, large pebbles or polystyrene.

Transfer

At the beginning of spring, after winter dormancy, the flower awakens to active life. He is ready to grow green mass and root system again. This time is considered the most favorable for transplantation work. Young plants grow quickly. In a greenhouse, growth per year can be 3 meters. The larger the pot, the longer the flower branches will grow. And vice versa. In a tight pot, growth will be minimal, but flowering will be more abundant. Young specimens are transplanted annually to restore soil nutrition. Adults - once every 3 - 4 years, because they do not tolerate this procedure.

Often, after transplantation, plants get sick, shed their leaves, refuse to bloom. Therefore, in order not to damage the roots, do the transplant very carefully, by transferring the plant along with an earthen clod into a slightly larger pot. Do not deepen the root collar. Fill the free space with a new substrate, trying not to tamp it, but without leaving voids in the pot. Water. Hold the flower for several days in partial shade to root system got used to the new substrate and took root. Then put the pot in its place.

Flowering stems of adult Bougainvillea have a solid weight. They need support. You will need a wire or bamboo support. For young bushes, a wire staple will suffice. It is folded in half, folded at the right angle and stuck into the soil at the base of the flower.

Bloom

Bougainvillea has earned popularity among flower growers just for its magical flowering - bright and long. The laying of flower buds occurs in winter time, and by the month of May the whole plant turns into a huge bouquet, where, due to blossoming inflorescences and bright bracts, you can not see the foliage. The duration of flowering of domestic specimens can reach six to seven months - from May to November.

The color and shape of the bracts in different varieties of Bougainvillea are different. They are pure white, pink, purple, violet, lilac. Flower growers especially admire varieties that are decorated with unusual terry bracts arranged in several rows. Small cream flowers are not durable, they quickly wither and fall off. And the bracts stay on the branches for a long time, decorating the plant for six months. You can get acquainted with the most beautiful varieties of Bougainvillea.

A pot with two different varieties of Bougainvillea looks decorative, for example, with white and lilac bracts. Growing up, their trunks intertwine. During flowering, a lush white-lilac bouquet is obtained.

pruning

Proper pruning is considered one of the main points when growing Bougainvillea. It is necessary both for the formation of a decorative appearance of a flower, and for stimulating its flowering. Pruning is carried out several times a year.

1. Spring pruning is carried out to remove weak, damaged or dried branches from the plant.
2. In summer, inflorescences that have lost their decorative effect are removed.
3. In autumn, after flowering, Bougainvillea also needs to be pruned. When the bracts lose their decorative effect, its young shoots are shortened by a third of the length, leaving 6-8 buds on each. superfluous, spoiling appearance young shoots are cut to the trunk. It is better not to touch old branches, aged three years or more - there will be no great effect, and the injury to the plant will be noticeable.

At the same time, before the onset of a dormant period, Bougainvillea is given the desired shape. You can form a flower in the form of a multi-stemmed bush. You can leave shoots in the form of vines so that on the support you can give them any fancy shapes, for example, in the form of a heart or a ring. No less interesting are the compositions where the branches of Bougainvillea twine curly frames, trellises and decorative lattices.

We draw your attention to the fact that during pruning it is necessary to leave a sufficient amount of buds of the young shoot of the current year, since dormant buds on old shoots wake up with difficulty, and you may be left without new shoots.

Bonsai

You can make a tree from Bougainvillea with one stem and several branches, in the form of a bonsai. How do they do it? Two or three selected branches are left on the plant, the rest are cut off. Support this species quite long time until the plant is woody. Then a cardinal pruning of the central branches to the stump is carried out. They are waiting for Bougainvillea to give new shoots - they should also be controlled in growth: extra - remove, long - pinch and cut, deviated from the desired direction - correct with a wire. When the branches are woody in the desired position, the wire is removed.

We remind you that bonsai is formed before the start of the dormant period, so that Bougainvillea has time to release new shoots and lay flower buds on them. Then, next spring, your mini-tree will delight you with bright and lush flowering.

Sometimes the bare branches underneath the bonsai look unsightly. We recommend that you graft cuttings on bald branches. To do this, cut off a young green stalk from the flower crown, remove all leaves from it. Just be careful not to damage the kidneys. Choose a place on the branch for vaccination. Take a drill with a suitable size drill bit, drill a hole and insert the handle into it. Treat the vaccination site with medical glue. Soon the graft will take root, and the bonsai tree will take on a more elegant look.

Insert the cutting into the hole so as not to damage the kidneys, especially the one closest to the trunk. In the future, water the plant in a timely manner, do not rearrange or disturb it, so as not to accidentally disturb the position of the grafted branches.

Vaccination of another variety

Sometimes amateur flower growers, in order to create an original, multi-colored look of Bougainvillea, graft another variety on its shoots. For example, a cutting from a specimen with red bracts is grafted onto a flower with pure white bracts.

Schematically, they do so. A shallow lateral incision is made on the rootstock with a sharp, clean tool (knife). They also cut a scion from Bougainvillea of ​​a different variety. The turned end of the scion is inserted into the side cut of the rootstock. With medical glue and a grafting adhesive plaster, the vaccination site is fixed for several months.

Reproduction of bougainvillea

Three are used for reproduction. different ways. Let's consider them in order.

cuttings

The most popular way to propagate Bougainvillea is cuttings because it is the easiest and most successful. As planting material use semi-lignified cuttings cut in June. Try to choose cuttings that are not yet flowering, growing deep or thickening the crown, so as not to spoil the decorative effect of the mother bush. Remove the bottom leaves. Bougainvillea should be rooted in a mixture of peat and sand in a container with a lid or in plastic cup under the film. It is advisable to treat cuttings of cuttings with crushed coal and a root formation stimulator (Kornevin, Zircon and others).

The substrate must be moist. Rooting temperature should be 25 - 26 gr. The greenhouse is ventilated, if necessary, moistened. Remove the lid after the plant starts to grow. It is advisable to use lower heating and lighting, then the rooting guarantee will be higher. After a month and a half - two months, when the cutting is well rooted, it is transplanted into a pot 7 - 9 cm high, filled with a mixture of peat, leafy soil, sand and compost.

It is very important to carefully transplant the cutting, because even if the roots are completely braided with an earthen lump in a cup, they can easily be broken off or damaged by a careless movement. Do not pull the young plant by the stem. It is better to cut the container in which it took root. Grow in a bright place with an air temperature of about 20 gr. When the shoots reach a length of 5 cm, they must be pinched. When the root system fills the entire pot, the plant should be transplanted into another pot, with a diameter of 11 - 12 cm. Do not forget about drainage. Water young bushes abundantly, but do not allow moisture to stagnate in the root system.

Sometimes, in order to root Bougainvillea, the apical cuttings are cut in February - March. They should have two or three kidneys. The lower leaves on the cuttings are removed, the upper ones are cut off by half the area in order to reduce the evaporation of moisture from them during the rooting of the cutting. The cuttings prepared in this way for a day are placed in a glass with a solution of root or heteroauxin to stimulate root formation. Then proceed in the same order as described above about the rooting of summer cuttings.

Propagation by air layering

Bougainvillea can be propagated by layering at any time of the year. To do this, another pot with a wet substrate is placed next to Bougainvillea. On the mother plant, a young, not yet lignified shoot is chosen. In the place of the shoot where it is planned to root, transverse cuts or scratches are made (to stimulate the formation of roots).

Now they bend the shoot prepared for rooting to the soil in an adjacent pot, fix it with a metal pin so that the place of the cuts is in close contact with the ground. Once the air layers have started to sprout roots, they can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted into their own pot.

Propagation with seeds

Growing Bougainvillea from seeds is the most difficult, as it is almost impossible to obtain seeds at home in the absence of pollinating insects. In natural natural conditions pollinators are hummingbirds, and they live only in the tropics and subtropics. Reproduction of Bougainvillea from store-bought seeds requires a lot of time and attention.

Seeds should be sown from late February to mid-April. First of all, you should prepare a loose nutrient substrate from leafy soil, peat and sand in equal proportions (you can use ready-made soil for flower seedlings), and a container with a lid. Before planting, we recommend soaking seeds for several hours in a solution of some kind of biostimulant.

Place the seeds at a depth of about 5 mm in a moist substrate at a distance of two to three cm from each other. Close the container lid. For best germination, keep the room temperature around 26 degrees. Lower heating will not be superfluous - it is optimal that the soil is warm all the time, about 30 gr. Seedlings should be periodically sprayed with warm settled water and ventilated.

You also need good lighting. In winter, it is necessary to illuminate the greenhouse with sprouts with fluorescent lamps or a phytolamp. Seedlings should appear in 2-3 months. It's time to open the lid of the container. Densely sown specimens dive into cups in the presence of 2 - 3 leaves. The grown specimens of Bougainvillea are transferred from cups to small pots with drainage and suitable soil for adult plants. They put it in a permanent place and grow further according to all the rules.

Why doesn't bougainvillea bloom?

If Bougainvillea does not bloom at home, then you have not fulfilled any of the conditions:

• did not provide the flower with a winter rest period;
• did not provide a sufficient level of illumination during the year;
• they planted a flower in a too large pot, and the roots did not have time to master the entire space;
• in a cool rainy summer they did not create comfortable conditions (little light and heat);
• overfed the flower with nitrogen fertilizers.

If you think that you faithfully followed all the instructions, and Bougainvillea still did not bloom at the right time, try to force it to bloom. To do this, stop feeding it, drastically reduce watering and spraying. In this state, keep the guilty beauty until flower buds appear on young shoots. Then start regularly watering and feeding (but not feeding!) the plant. Carefully follow all the recommendations for care, and Bougainvillea will definitely bloom.

Diseases

Bougainvillea, although a tropical sissy, is resistant to diseases. Only severe violations of its content can break its immunity.

If Bougainvillea leaves fall while preparing for hibernation - this is natural process. At other times, this can be caused by stressful situations: they put the pot in a draft, moved it to another place, or simply turned it upside down to the sun.

When buying a flowering healthy plant, at home you watch with chagrin as it begins to shed both leaves and bracts. Don't worry, this is Bougainvillea's reaction to moving from the store to your home. If you take care of the flower according to all the rules recommended by us above, it will soon grow green leaves and thank you with lush flowering.

The same problem may arise after the end of the summer season in the garden, with the return of Bougainvillea to the apartment. Even a rearrangement from one window sill to another, worse lit by the sun, can provoke a flower to shed its leaves.

If the leaves have lost their bright color, Bougainvillea may have chlorosis. This happens when there is not enough iron and other nutrients in the soil. It is necessary to fertilize and spray the flower with iron chelate.

If the plant has leaves with soft white spots, then you have poor ventilation and an excessively wet substrate. Provide ventilation and water sparingly. Remove damaged leaves.

If the leaves of Bougainvillea begin to turn yellow and fall off, most likely you water the plant too much, the soil turns sour, the roots lack oxygen. Most often this happens in the winter. Reduce watering, stop spraying the flower and feeding. Let him stop his vital activity for a while - do not eat, do not drink, only sleep.

If the flower has lost its turgor, spray it with a growth stimulator, cover it with a plastic bag and leave it in diffused shade for two to three days, periodically airing this greenhouse. Turgor should recover.

If the flower has stopped growing, then it has a too cramped pot, the roots have nowhere to grow and develop. The growth of Bougainvillea slows down and stops completely until you transplant it into another, larger pot. Too old plant, which is more than 10 years old, also stops growing. It becomes woody and stops blooming. Take care of its reproduction in time.

When a plant goes missing due to root rot, it needs to be saved. Remove the bush from the pot, carefully free its roots from the substrate. If necessary, soak them for this in a bowl of warm water. Cut off damaged and rotted roots, healthy ones - hold in phytosporin solution. Then treat all cuts with crushed coal or wood ash. Transplant the treated plant into a new substrate and then strictly follow the rules for its maintenance. Also treat the crown with a solution of phytosporin.

Pests

But it is more reliable to treat the affected plant with special preparations - insecticides against these insects. The store will tell you which remedy is most effective. We recommend Aktara, Aktellik or Fitoverm. According to the instructions, the treatment should be repeated a couple of times to completely destroy the pests. How many times should the plant be treated, and with what period of time - see the instructions.

Conclusion

Indoor flower Bougainvillea can decorate and transform any room in your home, but only if it is properly maintained. We tried to foresee all the nuances of his capricious nature, described everything possible problems growth and flowering. We hope that with the help of our article you will be able to grow Bougainvillea of ​​extraordinary beauty, which will delight you with its bright flowering for most of the year.

Bright bougainvillea flowers in the house are a small tropical oasis in the apartment, a luxuriously blooming tropical liana is the pride and envy of neighbors. That's just one problem. Sometimes the “pride” begins to act up and instead of a plant strewn with flowers, it is a shabby bush with branches sticking out lonely in different directions. Such an unpleasant metamorphosis sometimes occurs for quite objective reasons. biological reasons. Sometimes why bougainvillea shed its leaves, what to do becomes clear only after long and hard thinking.

Reason 1. Pre-Purchase Conditions

First of all, it is necessary to remember in what condition the plant came to the owner. Whether it was a cutting with a couple of leaves, a flowering bush or a plant without flowers, it was purchased at a garden center, store or from the owner. How long was the plant on the road, maybe it was sent by mail.

If a plant has bloomed long enough before it enters your home, having lost its usual dose of chemical stimulants, it may begin to shed its leaves in order to go into a dormant state, and it does not need to be interfered with.

Bougainvillea is a rather capricious plant and does not like it very much when it is transported, even if we are talking about moving from one place in the apartment to another, what can we say about longer journeys? Perhaps, in a flowering plant purchased from the owner or in the store, all the leaves and bracts fell off precisely because of a sharp change in the location. In this case, it is better to leave the flower alone, making sure in advance that the conditions: illumination, air temperature, humidity are in accordance with the norms, and there are no drafts or cold wind if the flower is standing outside.

Reason 2. After buying and moving home

If the plant has just been purchased, it is better to determine the optimal place for it in advance so as not to walk around the house hugging it. Believe me, bougainvillea responds very well to an attentive attitude, but joint walks under the slogan: “Where are you, beauty, will you look better?” can't stand it at all.

Tip: If you want to help the plant survive the stress of the move quickly and not lose its foliage, carefully cut off any flowering stipules. Bougainvillea will not waste energy on flowering, but instead acclimatize faster.

After the acquisition, do not touch the beauty for the first ten days, let her get used to you and understand that she is also fine with you. If your bougainvillea is shedding its leaves 2-3 days after you've assigned it a new place to live, try adjusting the conditions.

If the air is dry, put a thin layer of expanded clay or flat stones on the bottom of the pot tray, pour water on the bottom. This will create the necessary humidity and neutralize the effect of dry air from, for example, batteries. Bougainvillea can be sprayed, but remember that excess moisture is detrimental to it.

The scorching rays of the sun are not the most The best decision for optimal growth of this tropical plant. The tropics are a sparse crown of trees, good lighting without direct sunlight and fairly high humidity. Try to create tropical conditions for your beauty, and she will thank you with the growth of new foliage and abundant flowering.

Reason 3. After the transplant

Let's make a reservation right away, bougainvillea does not tolerate transplantation in its classical sense, it should not be transplanted, but transshipped. If the plant sheds leaves after "moving" to a new pot, determine if you transplanted the flower correctly. For transshipment, it is necessary to prepare a new pot in advance, pour a layer of expanded clay on the bottom (there should be drainage holes in the bottom), add earth on top (so much so that if you insert a lump with a “bougka” there, the root neck is at a distance of 2-3 cm from the top edge of the pot). After that, gently turn the pot of bougainvillea upside down, press on the walls and shake the plant with a light push into the other palm, holding the stem from below.

Tip: if the roots have sprouted through the drainage holes of the old pot, braided some materials like foam added by a negligent manufacturer, in no case try to untangle or tear them off. The task is to preserve the root mass as fully as possible in the form familiar to the plant.

If the plant was transplanted incorrectly, the root system was broken, then the leaves will begin to fall off. In this case, try holding it under the bag, especially when it comes to the handle. Insert sticks, such as skewers, along the edges of the rim of the pot, and put a transparent plastic bag on top of them. If there is no root nutrition, this will allow the plant not to die from dehydration, but to build up a new root mass. Every day, air out such a “greenhouse”, lifting the edge of the bag to avoid mold.

Is bougainvillea dead?

The fact that the plant sheds leaves can be influenced by a number of factors: transportation, a sharp change in temperature, the previous abundant flowering. The plant can voluntarily request to rest in autumn and winter. However, it happens that the bush looks completely lifeless, and fear involuntarily appears, or maybe there is no time left and urgent action needs to be taken.

In order to understand the plant still alive, or nothing will help it, it is enough to pick up a sharp knife or secateurs and cut off a small part of the dried twig. If the internal tissues of the branches have retained a juicy green color, there is no reason for concern and you can safely leave the "bug" alone, why the bougainvillea drops its leaves and so it is clear. If the wood is dry, blackened, there is little hope for salvation. Check out the rest of the branches. If there are no healthy tissues, remove the earthen ball from the pot, determine the condition of the root system by eye, remove rotten places, sprinkle with activated charcoal, transplant into new land, identify the plant under the package, you can water it with a weak solution of Kornevin.

By the way, if there are buds on the branches, then nothing from the above list needs to be done, your bougainvillea just decided to get some sleep before the next period of abundant flowering.

Bougainvillea belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family and is a prominent representative of ornamental plants. It has earned its popularity precisely because of the foliage, although it has a very long flowering. But her flowers are small and inconspicuous, they are completely lost against the background of amazing stipules of the most diverse colors. In addition, in some varieties of bougainvillea, the stipules are arranged in two rows, thus forming a kind of terry. For these reasons, they are often confused with inflorescences, especially by beginner growers.

It is believed that bougainvillea has a rather tolerable character, and it is not possible to grow it. special problems. However, these still periodically arise, since the flower, although not capricious, is very sensitive to the slightest changes in care.

Bougainvillea has shed its leaves

One of the most common troubles is leaf fall in bougainvillea. When you need to start worrying, and when you should just wait, the reasons for this phenomenon will be prompted.

The main reasons why bougainvillea sheds leaves can be:

• natural process;
• errors in the irrigation mode;
• permutations of the pot;
• lack of light and dry air;
• transplant consequences.

Fall as a natural process

If the leaf fall began with the arrival of autumn, and not in massive quantities, but gradually, you should not worry - this is how the plant prepares for a dormant period. It sheds old leaves to gain strength before the new season. The leaves in this case may pre-yellow.

Wrong watering

Violation of the watering regime also leads to the loss of foliage. Bougainvillea reacts especially sharply to a lack of moisture. If we allow the earthen clod to dry out completely, and even periodically, it is quite clear that, trying to survive, the bush will begin to throw off everything superfluous, in this case the foliage.

A similar situation can be in the case of a plant overflow, when the root system cannot cope with the abundant amount of moisture in the flowerpot and does not have time to absorb it.

The practice of experienced flower growers growing bougainvillea shows that leaf fall can also be in the case when the plant is first dried out and then watered abundantly.

Rearranging the pot

Bougainvillea does not tolerate frequent changes of residence at all. It is important to immediately choose a suitable place for her, so that later you do not have to rearrange the flower, because as a result, the touchy showers foliage.

The same phenomenon can also occur in the case when the flowerpot begins to twist in search of the sun, or to align the curved shoot. It is better to cut uneven and ugly twigs, but not to turn the pot.

Lack of light and dry air

Bougainvillea needs good lighting and can drop foliage in a dark place. In the same way, the flower reacts to too dry air in the room.

During the heating period and during the stay of the plant on the street (in summer), it needs regular spraying.

Adaptation period

Like most of the indoor plants, bougainvillea does not tolerate transplantation well. At first, after changing the usual pot, the bush may get sick and even crumble. To help him more easily endure the adaptation period, you can cover the pot with a plastic bag.

Video about the problems of growing bougainvillea indoors

Bougainvillea naked is a related plant for 18 species of bougainvillea of ​​the nyctagin family, growing wild in warm climates. South America. It is sometimes called Paper Flowers because of the thin, papery bracts. bougainvillea different types form bracts of pink, purple, violet, red, orange, white or yellow flowers. The plant got its name from the name of the French botanist Bougainville. IN room conditions the most commonly grown bougainvillea naked (Bougainvillea glabra).

Description of bougainvillea naked

This is a thorny climbing evergreen shrub that can grow from 1 m to 5 m in natural conditions. Bougainvillea naked - beautiful plant, which is grown because of the bright bracts that adorn the plant. For bougainvillea, a support is used, but it can grow like a small tree. Therefore, it is used for growing bonsai. The tree trunk has sharp thorns, on which dark wax is formed. The leaves are alternate, oval pointed in length from 4 cm or more with smooth edges. Flowers are formed small, usually white, surrounded by bright large crimson bracts. The fruits are narrow five-lobed achenes.

Bougainvillea care naked.

Bougainvillea naked is a tropical plant, so it needs a lot of light. If the plant does not get enough of it, then it stops flowering. IN summer time naked bougainvillea is best kept on the balcony. It needs at least 5 hours of direct sunlight. The soil for the plant needs fertile. It is desirable to make a mixture of sand, loam or soddy soil, silt or well-rotted manure in equal proportions. The soil must be permeable. It is not advisable to use peat, as it retains water. The acidity of the soil should be in the range of pH 5.5-6.5, that is, slightly acidic.

Annually, the plant is cut to 1/3 of the length of the shoots. This is done in order to maintain shape and stimulate the growth of shoots on which flowers form. Pruning naked bougainvillea produced after flowering or at the end of February. Sometimes during vegetative growth, you can pinch the shoots. This makes the bush more compact and denser. Naked bougainvillea is transplanted every spring, but small pots are chosen. In large pots, where there is a lot of room for roots, plants may not bloom well.

Bougainvillea is propagated naked by cuttings. In the spring, when the plant is in a dormant period, it is necessary to cut the lignified cuttings at a right angle. Then dip the ends of the cuttings into any rooting agent and plant in a mixture of peat, sand in a ratio of 1: 1 and put in a warm place (for example, on a warm radiator). It can also be propagated at any time of the year by cuttings, which are lowered into water and, after the roots appear, placed in a pot with prepared soil. You can also propagate by layering, sprinkling a branch with earth.

Growing temperature

The best temperature at which naked bougainvillea grows well and blooms profusely in the daytime is not lower than 18 C and above, reaching 28 C. At night, the temperature can drop to 15-17 C. During the dormant period, in autumn and winter, the temperature of keeping the plant with limited watering and average air humidity 10 25 C. At lower temperatures, the plant loses leaves.

Watering

IN summer period watering is carried out regularly. The soil must be moist. However, naked bougainvillea does not like stagnant water in the roots. Humidity can be maintained by spraying the plants when they are ready to bloom.

Water should not fall on the buds and flowers. In winter, reduce watering and keep the soil slightly moist.

Plant nutrition

During the flowering period, bougainvillea is fertilized with a complex fertilizer for indoor plants with half the indicated rate every 10 to 15 days. Too much fertilizer can cause the plant to shed its leaves.

However, the plant loves fertile soil.

Bougainvillea: how to grow a Brazilian vine with "paper" flowers at home

Therefore, every spring, a fertilizer consisting of potassium and nitrogen is applied to the soil. During dormancy, the plant is not fertilized.

With stunted growth and compacted soil in a pot, the plant is transplanted into a pot with good drainage.

No flowering

The reasons are excess water, lack of air circulation and light. Place the pot with bare bougainvillea in a bright place, check the soil moisture. If the soil is wet, let it dry out.

leaf fall

In winter, the air temperature is low. Put in a warmer place.

In summer, leaf fall is due to a lack of light. Put the plant in the sun.

Leaves and flowers dry up and fall off, leaving bracts.

The plant is hot and the air is too dry. Move to a cooler place, increase the humidity.

Young leaves grow small.

The reason is the lack of fertilizer. Fertilize with complex fertilizer.

The leaves are turning yellow

Excess water and stagnation of water in the roots. Reduce watering to a reasonable amount.

downy mildew

White spots on the leaves indicate a false powdery mildew. Place the plant in a location with better ventilation.

spider mite

The leaves turn yellow and fall off, on the lower surface of the leaves there is a cobweb. Usually occurs when the air is dry. It is necessary to increase the humidity of the air. In case of severe infection, treat with a systemic insecticide such as Aktellik or Aktara

worms

Yellow, variegated leaves, especially along the veins. This is a worm attack. In a small amount, you can fight with a soapy solution, which is used to wipe the infected areas. In case of severe infection, systemic insecticides are used, for example, Actellik, Bison (imidacloprid), Fufanon (malathion), etc.

With the right content, bougainvillea naked is resistant to diseases and pests.

In nature, spectacular bougainvilleas are large plants that feel at ease in the warm climate of South America. Success in growing this crop at home depends on knowing the characteristics of the plant and its preferences.

The main interest in bougainvillea is due to its flowering. But not everyone knows that the white, purple, yellow and pink clusters at the ends of the shoots are not flowers, but modified leaves or bracts surrounding the very modest, almost imperceptible true flowers of the plant. Near each yellowish-white corolla there are three heart-shaped bracts up to 6 cm long.

If the grower notices that his pet bougainvillea is losing leaves at home, or bright bracts are falling off the plant, most often the cause of the problem is a change in the conditions of detention.

Video: How to grow a beautiful red single crystal at home?

A change in state can be triggered by:

• transferring the plant from the open air, where it was in the warm season, to the apartment;
• relocation of a flower from a store to a house;
• seasonal change in temperature and humidity conditions in the apartment.

Usually, under other growing conditions, bougainvillea quickly acclimatizes and re-covers with foliage, gives new multi-colored brushes.

But in some cases, the problem is not solved by itself, and bougainvillea requires increased attention from the grower.

Why does bougainvillea shed its leaves?

In addition to changing location, drafts become the reason for the deterioration of the well-being of room culture.

Falling leaves of bougainvillea and other problems in plant care

Bougainvillea reacts sharply to the movement of cold air jets. This applies to:

• wind blowing on a flower located in the garden, on the balcony or on the loggia in the summer;
• situations when bougainvillea at home is at an open window or under a transom.

Transferring the pot to another window, as well as turning the container with the plant preparing for flowering, is also capable of pushing the leaves to drop.

No less dangerous for bougainvillea is a violation of the irrigation regime.

It is important to remember that warm weather and an active vegetation process require maintaining constant soil moisture. The drying up of the root system and its flood are equally dangerous, when moisture stagnates in the pan and the soil inside the pot.

Since bougainvilleas at this time need less moisture, then watering in winter is more sparing and rare. If the plant is regularly flooded, answer the question: “How much at does the bougainvillea shed its leaves?” very simple. The root system does not have time to absorb incoming moisture, metabolic processes are disturbed. The result is yellowing and wilting foliage on a newly green plant.

Bougainvillea belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family and is a prominent representative of ornamental plants. It has earned its popularity precisely because of the foliage, although it has a very long flowering. But her flowers are small and inconspicuous, they are completely lost against the background of amazing stipules of the most diverse colors. In addition, some stipules are arranged in two rows, thus forming a kind of terry. For these reasons, they are often confused with inflorescences, especially by beginner growers.

It is believed that bougainvillea has a fairly tolerable character, and growing it does not present any particular problems. However, these still periodically arise, since the flower, although not capricious, is very sensitive to the slightest changes in care. One of the most common troubles is leaf fall in bougainvillea. When you need to start worrying, and when you should just wait, the reasons for this phenomenon will be prompted.

The main reasons why bougainvillea sheds leaves can be:

• natural process;
• errors in the irrigation mode;
• permutations of the pot;
• lack of light and dry air;
• transplant consequences.

Fall as a natural process

If the leaf fall began with the advent of autumn, and not in massive quantities, but gradually, you should not worry - this is how the plant prepares for a dormant period. It sheds old leaves to gain strength before the new season. The leaves in this case may pre-yellow.

Wrong watering

Violation of the watering regime also leads to the loss of foliage. Bougainvillea reacts especially sharply to a lack of moisture. If we allow the earthen clod to dry out completely, and even periodically, it is quite clear that, trying to survive, the bush will begin to throw off everything superfluous, in this case the foliage.

A similar situation can be in the case of a plant overflow, when the root system cannot cope with the abundant amount of moisture in the flowerpot and does not have time to absorb it.

The practice of experienced flower growers growing bougainvillea shows that leaf fall can also be in the case when the plant is first dried out and then watered abundantly.

Rearranging the pot

Does not tolerate frequent change of residence. It is important to immediately choose a suitable place for her, so that later you do not have to rearrange the flower, because as a result, the touchy showers foliage.

The same phenomenon can also occur in the case when the flowerpot begins to twist in search of the sun, or to align the curved shoot. It is better to cut uneven and ugly twigs, but not to turn the pot.

Lack of light and dry air

Bougainvillea needs good lighting and can drop foliage in a dark place. In the same way, the flower reacts to too dry air in the room.

During the heating period and during the stay of the plant on the street (in summer), it needs regular spraying.

Adaptation period

Like most houseplants, bougainvillea does not tolerate transplanting well. At first, after changing the usual pot, the bush may get sick and even crumble. To help him more easily endure the adaptation period, you can cover the pot with a plastic bag.

Video about the problems of growing bougainvillea indoors