If you want a bougganville full of flowers and explosive colors in the summer, the secret lies all in fertilization … made at the right time and in the right way. It seems trivial, but very little is enough to make it explode with beauty, or … to make it stay there, with four sad leaflets and zero flowers. Have you ever passed there too?
The truth is that the Bougainville is not difficult to cultivatebut it needs a push, especially now that you are awakening. Spring is his moment: he comes out of winter torpor and slowly begins to prepare for the great summer show. If you give them what you need orashe will thank you in June with a cascade of colors. And I really say: a whole wall that is tinged with fuchsia, orange, white or purple. A wonder.
They will tell you that the sun is enough. Which is a rustic plant. Yes, but do you want to settle for “surviving” or aiming at a flowering that makes people turn on the street? I, when I understood it, I saw it flourish even twice a year. But until a few years ago, nothing: leaves, branches … and a single flower. I took it on the staff.
In this article I will tell you everything I learned on the field (and on the balcony): when fertilize the bougganville, which fertilizer to use and how to apply it without stressing it. Because yes, she too is stressed. And no, he doesn’t like excessive pampering. Let’s discover together the tricks (the real ones) to make it bloom like never before.
The right time to act is now
If you are wondering When fertilizing bougainvilleathe answer is simple: right away. March and April are the golden months, those in which the plant begins to throw new sprouts and activate the roots. To fertilize it now means giving it the right energy to develop quickly and strongly. And I don’t speak only of flowering: it is all the ecosystem of the that changes, strengthens and becomes more reactive.
In summer then the operation can be repeated, but without exaggerating. A second light fertilization, perhaps in June, can help maintain the push. But if you did the work well in the spring, it is likely that it does not even serve.
Ah, an important thing: No fertilizer in winter. At that time the Bouganville sleeps. If insists, you just risk burning the roots or making it “crazy” at the wrong time.
The perfect fertilizer for the bougainville? It depends on how you want to see it bloom
Here are many schools of thought, but I tell you mine: for bougainville you don’t need to overflow, just choose a slow granular fertilizerbetter if balanced and with a good share of phosphorus and potassium.
It can be used A classic 10-10-10 or, if you want to give an extra push to flowering, go its 5-10-5. The first number is nitrogen (N), which serves for the leaves and branches; The second is phosphorus (P), fundamental for the roots and flowers; The third is potassium (K), which helps the plant to resist and keep strong. Here are some practical advice that I always use:
- Distribute the fertilizer away from the central trunkperhaps along the edges of the vase or at the foot of the plant, if it is in the ground.
- A handful is more than enough: Better and constant, than so much and stressful.
- Well well immediately afterso the fertilizer melts and arrives deep.
Sometimes I also use specific liquid fertilizers for flower plants, but only as “boost“Temporary. Like when you see that flowering is about to start and you want to give it an extra charge. Like a double coffee before an exam, in short.
Instead, avoid the fertilizers too rich in nitrogen: you risk obtaining only a lot of leaves and zero flowers. And believe me, I fell there too.
Errors to avoid (which I have already done, so you don’t have to)
One of my first mistakes? Think that more fertilizer = more flowers. Nothing more false. There Bouganville cannot stand the excesses. Too fertilizing and blocks, gets angry, makes a whims. It’s a bit diva, let’s face it.
Then there is the mistake of fertilize when it’s still cold: If under 15 degrees, the plant does not absorb anything. You just are wasting time (and money).
Last dispassionate advice: do not forget the sole. You can give it the best fertilizer in the world, but if it does not take at least 5-6 hours of direct light a day, those flowers will never arrive. The fertilizer helps, but does not make miracles. The perfect coupled is needed: sun + nourishment.
In short, if you want one Bouganville Coveryou don’t have to be an expert gardener. Just know it a little, understand what it needs … and act at the right time. And trust me: when you see her overflowing with flowers, you will forget about all the times you have made a mistake. I did it, and now I can no longer do without it.
Photo © Stock.adobe
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