The bougainvillea is one of the climbing plants that is best adapted to living in a container. On this occasion we are going to talk to you about how to get it to grow well in a planter, be it made of work, plastic or another material.
So, without further ado, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about having bougainvillea in a planter; namely, how do you take care of it, when to water it, etc.
How big should the planter be?
Before planting the bougainvillea in a window box, we have to see if it is the right size for the plant. And it is that if we put it, for example, in one that is too big, we could run the risk of drowning it, because it would have a lot of humid soil and for a long time in contact with its roots.
For this reason, and given that excess water or humidity is a very serious problem that plants have a hard time overcoming, what we are going to do is plant the bougainvillea in a suitable planter for it. And what will that be? well to know we will have to see how big its root ball or soil bread is: if it measures, let's assume, about ten centimeters high and wide, the planter should measure no more than twice that.
In fact, if the plant is very small, with a height of less than half a meter, it is much more advisable to keep it in a pot until its height is at least one meter, because that will be when we can guide it to where we are interested. .
What substrate or soil should be put?
La bougainvillea is a plant that, As it is not too demanding, we can put it, for example, universal substrate. Now, it is important that it be of a certain quality; that is, it must be light and spongy in texture. I recommend buying one that is from a well-known and popular brand, such as the one from Flower. Thus, we will get the roots to grow well, and therefore the plant develops completely normally.
In any case, you have to know that as an alternative to the universal substrate we can put coconut fiber (on sale here). This is very cheap and, although it does not have many nutrients, it does have other qualities that make it a highly recommended substrate. For example, it allows the roots to be well aerated, absorbs and filters water quickly, and also stays moist for a long time. You have more information in our video:
How to care for bougainvillea in a window box?
The care that we will give it will be the same as if it were in a pot. But do not worry, if you have doubts, we will explain what they are below:
Irrigation
To the bougainvillea it is necessary to try to water it regularly. It is a plant that as soon as the earth dries up completely, it begins to lose leaves. For this reason, it is important to avoid going to that extreme, and water it an average of twice a week in summer (or more if it is very hot and we see that the earth is very, very dry), and less during the rest of the year.
Subscriber
So that it grows well and does not lack anything, We will fertilize it in spring and in summer with fertilizers or liquid fertilizers. For example, we can add guano, or a universal fertilizer. Of course, we can also add slow-release fertilizers from time to time, such as manure from herbivorous animals or worm humus; but I insist: from time to time, once every two months or that, since since they take much longer to decompose, the bougainvillea has more time to absorb those nutrients.
Also, another thing that we can never forget is that do not mix fertilizers or fertilizers, otherwise the risk of an overdose occurring is very high.
Pruning
When should bougainvillea be pruned? Well, when you have too long branches or a messy look. We will do it in autumn, and only if there are no frosts or they are very weak. (up to -2ºC); otherwise, it will be done in spring.
The way to proceed will be simply this: we will have to eliminate what is dry, and cut those stems that have grown excessively. And we will do it with anvil pruning shears, or with a hand saw if the stem to be pruned is more than one centimeter thick.
tutor/guide
In the event that we are interested in having a bougainvillea as a climber, we will have to help her a bit by putting a tutor on her and tying her to it. It is important that this tutor or guide is made of some material that is resistant to both rain, sun, etc., and also to the weight of the plant itself. That is why the use of steel tutors that are covered by a rubber is interesting.
It should be put when the bougainvillea measures at least half a meter, since otherwise their stems will look dangling since they cannot climb on their own since they do not have tendrils.
So, as you can see, it is very easy to care for a bougainvillea in a window box.