How to Keep Bougainvillea from Freezing in Winter
A knowledge article about how to keep bougainvillea from freezing during winter, with specific details as follows:
How to Keep Bougainvillea from Freezing in Winter
To keep bougainvillea from freezing during winter, it is essential to focus on keeping them warm and protected. Bougainvillea is a plant that is extremely sensitive to cold, so it is crucial to ensure a warm environment for them during winter, and to keep them in a sheltered spot away from the wind. If temperatures drop below 5 degrees Celsius, it is necessary to completely stop watering and prune the bougainvillea, and the amount of fertilizer should also be adjusted.
Winter Management of Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea does not tolerate cold well; maintaining a temperature of around 12℃ in winter prevents them from shedding leaves. If placed outdoors in temperatures below 0℃, the plant will freeze to death. In snowy conditions, it is imperative to bring them indoors early.
Therefore, bougainvillea cannot survive outdoors in the winter in the north. If you want to keep them safe during winter, the temperature should be maintained around 5℃. Since there are so many considerations for keeping bougainvillea alive during winter, how should we care for and manage them to prevent freezing?
Pay Attention to Temperature
Firstly, we need to pay attention to the low temperatures in the north. If you do not control the temperature well, it can lead to frostbite in the bougainvillea. After freezing, the plant may become bare, which can affect its growth in the following year.
So, when temperatures drop to 5℃, it should be moved indoors, and the indoor temperature should not be lower than 15℃. You should wait until the following year when temperatures rise and outdoor temperatures reach 15 to 20℃ before moving the bougainvillea outdoors for care.
Freeze Prevention and Warmth
1. Wrap Plastic Film on the Trunk
After the bougainvillea has shed all its leaves, you can wrap the main stem and branches with a thick plastic film, leaving the weaker branches exposed to the cold. It's best to use bubble wrap like that used for shipping packages, as it is thick, soft, and easy to wrap and unwrap.
2. Wrap with Clothing or Blankets
Gather the branches of the bougainvillea to the center with a rope and then wrap the plant with old clothes or unused blankets from the outside.
During the winter, vendors who ship plants also wrap them with thermal blankets to ensure they do not freeze during transit. Therefore, wrapping bougainvillea in clothing or blankets is also a feasible method for frost prevention.
Light and Ventilation
We need to consider the lighting for bougainvillea in winter, as well as the plant's ventilation! Because during winter, we usually do not open the windows for ventilation at home.
If this situation persists for a long time, it can lead to a very poor ventilation environment and also cause the bougainvillea to grow poorly. Therefore, we must frequently open the windows for ventilation.
Another point is that during care, we must pay attention to sunlight exposure. Providing more sunlight to the bougainvillea can give it more synthesized nutrients, which is very beneficial for its survival during winter.
Control Watering and Fertilizing
In winter, bougainvillea grows relatively slowly as it enters a dormant period, so it does not require as much water and nutrients as it does in spring, summer, and autumn. Therefore, we need to control the amount of watering and fertilizing during this season.
We can water the bougainvillea appropriately, but during this process, we must stop fertilizing it. Let the bougainvillea rely on the nutrients in the soil to sustain its life. This is to prevent too much water and fertilizer, as excessive watering and fertilizing can damage the roots.
The above is a detailed introduction to how to keep bougainvillea from freezing during winter. Have you understood?