Plant diseases are certainly one of the most unpleasant chapters for every gardener - especially with such beautiful flowering wonders as the bougainvillea. You can find out in the following article which health risks you have to reckon with.
Lice are very fond of bougainvillea
Basically no major risk of illness
Even if the bougainvillea is generally considered to be a plant that requires a lot of care and is only suitable for beginners to a limited extent, the difficulties in cultivating it are not related to diseases. The bougainvillea owner has much more to do with the fine tuning of their location requirements, which require a lot of sunlight and warmth. According to the subtropical origin of the Bougainvillea, the watering practice also requires a little effort in order to avoid both dryness and waterlogging. Nevertheless, the bougainvillea is not completely immune to diseases.
To note in general:
- Main topic with the bougainvillea: right site conditions with lots of light and warmth
- Watering practice also important for plant health
- Diseases rather secondary topic
What diseases can occur?
If the bougainvillea shows unhealthy symptoms such as yellow or brown-edged leaves, massive loss of foliage or flowers or tough leaf development, diseases can still be the cause.
scale insects or mites
These pests are a problem for many potted plants and appear again and again. If your bougainvillea has caught the annoying parasites, there can be several reasons. Basically, it will simply be weakened by a lack of water or prolonged periods of heat. But a lack of food can also make them more susceptible to the infestation. So always make sure you have enough water in advance, enough light and avoid roasting in a closed conservatory in hot summer periods.
mildew
Sometimes the bougainvillea can also get powdery mildew. In this case, too much water is usually the cause. Basically, the southern plant simply does not tolerate waterlogging at all. So avoid that water stays longer in the saucer and the bougainvillea has wet feet for too long.
What you can do
In the event of an infestation with parasites such as scale insects or spider mites, you can use a universal pesticide. However, do not spray the bougainvillea with it, the leaves and flowers do not tolerate it well. Instead, add the remedy to the irrigation water. In the case of powdery mildew, you should act as early as possible and remove the parts of the plant affected by the fungus. However, prevention is the best medicine here.