Plants with bright colors in their flowers or leaves are a point of attention in gardens around the world, there are many species that have this characteristic and one of them is the Santa Rita plant. This article will describe this species, how it reproduces, its cultivation, its care, its pests, diseases and how to treat them.
Santa Rita Plant
The Santa Rita plant of one of the species of the genus Bougainvillea, A genus is a level of classification with which the species of the organisms are organized. kingdoms of living beings, this specifically contains 18 officially accepted species and others that are still under observation, this because it must be determined if it is a species or if it is a variety that has different characteristics.
Bougainvillea are quite similar plants, which can be shrubs or can be trees that do not manage to reach great heights. Many of them are perennial, others are deciduous, in fact the same species can be a perennial plant or a deciduous plant depending on the climate of the place where it is found. Some of them also have medicinal properties, although the Santa Rita plant does not have specific substances to be used in this way.
The protagonist species of this article is known as Santa Rita plant or Santa Rita Bougainvillea depending on the place where it is found, this name is given in Argentina, Bolivia and also in Uruguay. While other species of the same genus with which it is confused have names such as paper, veranera or trinitaria.
This plant is well known for its abundant flowering that gives quite striking flowers due to their bright colors, in addition to that it can be found in various places because it adapts very well to various environments and its care is not too demanding.
There is a little confusion with this plant because there is another species that is also called the Santa Rita plant, but it belongs to the family rubiaceae, this species in question is also known as Isoca or Ixoca. This article focuses on the Santa Rita or bougainvillea plant. Both species have a bloom of fuchsia, orange or with red tones.
The Santa Rita that belongs to the family rubiaceae It is also a bush that has a fairly abundant flowering, it comes from Asia and is also well known for its striking flowers, in addition to that its cultivation is not too demanding and it is very common in various gardens.
It can reach a meter in height and even triple its size in exceptional cases of varieties that have been in spaces with favorable conditions for it. The flowers of this species can be white, yellow or orange, although there are varieties with other colors, the Saint Rita flower it grows in clusters that simulate that the plant has balls of flowers. As for the leaves, these are green and can measure up to ten centimeters.
Features
We can see some characteristics that describe the Santa Rita plant in the following list:
- This species is not a Tree but a flowering shrub, which can also grow as a climber and reach a height of up to 1 meter. Everything will depend on the pruning with which its growth is controlled or if it will be allowed to grow without cutting it.
- Its stem is woody and because it grows in tropical or subtropical areas, that is why they are quite resistant to hot climates and also to low temperatures, although they acquire this resistance as they grow, when they are very young they do not resist very well climates too cold.
- Its flowering is singing spring is coming to an end and when autumn is about to begin, forming flowers that can be white, orange, fuchsia, red and there are varieties that produce purple or yellow. These are small flowers with quite vivid colors.
- The leaves of this plant look like hearts and can completely detach from the branches depending on the climate of the environment in which they are found, if the conditions are favorable they can be perennial.
- The Santa Rita plant can be reproduced by means of cuttings, with layers or grafts.
Reproduction
The reproduction of the Santa Rita plant should be done with the help of a specialist because its reproduction through cuttings it is quite complicated. In any case, these cuttings should be kept for at least two months in a place where the temperature is approximately 24 °C, where there is not too much lighting and sufficient humidity. Specialists use heating boxes for this.
reproduction through elbows it can be done while spring is in progress or in the summer. The layer can be planted in a pot with a rich and well-drained substrate, but first a small cut must be made in the lower part of the layer (only if its size is woody) so that the shoots can emerge more quickly and without trouble.
After planting it, its soil should be kept with sufficient moisture, especially while summer is underway. It will be necessary to ensure that the layer remains buried because roots can dig it up, expose it and weaken it.
The air elbows They are also a good option to reproduce this plant, although the process will not be as fast as with the previous options. The ideal time to do this is still during the spring or during the summer. The first step for this is to choose a straight stem that is long enough to remove at least 10 centimeters.
The leaves should be removed from that cut part and two not very deep cuts should be made in its bark, these should be approximately one centimeter apart so that the bark can be removed from there and not be removed with too much thread. fine.
After that, this entire stem should be covered with a dark bag, after which soil mixed with humus and previously moistened will be thrown into that bag. The next step will be to close the bag at the top, leaving a small part of the elbow outside.
It will be necessary to water this land at least throughout the summer constantly so that you can see how the shoots emerge, however, care must be taken that the bag does not become waterlogged. Already by the beginning or middle of the autumn season it will be possible to see the roots and plant it in a pot or in the garden.
As to transplant It is not recommended to do this species, but it is strictly necessary to move it, because its roots are a bit fragile and it could not resist this transplant and die. In this sense, it will be necessary to do it very carefully if it has to be moved and it is recommended to do it when spring is about to end.
When the plant has been moved to another pot or to another place in the garden, it is recommended to remove only a few good-sized leaves, in addition to that, the ideal place for it to be after it is transplanted is a semi-shaded place. If it has resisted the transplant well, it should be moved from that place to one with more lighting and where the sun reaches it directly.
Cultivation
The Santa Rita plant can be grown both outdoors and in a pot, the important thing is to wait until spring is almost over to plant, since this is the ideal time to do it. If you want to plant in the Exterior It will be necessary to prepare the land with a little humus or mulch. It is recommended to choose a location where it has support to grow normally.
If you want to plant that species in a flower pot You must choose a soil with good drainage and rich in nutrients so that it can survive, in addition to that this pot must be large because this plant spreads considerably, so its roots will need depth to grow well.
It is recommended to place a layer of gravel below before filling the container with the chosen soil. A stake should also be placed so that the plant can spread.
Basic care
The following specifications can be very useful to ensure that it grows very healthy, although this is not a very demanding species.
Lighting and temperature
The Santa Rita plant needs to be in a place with enough lighting so that sunlight can constantly reach it. Not like others Flowering shrubs this species has a little more resistance to air currents than is believed, but for this reason it is not recommended to place it in places where very strong winds arrive, you should only choose a place with sufficient ventilation so that it can grow healthily .
In terms of temperature, this species resists very well those that are between 16 and 30 degrees and can survive cold climates, although in regions where there are dry and very cold seasons, this plant can lose all its leaves.
Land and subscriber
Regarding the ideal soil for this species, we can say that it is one that has good drainage and has a good percentage of humus, as indicated above. Now, when the plant is planted outside, it is recommended to tie the branches while they are spreading, especially if the plant is in a place where there are drafts (because its branches break easily).
The subscriber can be at the same time that it is watered, but only once a month, the ideal fertilizer is the one that is organic and that has iron so that the colors are much more vivid.
Irrigation
As for watering, this should be frequent at least when it is growing (for approximately two years), when it is already a mature plant, the frequency with which it is watered can be reduced, but it should always be watered constantly during the summer. When the plant is planted in a pot, it is recommended to water only when the soil has dried and always avoid making a puddle.
Pruning
If the Santa Rita plant has been planted outdoors, it is recommended to prune them only after the cold weather has passed, so that it has an ideal warm environment to have strength and not be weakened by cuts.
It is recommended to prune it with your fingers at the beginning to remove the small branches that grew more than other branches have done, for this if you want you can choose the shape you want the plant to have. If you want to keep a shape, the plant will be cut with pruning shears. If you want to control the size, you should also cut the new shoots.
If, on the other hand, the plant has been planted in a pot, it is recommended to prune it every time the flowering ends, that is, annually and at the beginning of winter. So that new branches can be seen the following year, flowering is more abundant and the plant grows stronger.
In the case of the plant Santa Rita in pot it should be expected to grow for at least two years before starting its pruning, when it starts, the stems on the sides should be cut by a little more than five centimeters, this to maintain the bush shape it had at the beginning and ensure that don't spread too far out of the pot.
When the summer season arrives, it is recommended to do another pruning, this will focus on removing the tips of the new stems, especially those that did not give flowers that year (the cuts should be lateral). Following this, branches that are diseased, dry or do not look very healthy should be removed, taking care not to cut the new branches from last year, since it will be their turn to bloom later.
Plagues and diseases
This species can be affected by red spiders or aphids, mealybugs can also affect it. In this case it is recommended to use an insecticide in the lower part of the plant.
In addition to the pests mentioned, this plant can suddenly stop growing if the soil in which it was planted has become too compact, for this it is recommended to change the entire substrate and place a new one with better drainage. In the event that it does not flower, it may be that it has been sown excessively or that it does not receive enough light, for this the risks must be reduced and the location changed. Regarding the leaves:
- If its leaves show a yellow color, it is possible that the water is also excessive, for this you can reduce the irrigation or change the soil for one with better drainage.
- If the leaves of the Santa Rita plant seem to be very small, you can opt for a fertilizer.
- If its leaves have white spots, it will also have been watered too much or the plant is not receiving enough air to ventilate, in this case it is recommended to move it to another place where it can receive more air and its leaves should be cut.
- If its leaves begin to dry like its flowers, it is possible that the plant is not resisting high temperatures very well, for this it can be watered more frequently and it can be protected from sunlight for a while. If this happens more than once, the ideal would be to move it to a place where it has a little more shade.