I get so many requests for this, that I shall post the latest querie here, for future reference.
from Jenni:
Hi, I just wanted to say that I loved your web site...Love the pictures of flowers....I was wondering if you could send me some information on how to take care of Boganvillas..I bought a hanging basket Boganvilla and I wanted to know how to take care of it.... Thanks, Jenni
My Reply:
Thanks Jenni,
The first time I ever saw Bougainvilleas, was in the Caribbean, growing in the ground, where they grow huge enough to cover entire houses with bloom!
Being a freeze-tender plant, I have kept one in a pot for many years to keep its growth contained and give it winter protection, here in Texas.
They can live in full sun to part-day sun, but the more sun it gets, the more watering it will require. Water regularly, with good drainage but allow soil to approach dry between waterings in summer growth season. Any pot plant needs supplemental feeding, but be careful not to give too much nitrogen as it will make more green than flowers.
Since Bougainvilleas are native to the tropics, they must be taken under cover for the winter, but dry central heating-air makes them lose their leaves all over the house. I give mine a severe pruning in late fall and take it into un-heated greenhouse before first frost. Mature boogies grow dagger-like thorns, so the pruning also helps keep down that problem.
In our climate, we often have multiple days of over 100* temps. With morning waterings, the soil still drys out by evening, which it likes. But when you can't seem to keep it watered well enough in the summer to prevent leaf-damaging dehydration, it has probably become root-bound and needs moving into a larger pot. My winter pruning has stopped the need for increasing the pot size every year. Otherwise, it would be living in a car-sized pot by now ;-) Yet, being somewhat rootbound helps instigate a new bloom cycle. It is safe to prune after a flush of bloom because the pruning instigates new stem growths that will produce the next flush of bloom.
Before I had a little green house, I put mine in the garage near a bright window. A frost-free garage makes a good winter home for them in our climate. The growth rate will slow down in the cool temps, so be sure to let the soil stay almost-dry until March, then water well, and feed with liquid plant food. Move it back outside, long after your zone's last freeze date for another summer of blooms!
Hope you enjoy,
Maggie
Hello. I am not sure if I am watering my bougainvillea too much or not enough. The weather has been hot around 90 degrees for over three weeks. The plants are in hanging baskets in the orginal pot which I placed in a hanging coconut basket. They get morning to early afternoon sun. I have been watering each plant approx 25 ounces of water each day. The plants have dropped most of their blooms but the leaves are doing great. The plants stay moist and do not dry out per the instructions from the nursery where I got them. Do you think I am watering them too much? Also, how do I prune? I need idiot proof instructions because I don't understand what it means to pinch the ends. Do I pinch the bloom or the leaf? How do I know where to break the branch off? The nursery said the plants bloom continuously but I read they bloom every 4 weeks. Help! I want to get my beautiful bougainvillea back! ~Susan
Hello Susan, Sorry I seemed to have missed your post earlier. Retailers stock the plants when they are in full bloom in spring and fall and it is so sad when the color finishes.
So many printed sources will claim a plant blooms all summer. But, that is one of those darned sales pitches that shows up far too often. Many times the claim should be defined with ‘in between resting spells’ or say ‘several bloom flushes occur throughout the growing season’. In the case of bogies, I think they are referring to the fact that the spring (or early summer) bloom flush will last for many weeks – appearing as tho it is making new blooms all summer or such.
Some new bougainvillea varieties will bloom more often than the usual spring and fall flush, esp when planted in the ground in their native tropics. But in pots, two bloom cycles are more the case. I’ve never known one to bloom every four weeks. If you get yours to do that, I want cuttings!
The bloom drop could be from two causes. Either it had finished its spring bloom cycle and was just throwing off finished blooms or it could have been objecting to the amount of water it was getting. The 25 ounces daily sounds like more than it may have needed when the temps are below 100, but I don’t know the size of the pot or the contents of the soil mix. But as long as it drains well, and gets enough sun, it shouldn’t have been a problem.
You don’t need to pinch off the stem tips unless it is too overgrown for the required space. I only do that when taking the largest, over-grown ones under shelter for the winter.
Click Here for a more recent article of mine than the above entries. It opens with winter care, but also contains more details.
Notice the little white discs in the center of each bloom in the pic of above linked page. Those are the actual flowers – the colored bits are ‘bracts’; fancy leaves to lure pollinators. When bloom declines due to natural causes, the white flowers fall off first, followed much later by the colored bracts. If they all go at once, it may indicate an unhappy cultivation.
The variegated one pictured at the bottom of the page is famous for being difficult to bring to bloom in pots. I don’t fuss over it and just let it bloom when it feels like it – the foliage is pretty even without its pale pink flowers.
If you just bought yours this spring, it has been loaded with fertilizer by the grower. I would suggest watering it with plain water to let it rest for a while, then giving it a foliage feed of liquid seaweed/fish solution every week or two during July and August, and/or give it a topping of garden compost or composted manure in July. Then hit it with your fav rose food in late August/early Sept, to instigate the fall bloom.
It may sound complicated at first, but when you recognize a connection between the calendar and their bloom and rest cycles, its just the same as gardening according to the seasons.
Thank you for your help! I am so mad! I wanted a lot of flowers all summer long because I have too much greenery and need color! Looks like I got suckered! I was so proud of my plants too! They are beautiful and I will follow your instructions for the feeding! Have a great day!
Hi Maggie,
I live in Southern California and have a planter along the side of my house that gets aproximately 30-40 minutes of sun starting around 9:30 am. The area around the planter gets plenty of sun, but the planter itself is shaded most all of the day. I love Bougainvillea and decided to take the chance, knowing they might not make it. I planted 5 Southern Rose plants and am having mixed results. 3 seem to be doing ok. One is mostly ok with the exception of an area in the middle of the plant where the leaves are wilting. The last, getting the least amount of sun, is not doing well at all. All the leaves on the plant are wilting. The wilting leaves are lighter green than the healthy leaves. I think I have over-watered them, and because they are getting very little sun (especially now with June gloom) the soil is not drying out. I used a liquid fertilizer which did seem to darken up the leaves a bit. The plants are growing very slowly, but are producing some blooms. Also, there is a little white on the ends of the leaves on all of the plants. Can you help my save my plants? - Jill
The white coating is probably powdery mildew, which occurs when the plant is stressed. Lack of good air circulation or enough light are usual the culprits. Most roses require 6 hours of direct to prosper.
Judging by the other growth irregularities you describe, I suspect they may also be suffering from lack of good soil drainage, which deprives the roots of oxygen. If you decide that any or all of these problems exist, it would be best to find a better-suited plant than roses for the site. If you are wanting summer-long bursts of rosy blooms, the rose of Sharon shrubs aka Althaea (its scientific name is Hibiscus syriacus) can take indirect light, less air motion and will tolerate slow drainage better than roses. There are many varieties to choose from; singles and doubles in wide range of rosy colors as well as white. You can let the long branches grow without grooming to fountain down with the weight of blooms or clip them as hedges or hummocks or even train young installments as single-trunk small trees by clipping off the lowest side shoots.
Hi Maggie,
Thank you so much for the information. I should have been clearer in stating that my plants are Bougainvillea (the Southern Rose variety). I'm guessing your advice would be the same for the Bougainvillea as well. I LOVE your suggestion for the Hibiscus syriacus and would have never thought to put it in that area! It would be so beautiful there. Thank you so much for giving me a great alternative if the Bougainvillea don't make it! - Jill
And there I was thinking you were sneaking a rose querry in on the bouggie thread 
Sorry I read you wrong, but am glad you like the althea idea. I just love the thought of a long row of treelet-trained ones against a wall. You can buy inexpensive 1 or 3 gal pots of it and train them yourself instead of paying $50-100 for the matured standards. I have even trained standards up from self-sown seedlings. They grow so fast that it is worth the effort. Best wishes Jill,
Maggie
Hi, I received a cutting of a boganvilla and I was wondering if this could be planted? If so, what needs to be done? Thanks!
Regina
Here’s some advice drawn from commercial grower techniques for warm climate production and some home-growing tips.
It roots best from semi-hardwood cuttings that are 5-9 nodes in length. Take softwood cuttings if you are propagating when night temperatures are above 55*; hardwood cuttings when night temperatures are below 55*F. Bottom heat will speed rooting in cool seasons.
Remove leaves from all portions of the stem that will be covered by the growing medium. Coat the stem with rooting hormone powder such as Rootone to deter rot.
To root one piece at home, fill a clay pot with a light potting soil or fluffy growing medium. Push hole into the moist medium with a pencil to the planting depth, which should be at least one half the length of the cutting. Lightly tamp the soil around the stem with the eraser end of the pencil.
High humidity must be maintained around the plants at all times; cuttings must never be allowed to wilt. Commercial growers instigate root growth in 6-12 weeks with intermittent, automatically-timed overhead mist systems. Home growers can create a mini greenhouse environ by topping a planted cutting with a plastic milk or coke bottle – the bottom cut off and the lid removed. Place in a shaded site protected from wind. When transplanting the rooted cutting, be very gentle to not break the fragile fine roots.
Best of luck Regina. If this first attempt doesn't succeed, take several cuttings in the fall and try again. Spring and fall are the best times to attempt stem rooting in hot climes.
Hi- I live in Bangkok. Thailand where bougaivillea abound. What I'm trying to do though, I've only seen once. Basically I have about 40 plants (10" pots) on the balcony above the open garage. I want to force them to drape through the ballesters under the handrail and down about 5-6 feet. My strategy has been: to slightly confine the roots, but not get them bound. Then I've been watering adequately- actually twice a day as these plant get 12hrs of unobstructed tropical sun every day and present temperatures are in the mid-90s every day. Believe it or not the soil is dry by evening when i go to water a second time- and about half the plants have that slightly wilted look.
I'd like to get the plant to focus its growth on leaves and branches for now, to get the long drape effect, then i'll cut water back and get the flowers.
Anyway, that's my plan based on lots of informal info handed to me by local gardeners. Does this approach seem fundamentally sound?
Thanks
Hi Mike, glad to hear from you.
As my boogies matured, they too would wilt during our hot summer weather, due to being pot bound. Moving them to dappled shade decreased the water need, but I realize that is not an option for you. My next solution was to give them more root space. After re-potting, they stabilized with prunings between bloom spells. The prunings induce new tip growths – that produce the next blooms.
Repotting forty plants is a big project, but then so is watering all of them twice a day. Gosh!
You have two choices: moving them into larger pots or consider adding polymer crystals to the present pots soil – if you repot, also add polymers to the new soil mix. It retains an enormous amount of water without water-logging the roots, yet the roots take from the material as they need it. Since you do not want to prune yours for a very long time, the re-potting and/or using polymer material might be the solution you are looking for.
Your hanging garden scheme will be fabulous. It makes me think of the terrace gardens in Paris and New Orleans. Send me a pic when your balcony becomes a waterfall of blossoms!
My bougainvillea's have not bloomed again since I bought them. I repotted them, about 2 years ago, the leaves abound a beautiful green but rarely do I get flowers. I have tried not watering them untl the leaves droop assuming that I overwater but that has not helped either. I live in East Texas and they reside on the patio with indirect sulight most of the day. Do I need to put some type of fertilizer or bllodmeal on them?
Yes - they are probably hungry. I use the same things on my bougies as I do the rose bushes. Phosphate is important ingredient in bloom production.
Begin feeding it now with your choice of rose food to the soil and spray the foliage weekly or so with a liquid food to help pull it into bloom this year.
Here is the full page on keeping potted bougainvilleas growing and blooming.
I live in Oklahoma in apartments. I really don't have much of a green thumb but I first saw bouggies in the carribean and fell in love with them. Anyway I have two potted plants and have moved them into the garage but I havn't pruned them and the only light my garage gets is when the garage door is open. Do you think they'll do ok or should I be labeled a bouggie killer??? Is it to late to prune?
Unless you open the garage door every day, they prob will die from lack of light.
Better put them indoors near a window. They will prob drop their leaves all over the floor for a few weeks due to lack of humidity and low light, but they will resprout when you put them back out in warm weather.
Be sure to let the soil get nearly dry before watering in winter indoors to prevent root-rot during the resting period.
When they go back outdoors, increase food and water to get them going again.
Hi Maggie! I hope you can help me. I live in Florida and I have a potted bougainvillea on the patio. It seems to keep a lot of it's blooms but it has dropped most of it's leaves! It also looks a tad spindly for lack of a better word to describe it. I water it once a week because I was told they don't like a lot of water, but maybe it;s not enough. Should it be watered more often and if so how often? Also what type of fertalizer should I put on it and how often? I have been using Miracle Grow shake and feed on it but maybe this is a bad idea? Please help! I love this plant it was so beautiful and I'd like to nurse it back to it's once full and brilliant self. Thanks Tina
There are many possibilities, depending on a variety of untold factors. Lets consider several.
The 'spindly' you describe might be a case of too little light, or any one or more of the following probs.
Keep it above 50 at all times. If you have had some cold nights, say below 40*, it would cause the leaves to drop. If not, it sounds like it is thirsty due to being rootbound. Pot bound bougies in hot climates require careful monitoring of soil moisture. If the leaves wilt and fall, it probably needs the soil to be kept evenly moist. You could repot it into larger container with more space and fresh soil.
If it has been kept warm and the leaves are falling without wilting first, it could be a drainage problem – another result of becoming potbound. The roots may have clogged up the drain hole and caused the water to collect at bottom of pot ,, rotting the lower roots.
If its not a case of cold temps, carefully remove it from pot to see what’s going on. Be gentle, they don’t like their roots messed with. If it has been in the same pot for more than a year, it will probably take a giant leap of regrowth soon after being repotted. Hold off on the fertilizer for a few months after repotting. Fresh potting soil will be rich enough and the old soil may have developed an imbalance of phosphate to nitrogen from the time released granuals. I prefer to use organic rose food applied to the top of the potting soil, plus fish and seaweed foliage spray in our warm growing months.
Also check out this page, for further insight.
Hi Maggie
I live in southern Spain and am training bougainvillea to cover a wire fence on a patio. I have bought 1 metre long by 40cm deep troughs and put 1 bougie at each end. I will fill the middle of the troughs with a hibiscus and succulants round the edge. The bouganvillea came in 8" pots. I bought several as I wish to have speedy coverage. I imagine if they grow 3 metres each, I will have got the desired effect. However, my mother tells me the troughs are way too small. I have incorporated alot of rocks at the bottom of the troughs to allow good drainage.
My question is should I buy new larger pots now or stick with what I have, seeing I am likely to be getting the desired growth within 2 years
Many thanks.... Julie
Hi Julie,
Since you live in either a zone 9 or 10 climate, they will be actively growing year-round and will soon out grow that space. On the other hand, a confined rootball does instigate good bloom production. Yet, when there are more roots than soil in a pot, it is a problem to keep them watered in hot climates.
If they were mine, I’d leave them in those planters until watering became a problem, then move them into larger pots – maybe leave the hibiscus and succulents in the troughs and give the bougies their own big pots. The combination of rectangle planters and tall cylindrical pots would look good. Maybe let some of the b limbs hang down over the tall pots.
Would love to see pic of your patio when they get going. In fact, any garden / plant pics from Spain would be such a treat. If you email me digis, I would love to post them on the forum virtual tour pages.
Best wishes
Hi,
I'm not really much of a plant grower but my mother-in-law had this bouganvillea (tree-like) in a pot outside in Utah during the summer and fall. In the summer it put out a lot of pink flowers and then stayed green in the fall. But we brought it in maybe a day after the first frost and/or it just didn't get watered enough. (I think we beat the frost by a day or two but it was definitely in need of water). Anyways, it lost all its leaves and she was going to chuck it. I watered it and it put out new shoots and leaves. Then I took it to my office. Its stayed full during the middle of this winter but the leaves were always limp and now they're all falling off again and I don't see new growth. I know this tree doesn't belong in Utah but after reading a little about it, I still can't figure out if the central air makes things too dry, if I'm watering it enough or too little, if it will come back when there is more sun in the Spring and Summer. I've got it by a French door and window facing south. I'm not so worried about the bloom as keeping it alive. Any suggestions?
Thanks - Alex
A tree form is truly worth keeping over winter Alex. Good for you.
The first leaf-fall was probably due to the sudden change in conditions. They are so touchy about it. The fact that you brought it back into leaf is very encouraging.
New leaf production indicates that it did initially settle into to being indoors. Now that they are falling indicates that something new has gone awry.
Check the drainage – might be waterlogged. Poke around in the drain hole at the bottom of the pot to make sure it is not clogged.
Let it get dry-ish before watering when kept indoors. Limp leaves can be caused by too much water as easily as not-enough, because the roots need oxygen and can’t get it if the soil is waterlogged.
Compacted soil might be depriving the roots of oxygen. If the soil looks hard and packed down, take something like a knitting needle and poke a hole down to the bottom of the pot, an inch or two away from the trunk, on each side of the trunk. Just the two holes - they don’t like their roots messed with either. (picky, picky : )
Do any and everything you can to increase humidity – surround it with containers of water and mist the leaves as much as you can manage.
Because it sounds like it is getting good light, a little nourishment might be the key. (careful tho,, too much food would make long leggy growth, as tho it wasn’t get enough light).
A very weak solution of liquid organic fertilizer in the waterings will give it extra courage until it is ready to go outdoors again. At that time, it might benefit from repotting into the next size container, or a good feeding for a kick-start.
It might even lose its leaves again when it leaves your office, due to the sudden change, but if all else is in order, it will pull out of it again.
Hi Maggie. I have a bougie and last year I put it in the garage. I don't know if it's dead or not. All the leaves are still on it but all are dead and crunchy. I brought it inside and water it and it's drinking. Am I going to be able to save this plant or should I just give up?
Break or cut some stems until you find one that is not brown and dehydrated inside.
Where you hit light-colored moist-looking tissue, there is life.
If so, the patient can be resuscitated with food, light, humidity, warm air and moist soil.
Here's wishing your bougie a speedy recovery,
m
HI MAGGIE!
I have one very large bougie plant that is growing through an almost grid like structure up above the entrance to our town house. The plant gets about 3 hours of constant light per day and gets watered whenever it seems to be getting dry.
It is gorgeous except that all of the leaves are getting holes in them. Some I know are thanks to bugs, but others I have a strong feeling are not.
The holes are small and are causing the leaves to turn yellow at the tips. I have already tried to see if my watering has anything to do with the color, but it doesnt seem to.
Please help!
I have some questions for you too
Where are you located?
Are its roots in a planter or in the ground?
How old is the plant?
If in planter, how long has it been in that container?
Dear Maggie,
Could you suggest an organic way to get rid of pests on the boganvilla? Also, what type of food do you use??
Peace
I use packaged organic rose foods. There are sev brands available in the DFW area.
Some organic pest treatments include diluted orange oil, soapy spray, garlic or pepper spray, DE,, many more.
What kind of critter is bugging it?
I have a bouganvilla that I kept inside over the winter (I am in missouri, I moved here last year from texas and brought the plant with me) It was fine outside and did fine inside over the winter. I started putting the plant put a week ago the temps are now in the 40-70's. I thought it would be fine, but in the past two days I've had several leaves turn black and now some are bleaching lighter? Any ideas?
They often throw leaves after a sudden change of environment. If all else is well, it will recover, sending out new leaves after the old ones have fallen.
April 6, 06
Hello Maggie: I have a small green house in northern IN.. I purchased several bougainvilleas in 4" pots for the summer & keeping them in the small green house until the last frost. They looked great when they arrived 7 days ago but now they are losing their blooms & the leaves are turning light green & falling off without wilting first. I am keeping the temps. around 70 & higher, only watered once in the 7 days. What do I need to do to bring them back?
Sharon.
It sounds like you are doing everything just right. Its not your fault that they are throwing leaves. Its how they react to drastic sudden changes. I imagine they were packed up in the dark for several days of traumatic shipping. We wouldn't respond too well to that too, would we ?
If you haven't already repotted them into larger containers, do so now. Use fresh, rich potting soil and ensure they have good drainage. Then keep up what you are doing and they will soon put out new leaves - promise.
Hi, I bought a potted bougainvillea about 6 weeks ago from a local nursery and it was really blooming like crazy. Within two weeks it lost all the color and most of the leaves turned a yellowish color with some green in the center. There are no blooms anymore. I water it about once a week, since the gardener there said not to give it too much but it drench it now and then. Is that not enough? I dipped my finger in the soil and it was still slightly moist near the bottom when I went to look at it today.
It sits on my eastward back porch in full sun (central Austin, Texas) most of the day. I bought some organic rose food and put that on top of the soil and watered it in today... hoping that will help... as well I decided to start spraying the leaves with a foliar feed like I do for roses. I'm assuming these will help... perhaps it was being pampered more by the nursery (the gardener there said they had had it for about two years).
But as for watering... I'm wondering if it could do with a bit more. I hope I didn't let it sit and dry out too much... it has been a strong drought and hot for March/April. I'll keep trying things, but thought I would post here because you have some good advice here.
Also, should I mulch the top of the pot?
If the leaves fell without wilting first, it might be due to one of two causes. Either the plant was rebelling against the change in environment (which it will prob recover from) or its soil became waterlogged. Check that the drainage hole is not clogged. See if you can spot any other possibilities in this article.
About mulching the soil - I wouldn’t top it with bark, but you might want to replace the top inch or so with fresh potting soil – esp if it wasn’t repotted in the two years it was at the nursery.
Sounds like you have a good understanding of its needs Amy, just keep up the good work and give it positive, encouraging vibes – really! An anxious gardener can scare a plant to death – really, really.
But, I know you’ll pull it out of its slump, judging by the care you have already extended.
Thank you Maggie, for such encouragement. I am a new gardener, so I need that once in a while! As for the bougainvillea, it really liked the attention I gave it--it has started to rebloom and leaves are looking better, just in 10 days!
Hearing that just makes my day!
I'm so glad you took the time to let me know the patient prospers.
Keep up the good work and keep on gardening.
Hi Maggie,
I just bought some potted bougainvilleas and the leaves are looking rusty and spotty. Some have white runs on the leaves. They get full sun north west exposure in Central Texas Lampasas County. Some of the leaves are curling too?
What is up with that? What do I need to do to them?
Thanks,
coco
I've never seen bougies do this, but rusty and spotty sounds like mildew and/or rust disease. Maybe even insect damage?
White runs?,, as if tunnels from leaf miners?
Were they like that when you brought them home from the nursery?
If all this developed after you brought them home, I'm going to predict they may be getting too much sun. White on leaves might be the 'bleaching' that is caused by sudden exposure to too much light - perhaps because they were accustomed to less at the nursery.
Maybe your NW exposure has a spell of hot sun that may be too much for their transition phase. If so, move them to an all-day lightly shaded site or to a dappled shade for a few weeks to see if they improve (and keep the soil evenly moistened - only enough to prevent wilting,,, be careful not to waterlog them)
If you are sure it is not a light prob, pursue the disease/insect possibility. Use magnifying glass to look for spider mites or other tiny villains on the underside of leaves.
Because these symptoms are rather rare in bougies, it is hard to determine the cause for sure, without seeing the plant in person. Take some of the affected leaves back to the nursery, a botanic garden, or county extension office for a hands on determination. Please let me know how it goes.
Having been a bougainvillea lover for years (since visiting Costa Rica), I have collected many of them (some of which have not survived through winters in my garage and some which have not only survived but thrived). This year, the six I managed to maintain from last year have all gotten very leafy, but no blooms yet. In years past, they have always been in full bloom by this time of year. Is there something I can feed them to hasten the blooming process?
Rose food works for me. If you are in the DFW area, most feed stores such as Marshall Grain and org nurseries like Green Mamas or Redentas Gardens carry the organic brands I use.
Some years, they might just be in a sulk and skip the late winter/early spring bloom. My variegated bougainvillea pouts more often than the green leafed ones. Its not to worry, the spring rest gives them more vim for a better late summer-fall bloom.
Oh my gosh,, I saw the MOST beautiful pale pale peachy pink DOUBLE one at Callaway's on Hulen this week. A bit too rich for my wallet, but I'm still enjoying having seen it.
Hi...I got a beautiful bougainvillea at a faire I went to not more than a month ago. It was so lovely at first and now all the pretty pink leaves have fallen off and some of the branches are turning stiff and brown. I have watered it everyday and now read that I have to make sure it is dry and I have enough to where I need to water it again. It also is in a 5 gallon pot and has good drainage. What can I do to help my poor plant out? I want it to strive!
It would help to know of its sun exposure and of your climate/location in regards to the soil moisture.
Check out this page for more info
However, I suspect that it has simply come to the end of its spring bloom season. Stem tips become woody and brown with maturity, esp after blooming terminals have completed their cycle.
Take good care of it all summer and it will reward you with another bloomfest in a few months. Only plastic stays in bloom all year long.
Hi Maggie,
I bought a beautiful White Madonna bougainvilla I had a few questions about. I want to keep it in a pot on my sunny patio. Im having trouble deciding how big of a pot to put it in. I have a 3 gal, a 5 gal, and a 10 gal sitting around in my shed. This plant has a tree like 'bonzai' look to it Id like to keep for my porch, I dont mind it getting tall and flowery but not too "viny". The plant right now is in a small plastic bucket from the nursery, but the roots seem too dense in it -when I water in the morning its bone dry by the afternoon again. The poor plant seems to be almost to the point of wilting but I keep misting it a couple times a day until I decide what to pot it in. Its been fairly hot here in southern CA, ( around 80-90 this month on average) and Ive read they like to be root bound but right now it seems a little too crowded in its original bucket. What size pot would you recomend and how should I prune it if I want to keep it growing upwards rather then out?
Yes, when it wilts daily, it def needs to be repotted. Take very good care not to disturb its roots in the move.
Rule of thumb in any pot transplanting – move it up to only one size at a time. If it is in a one gallon, put it in a 3 gallon. If it is in a 3 gal, go to a fiver, etc.
Try to keep the soil moist throughout the growing season – move to a more shaded site until the daily wilting ceases. It will accept more sun and require less frequent watering when its roots delve into the extra space and fresh potting soil of its new home.
Not to worry about it losing its dwarf tree form. I’m glad you know exactly which variety you have, so as to give you a more def answer. The White Madonna is a Buttiana hybrid that has been bred to retain a slow growth rate. Pruning the bloom tips after a bloom spurt may be the only trimming you might ever want to do, to keep it in bounds. Or, prune it lightly in dormant winter season if desired.
Your question:
“how should I prune it if I want to keep it growing upwards rather then out?”
The nature of this variety tends to grow in a shrub form if left to its own devices, so you shouldn’t have a lot of lateral, vine-like growths to deal with. Sounds like you have the just the right kind of bougie for what you are wanting it to do – as soon as it adjusts to the new pot and root space. Tread softly and tend it gently until then.
I have a super growing and leafy bouganvilla, but i want blooms. Should I prune it? Melissa in Dallas Texas
Unless it has been bred to bloom more often, the natural bloom spells begin in spring and fall with a summer and winter rest period.
Begin feeding it now to instigate fall blooms. Cease feeding while in bloom, and let rest for a month or so before resuming.
All leaf and no blooms may indicate an unbalanced diet that is too high in nitrogen.
I use organic rose food with occasional seaweed/fish foliage spray.
Pruning should only be done to retain a desired size and only done in winter during its resting period.
See more info here
I have a potted bouganvilla, blooming and growing nicely. However, the leaves are a light green with darker veins. What kind of fertlizer do I need for darker leaves?
A deficiency of iron or nitrogen will cause pale leaves with green veins, but either of those situations will also result in ailing growth, which your bougie does not appear to have.
You have two choices:
try doctoring it with a slow release natural concoction such as Bioform granular and wait and see,
or get the soil tested and follow the lab’s recommendations.
Another possible scenario – if it has suddenly had a dramatic increase in sun exposure, it could be experiencing sun bleaching and needs to be relocated. Don’t know where you are, but in Texas, potted bougies need morning sun and afternoon shade.
Thank you. I'll bet it is the sun exposure. I am in North Central Texas, near Fort Worth, but have been giving it morning shade and full afternoon sun. I will move it and try the Bioform.
Hello Maggie,
I live in the south of Spain and a few days ago bought 3 bougavilla plants for my terrace (it's a flat so doesn't have any gardan). The plants came in about 8 inch pots and were about 3 1/2 ft high wrapped around canes when I bought them.
The area I have planted them in is a flower bed built into one of the walls of the terrace, which is about 4ft long and 1 1/2ft deep and 10ins wide. I have planted them with 2 Jasmin plants for some variety and for the lovely smell in the evening, which also came in 8 inch pots with canes.
I mixed the rather sandy soil that was already in the box with some fresh fertiliser, and it already had a layer of stones in the bottom covered by a kind of cotton wool mesh, and it also has a little pipe about 3ins in diameter coming out of the very bottom of the box for drainage.
Being July here in the south of Spain, the sun pretty hot - about 90 degrees all day and the box gets the sun all day until about 6pm but it doesn't cool down at the moment until about 10pm.
Two of the plants' leaves have wilted - they've just gone all floppy - but not dried out. One of the two's leaves are still a deep green colour, and on the other one they have started turning a yellowy green. They still have flowers, both of them, but some look a bit dry at the bottom like they've died... The third bouganvilla (in the middle!) seems to be doing ok, the leaves are still perky and although there weren't many flowers on this one when I bought it, some of the buds are slowly opening.
I bought these plants 4 days ago (and they were fine then!), and when I put them in I poured water into their planting holes so that the roots would be moist as the soil was so dry. I have watered them 3 times since, each evening so that the water doesn't evaporate immediately in the sun, but they still look very sad. I wondered whether it was lack of water, as the box is so dry and in such a dry place, but after having read some of the posts above I wonder whether I have over-watered them.
This is one of my first attempts at gardening and these are such beautiful plants - I don't want them to die on me in the first 4 days!!
Help!
Think I recognize an escaped Brit, in search of more sun, yes Helen?
The planter sounds perfect for the plants. I'm going to take a guess that although you have been watering the container, the original rootballs of the two ailing bougies are bone dry.
If so, you need to let water drip on them very slowly to break the dry tension and re-saturate the rootball. A slow dripping hosepipe is the easiest method. Failing that convenience, use a tall plastic beverage bottle with a slit poked in the bottom – let it drip directly on both sides of each dry root ball to ensure complete coverage. If desiccated rootballs are not an issue, try shading the wilt-y ones until they acclimate to the new aspect.
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to add some organic matter for nutrition as well as moisture retention in that fast draining sandy soil. Potted bougies really do like to have moist soil, as long as they also have extra good drainage, such as your planter does.
Let me know if my guess about the rootballs being dry isn’t the deal,,, or if shading them with a cloth or such doesn’t help and we’ll try again.
Hi Maggie,
Yep you guessed right! I've been here for nearly three years now, but have never gotten round to any proper gardening for lack of space really.
Thank you very much for your tips - it sounds like I might still be able to save them! I will have a go at rescuing them and report back....
Thanks again! ;-)
I am intrigued with your relocation, Helen. Write me at
maggie@maggiesgarden.com
if you like.