Plant Care

Bougainvillea Care

Bougainvillea is a tropical shrub, so as long as nights are above 60 degrees it is happy. When nights are cooler, Bougainvillea need to be kept very dry. If roots are wet when below 60 degrees they will rot, weakening the plant or killing it. As long as plants are kept dry and above freezing they will live through winter here. Cut plants back hard late Fall to early Winter

Repot plants September to March if needed. I have found that early March works best. If in good soil that does not decay and water-log, plants can be kept for years without repotting. Deep-unglazed clay pots are the best. The best soil is good topsoil, if using mixes, a mix of 80 percent coarse sand and 20 percent composted organic material. Do not use peat, or peat based mixes, because peat decays in about 3 months and water-logs. Roots are very fragile and can be damaged easily when re-potting, turn plant upside-down then remove pot.

Bougainvillea naturally bloom in winter. Special varieties are needed to bloom May-September, plants need to be kept pot-bound, and no or very little trimming from April to September. Some varieties bloom all the time, others bloom in cycles. Plants need at least 6 hours of full sun each day.

Fertilize heavy from May to September. Most fertilizers work, but I have found that one tablespoon of Osmacote per/gal. of pot size a month works good.
Water on a regular basis, plant will adapt to what it gets with-in reason. A large pot will need watered less often. Most of the summer we water every sunny day so the plants will have adapted to that schedule. If you wish to go to a longer schedule you can go to a larger pot or you can cut the plant back to fewer leaves.

If you have questions, I have had a lot of experience with bougainvillea and would be happy to answer your questions. I may not be helpful all the time, but I will tell you what I think.