For the most part, bougainvillea plants are relatively easy to grow. At other times, however, they can be stubborn, hiding their flowers and refusing to bloom.
Here are some tips to make sure your bougainvillea care keeps your plants showing their splendor and color.
Sometimes bougainvillea plants like to get a little stubborn, refusing to produce new flowers even during the growing season.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to settle for that. You can guarantee more blooms by:
- Ensuring the plant is somewhat root-constricted
- Has access to 6-8 hours of light (high shade or full sun)
- Receives monthly fertilizing over the growing season
How to Get Your Bougainvillea to Bloom
Although bougainvillea is a hardy plant, it can be a bit finicky.
Sometimes you’ll find that no matter what you do, your bougainvillea plants “want” to appear stubborn and offer no blooms other than those they’re already showing.
Fortunately, there are some key tips you can follow to encourage luscious blooms:
Focus on the Roots
Bougainvillea plants grow best when their fragile roots are somewhat shrunken.
Therefore, you should overpot your container plants, as they may not have the opportunity to form the root ball they prefer.
Remember that a plant that has to repeatedly establish a root system cannot expend energy in flowering.
Keeping it in a suitable container will give it ample time to deliver energy and nutrients to new shoots and sprouts.
Provide Sufficient Sunlight
As you know, your bougainvillea needs sunlight to produce the energy it needs to flower through photosynthesis.
Without enough sunlight, your bougainvillea will only provide enough energy to maintain its current size.
Bougainvilleas need 6-8 hours of full sun per day to develop perfect pink petals.
Make sure your bougainvillea gets bright light throughout the day. Around 2,500 FC is ideal. If you can’t do that, high shadows are the next best thing.
Use the Right Soil
You’ll also want to pay special attention to the type of soil you’re growing your bougainvillea in, as this medium is critical in providing the plants with micro and macro nutrients.
In general, the best soil mix for potted bougainvillea plants includes a mix of perlite and sphagnum moss. You can also try combinations without soil.
Continue to fertilize
Like most other plants, you need to provide bougainvillea with small amounts of nutrients during the growing season in order for it to bloom.
The most common fertilizers are specially formulated bougainvillea fertilizer, usually a 10-10-10 solution, or hibiscus fertilizer applied in liquid form every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. More information on bougainvillea fertilizers here.
The most common fertilizers are specially formulated bougainvillea fertilizer, usually a 10-10-10 solution, or hibiscus fertilizer applied in liquid form every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. More information on bougainvillea fertilizers here.
Note: If your healthy bougainvillea is producing lots of greenery but not blooming, it may be too high in nitrogen.
As long as you provide ideal growing conditions, it should be a breeze to not only grow bougainvilleas but are guaranteed to produce beautiful buds most of the year!
How to Get a Stubborn Bougainvillea to Bloom
Despite getting the best growing conditions, some bougainvilleas refuse to budge. Fortunately, there are two main methods you can use to ensure you see those beautiful blooms.
The first method focuses on the root ball and doesn’t require much work. Follow these steps to ensure your bougainvillea blooms from the bottom up:
- Remove the plant from its current pot. (It’s best to repot your bougainvillea every year, but you can do this when you’re not repotting.)
- Carefully cut off the outside 1-2 inches of the root ball.
- Repot the bougainvillea in the same container or a container of the same size.
- This process will revitalize the root system and stimulate its growth again.
Your bougainvillea will bloom healthily as the root system becomes more robust and eventually becomes a bit cramped in the pot.
How to make a homemade fertilizer with banana peels
- Fill a skillet with 2 to 3 cups (5 ml) of water and bring to a boil;
- Peel a banana and cut the two ends;
- Add banana to boiling water;
- Lower heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes;
- Add cinnamon (optional);
How to Apply
- Banana tea should only be applied to plants when it is completely cold.
- Spray the plants with the same amount of tea that you usually use in regular watering.
- It is recommended to use banana tea at any stage of the flora, but preferably from the 5th week.
