Bougainvillea : How To Grow and Care Bougainvillea in Pots

Bougainvillea growing in a pot

Bougainvillea Care Tips To Grow it in Containers

Pot Requirement for Bougainvillea Plant

1. Bougainvillea can be grown in plastic or Terra cotta pots, hanging baskets lined with sphagnum moss, planter boxes and concrete planters, even old laundry baskets will serve the purpose.
2. The container having adequate number of holes at its bottom to provide drainage is the best. Use broken pieces of clay pots or Styrofoam packing material to line the bottom of the container for drainage.
3. Bougainvillea plant does not need large pots. If you see the roots coming out from the bottom, then either re-pot in the next larger size container or take out the plant and trim the smaller roots and re-pot in the same container.
4. To shape the bougainvillea in the pot, you can put a trellis in the pot. you can place the trellis at the center while planting the plant without disturbing the roots. if the plant is already grown, then do not put the trellis at the center, instead put it at a distance from the center, may be at the rim of the pot.
5. The container requirement for bougainvillea bonsai is different.

The Size of the Container For Bougainvillea

1. Start with the smallest pot as bougainvillea plant do well if its roots are pot-bound. Re-pot into larger pot sizes gradually, from a plant in a 6 inch pot into a 9 inch pot and so on. Remember, the root system needs time to grow into each new pot, 2-3 years. So never be in hurry to re-pot.
2. When you re-pot, remember not to disturb the roots or prune them because the plant might take weeks to recover after shock. Always handle the delicate root system with care.

Soil Requirement for Bougainvillea Plant

1. Bougainvillea love well drained yet moisture-retentive soil to support its extremely fine and tender root system. Garden centres sell bougainvillea specific premixed growing media. (How to make garden soil)
2. I added well decomposed compost (making compost at home) and river sand to the soil to make it well draining. Bougainvillea does best with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5, so I also added some acidic soil.

Position, Where to Plant Bougainvillea

1. Bougainvillea, a tropical plant, thrives in full sun, at least 5 hours a day of direct sunlight is required for good bloom, the more is better.
2. Bougainvillea can tolerate low temperatures, but the leaves and bracts may wilt in temperatures below 4.5° C (40 °F). The plant may be severely damaged at these temperatures if kept for a long time.
3. Plants grown indoors, in partial shade will have only vegetative growth, but no bloom.
4. You can put the pot near a metal fencing to receive light brightness due to reflection and also heat.
5. Growing bougainvillea in cold climates: If you live in a colder area, you can plant it in a pot and bring it indoors for the winter. Indoors, the plant will survive the outside harsh weather. Bougainvillea can be made to flower by triacontanol in cold climates. Triaboost induce good growth and flowers.

Watering Bougainvillea Plant

1. Water sparingly as bougainvillea plants produce too much leaf growth in place of flowers with excessive water.
2. Over-watering can cause rot and weakening of the plant.
3. If the plant receives too much water when the small buds appear from new growth, the bud will drop off and in its place a thorn will develop.
4. To induce flowering, allow the plant to dry and wilt for a few hours, and then water.

Bougainvillea Fertilization

1. Bougainvillea are heavy feeders that require regular monthly fertilization during blooming season.
2. If you feed your bougainvillea a fertilizer with N:P:K ratio as 10:10:10, the plant will produce excessive green growth without blooms.
3. Adding some iron in the form of chelate in the soil will produce vibrant and beautiful color.
4. Bougainvillea likes acidic soil, so add some azalea fertilizer.
5. A fertilizer high in potassium will produce extensive colourful blooms.
6. Liquid fertilizers are more effective and convenient than solid fertilizers to apply. Consider feeding with homemade bougainvillea fertilizer comfrey tea fertilizer which is high in potassium.

Yellow Colour Bougainvillea in Pot

Pruning Bougainvillea Plant

1. As bougainvillea generally blooms on new growth, you should cut back the branches that have finished flowering. The bougainvillea pruning in pots or garden bed will force plant to produce new growth and bougainvillea to bloom.
2. How to prune bougainvillea: Bougainvillea plants need hard pruning to force blooming and maintain its shape.
3. When to prune bougainvillea : There is no particular time for pruning bougainvillea, but it is better to prune after flowering.
4. Because the new flowers develop at the new growth, the more they are pruned the more new growth will be encouraged.
5. The new growth tips of a new bougainvillea should be pinched every few weeks to give it a busy shape.
6. The bougainvillea can be grown as a bonsai even in ground if it is pruned timely by removing most of the growing branches (Pruning for Bonsai).

Bougainvillea Pests and Diseases

Bougainvillea Flowers

Bougainvillea flowering Season is summer, autumn and spring, but many plants refuse to bloom. There are some methods to force the plant to bloom (How To Force Bougainvilleas to Bloom).
1. We generally consider the colorful displays exhibited by bougainvillea as their flowers but actually these are not flowers, but the bracts with small white flowers at their center.
2. The tiny Bougainvillea flowers are always white irrespective of the color of bracts.

Tiny White Flowers in Potted Bougainvillea

Watch Video on growing bougainvillea from cuttins

References

1. Simon, Eric, Brighten Up With Bougainvillea, 2005
2. Schoelhorn, Richard and Erin Alavrez, Warm Climate Production Guidelines for Bougainvillea, University of Florida /IFAS Extension, October 1, 2002.
3. Parsons, Growing Bougainvilleas
4. Mohammad Moneruzzaman Khandaker, Golam Faruq, M. Motior Rahman, M. Sofian-Azirun, and Amru Nasrulhaq Boyce, “The Influence of 1-Triacontanol on the Growth, Flowering, and Quality of Potted Bougainvillea Plants (Bougainvillea glabra var. “Elizabeth Angus”) under Natural Conditions,” The Scientific World Journal, vol. 2013, Article ID 308651, 12 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/308651.