How to Prune and Care for a Distressed Potted Bougainvillea

There's a #bougainvillea in the garden that needs some attention. It has ceased to bloom after a couple years, therefore, we are #pruning it; topping up the #soil and feeding it plant nutrients in this video to attempt to bring it back to glory. Follow along to see how it's done.
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We have a passion for #agriculture that we would love to share with the world. We are devoted to developing and disseminating world-class #agricultural#training resources that are aligned to globally recognized Technical, Vocational Education Training (#TVET) standards. Our Vision is to be the recognized producer of materials that are used to train and certify a significant proportion of the agricultural workforce in #tropical regions. It’s our purpose to educate and inform all who are interested, including small-scale #homegardeners. Let's come together to build an inclusive community of growth and self-sustainability.

[@OfcBlarneyfife]

Thank you…it’s so helpful to see the process on damaged plant.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to show your support. Love it❤

[@simplesimon755]

Great video. I am finding it so difficult to find videos about pruning and maintaining bougainvillea plants. Many videos seem to talk about the plants and mention pruning but not really with much details. Your video was so clear and informative and the mention of the fertilizer treatment that you use was especially helpful. In my case I am trying to reign in a very old in-ground bougainvillea that is currently dormant. The only other useful information I found in another video about my situation was that we probably over-watered it last year which is supposedly why it lead to the long shoots with minimal flowering. Anyway, I have liked and subscribed. Best of luck to you and thanks!

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Glad we were able to help Simon. Since I love to see lush plant growth so sometime I overdo watering and fertilizing and end up with the long shoots (gormandizers) and so have to do regular pruning. Good luck with your plants and thanks for subscribing 👍🌺

[@bandit4true]

Yep over watering of bougainvilleas would most definitely reduce blooms.

[@wandarosario860]

What do you use the slugs?

[@marthaspringfield7542]

Does it live in a cold weather? I reside in VA USA and we have a long winter. I am hoping that a pruning will help it to grow back.

[@krisyallowega5487]

I have recently been gifted a bougainvillea that has had a rough and tough life so far. I was told that she was purchased from the discount table at the store a number of years ago. She remained in the original container until planting in a plot much too late in the Fall. It barely survived very harsh winters and being nibbled down by rabbits and other 4-legged creatures. For the number of years it has survived one would believe it would grow a robust stalk or trunk. Yet it looks as though it may only be one year old with spindly little branches. Luckily there looks to be new growth shooting from it's tiny, wee stump of a stalk. For the time being I have her in quite a small container, and will start feeding her 20-20-20 at maybe half strength for weekly watering.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Kris, I love it, you really have a way with words!😊 Good luck with your boug, please let us know how she responds🌄💕🙏

[@krisyallowega5487]

@@thelmamccatty9181 Happy Sunday; I thought I should send you a comment before I head off to church this morning. I am wondering with this heatwave that is around me (mid 80's) can I trim the unresponsive branches? There are quite a few leaves poking out now and want to make sure there is nothing in their way.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

@@krisyallowega5487 Hi Kris before you trim the unresponsive branches, lightly scrape a small section of bark. If it's green then give the branches 2 or so more weeks to send out shoots. If there's no sign of green under the back then go ahead and trim the unresponsive stem. Regarding pruning young shoots, what you're aiming for is an even number of new shoots on all sides of the plant. So yes, you may have to nip a few to avoid overcrowding! Happy Sunday to you too🙏

[@6861Charley]

Thank you for your video. I have 6 bougainvillea plants in my front yard that needs pruning.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're welcome Charley. Enjoy your pruning and the beauty it brings.😊

[@leannamsharp]

Thank you! I’ve been looking for the right video and finally found it! Super helpful!

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

So glad!

[@priscillaekpe2130]

Thanks very much for this video. Please keep the good work up

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're welcome. We'll try:)

[@lindalinda2515]

Thank you, I just moved to France so needed to learn how to take care of them.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're welcome Linda. We've done 2 other videos on bougainvillea since this one which may also interest you. Please scroll through our video list to find them. Enjoy your gardening in France. 💕🙏

[@julianagooptar6315]

Very informative, thanks for sharing.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

👍

[@yestoglobalpeace]

Thank you for these excellent instructions on pruning Bougainvilleas! I'm hoping that it'll bring mine back to a full bloom.

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

I hope so too!

[@donabellahardeneravlogs790]

Your bougainvilleas have nice branch formation.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Thanks Donabella! Great idea for a video topic, eh!😊

[@donabellahardeneravlogs790]

@@thelmamccatty9181 Yes it's true Ma'am 😊

[@bgmckeown]

Fantastic video, thanks for sharing!! 😀

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

Thanks for watching!

[@joycohen938]

Thanks - really helpful :)

[@Alarke]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@thelmamccatty9181]

🙏💕

[@stephenanddeborahbertrand4021]

Thanks. Working on your advise

[@thelmamccatty9181]

🙏💕

[@imbohica3933]

This was great thank you

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're welcome. Thanks for your support.

[@Techier868]

Thank you!

[@MelroseLewis]

great professional video thank you.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

💕🙏

[@ShabekiLemeh]

Wonderful

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@erijennifer]

Thank you for loading - does anyone know how often we should be watering the bougainvilleas?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Bougs are very drought tolerant. They actually bloom more in the dry season. So if your boug is in a pot, allow it to dry out a bit before watering. This suggests watering every 2 weeks or when the top 3 inches or so of the media is dry. You shouldn't have to water bougs in outdoor beds, unless rain doesn't fall for about a month. Hope this helps. Thanks for question, and keep watching our videos👍😊🙏

[@erijennifer]

@@thelmamccatty9181 AWESOME💯 thank you soooo much I am a new subbie 🌺🌸

[@Maitree15]

THANK YOU, I live in Yukon Ok, and I bought these lovely pots for the first time this summer. I didnt know what to do for the winter? They have done extremely well up until now. I think cause the fall is coming and its starting to get chilly. I was thinking I would have to trash them, and buy new next year?

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

Hello @Maitree15, you’re quite right, in your area, bougainvillea would be killed by cold temperatures if left outdoor during the winter. But don’t trash them! Move them indoors if you have the space in a bright location where temperature stays above 40 degree F. Essentially, you’ll be inducing dormancy, first by removing all flowers; then reducing the size of the plant by pruning back to about half its size (follow tips in video); watering lightly every 2 weeks or so, and with-holding fertilizer. Sure, they’ll drop all their leaves, but they’ll resume growth quickly in spring.

[@ruthsuerte1956]

Thank you nice bougainvella watching from PHILIPINES....FROM PLUS BEACH RESORT.. LILOY,,ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE..

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Thanks for the thumbs up and the shout out from the Philippines! It feels very good to see we're expanding our reach! Thank you❤👍🙏

[@marcosavila6668]

Hola. Me gusta tu videos. Puedo poder la planta en Este mes de Diciembre?? Se me esta muriendo de frio. La puse dentro de garage. En Este Lugar donde vivo hace frio.. que me recomienda?? Gracias..

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Marcos. Thanks for watching my videos. I wouldn't recommend you prune bougainvillea in the cold months. It's better to do it in the spring when the plants begin to grow naturally.

[@shiningstar9676]

Thank you for your lovely video! I'm new to caring for my magenta bougainvillea, it was planted about a year ago, and now has 5 spikey shoots gowing above the fence line. How do i prune these 5 spikes to keep them looking neat, just above but not soaring above the fence line? 🤔 Or do i gently curve /bend the stem with the shoots gently around to run along the fence line without pruning? 🤔

[@thelmamccatty9181]

It depends on the look you're going for. I like the idea of looping along the top so you can select which sideshoots to keep to prune into a perched hedge. 😊

[@shiningstar9676]

​@thelmamccatty9181 Thanks for your kind reply! 🙏It is a capped fence so I can't tie it onto the fence. I'd prefer to trim the spikes so that they flower and make it nice and flowery above the fence line. So it looks nice from the footpath on the other side of the fence! 😅 Can I prune the 5 spikes/shoots so that they flower, and don't grow more spikes? 🤔😅

[@fancyface1934]

Lovely video...my bougainvillea has beautiful lush leaves.no flowers 🌼.it's almost been a year. Any tips on how to get it to flower ?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Deseree. Bougs naturally bloom more in the drier warmer months, and when they're in full sunlight. So for more blooms reduce water, and fertilizer, especially nitrogen, and make sure they get maximum sunlight.

[@jm6854]

Beautiful Bougs🙂 How often should the 20:20:20 fertiliser be applied - amd this is to stimulate leaf growth?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Yes JM this promotes growth. Once a month should be sufficient, less if the leaves are getting too lush and green. For more flowers use a fertilizer lower in nitrogen and higher in potassium, example 7-12-40

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Oops, that should be 'apply 20-20-20 less often than once per month if bougainvillea is getting lush and bushy.

[@Muswell]

Excellent video. Thank you. Mine is in Athens - definitely no slugs - it's trained against a trellis & is now quite large. It blooms on the tips, so I really need to cut it quite severely because there's a lot of old bare wood. Is it ok to cut some old stems - or does it have to be where there is a node.

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

Its not easy to distinguish nodes along old stems, so it doesn’t really matter where along the stem you cut. Luckily old stems readily send out multiple new shoots below the cut area. And I’m sure you know that a severe prune allows you to re-direct the growth, shape and bushiness of the new plant. We recently cutback a large old boug that was trained up a high wall. Thanks to your question, we will do a video on this shortly.

[@Muswell]

@@gardeningwithcalyx Thank you. There are so many plants where you CAN'T cut back into old woody stems, so I was just checking !

[@CarlyCoffey]

What was the name of fertilizer compost you used? Thank you for the video 😊

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're very welcome C. Re your question, we make our own compost from our garden trimmings and kitchen scraps. I invite you to view our video to see how we do this. The N-P-K fertilizer I used in this video to boost the regrowth of the leaves is 20-20-20. You may also use a lower ratio such as 10-10-10, at the rate given on the package. (BTW, we try not to mention product brands as we are not sponsored😄) Once the leaves have flushed out and you want to encourage blooming, use a fertilizer that is high in potassium (K) but low in nitrogen (N). For this, I use 7-12-40, sometimes called 'bloom booster'.

[@jermies]

Thank you so much

[@thelmamccatty9181]

You're welcome Jermin, glad to know you're watching our videos.👍🙏💕

[@Muswell]

Another question please - In order to stimulate growth of new side-shoots on a citrus tree, you can "score" just above a node. Can I do that on bougainvilleas too, rather than pruning & cutting out the older stems/branches completely? Will scoring work to make it bushy in the bare parts ? Will scoring also work on olive trees to make them bushier ? Thanks !

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Great questions @ Muswell. While I haven't tried what you've suggested, it should work in theory as it's similar to what's done in airlayering. But be sure to cleanly remove all the bark tissue down to the woody layer. Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

[@bobwoerner8731]

great video. i have 4 or 5 bougainvillea abot 3 months old. they get lots of sun all day but i guess from too much water none of them have ant colored leaves .just green ,they continue to grow slowly but im wondering will the colored leaves (bruxes ?} return and if so how long will that take?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Bob, thanks for your comments. At 3 months old your bougs are still young and are likely to be putting more energy into growing strong roots. Hopefully they'll be ready for the next flush of blooms, which usually happens in the hotter drier months. It's a good idea to reduce watering and fertilizer during these periods to encourage bougs to bloom.

[@JacquelineBarragan-mw1wl]

Hi Thelma, what is exactly 20;20;20? Thank you for the video?

[@iMakeFunWithFish]

20-20-20 fertilizer has a 1-1-1 ratio of three basic fertilizer elements N-P-K which is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you want your flower to bloom more you choose the one with low nitrogen level that is the first number, and medium in phosphorus (2nd number) high in potassium (3d number) so that would be fertilizers with ratios such as 7-12-40 or 8-16-24 etc.

[@shannanberry]

Mine has no leaves left at all due to a frost here in florida usa.....im going to cut allof the plant back to about four inches and hopes this will work...i usually cut back to the level of remaining leaves but with no leaves i dont know what to do....cross our fingers and hope i do the right thing this is my first bogey as we named it....❤

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Oh dear😮 I'll keep my fingers crossed also.

[@fluideyeart3525]

Hi Thelma. Thank you for this video and for all the info you give. Now that I am retired I am finally getting a Bougainvilla that I want ... called San Diego Red. Ordered it delivered from California US. It came with 3 leaves and was 5 inches tall. Over the last 4 months it has grown more leaves and lost some ... back and forth. Now about 9 inches tall with no leaves. I am concerned. After reading your answer to a question about nutrients, I am giving it what you recommended... just started so no results yet. I kept it in the garage with a growlight during our cold winter and we are getting sun and warmer temps now so able to stay outside. But, I am still concerned ... no leaves sounds so bad!! Thank you in advance for your advice.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Bougainvillea is a very hardy plant. If the stem is alive, it should send out new shoots soon. You can scratch a small section of the bark and if it's green, it's alive🤞🌄

[@donnettkerr6717]

Hi Good evening. Grate video thanks for sharing. Question. Where can I get one of your gardening book to buy I am in St Elizabeth

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Donnett. Thanks for your question and I apologize for the delay in aanswering. All our publications are ebooks which are sold on amazon and on Bookfusion. You may prefer to use Bookfusion as it is a Jamaican platform. The links to both platforms are given at the end of the descriptions of each of our videos.

[@donnettkerr6717]

@@thelmamccatty9181 thank you. Bless

[@penniroyston3214]

Where n How did you find the slugs? My B'villea has places on the leaves where they have been 'eaten, bite marks ' .. whats could thar be from?? Thank you..

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Penni, great question. The slugs were hiding in the space between the liner pot in which the boug was planted, and the outer decorative pot. They also like to hide under the pot. Snails and slugs leave their hiding places soon after nightfall. So this is the best time to go searching for them. Holes in the leaves could also be caused by different types of caterpillars, which are easy to find and remove during the day. Or you can use an organic insecticide containing Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)

[@solarwinds-]

Please help. My bracts look a bit transparent right after they open and then the tips turn brown. Have you had this problem? She is in a plastic well draining pot. She is not root bound. She blooms profusely so watering is good. I only fertilize about every 2 months as recommended on my special Bougainvillea food.

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Interesting question. No, I haven't experienced premature loss of color in bracts. This may happen if the plant is exposed to conditions it doesn't like such as a sudden drop in temperature, below 70C. It could also be a variety peculiarity. But it doesn't sound too serious as it continues to bloom for you.😊👍🙏

[@bowler8]

my bougainvillea dies back in the winter, I have to bring it inside in the pot, so I cant seem to get an increase in size

[@thelmamccatty9181]

This must be frustrating, but give thanks that it survives the winter indoors!

[@thelmamccatty9181]

I assume that your boug gets bigger over the summer? You could try pruning just the tips of branches just before taking it inside in the fall. In theory it should send out new buds close to where you pruned. Which means you would retain the previous summer's growth🤞🤞😊

[@Debjam56]

Why did you take it out of the clay pot you showed it in before you trimmed the dried out one?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Hi Deborah, we use the clay pots as outer decorative pots especially when they're placed on the courtyard. They're too expensive to have them throughout the garden😁

[@nanomc3174]

Hi Thelma, I found your video very helpful…thank you for all your informative vids…..could you tell me what time of year should I be pruning my potted bougainvilleas to keep them tidy looking ?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

While the best time to prune most plants is in the spring (March to May), bougainvillea will put on lush growth whenever its getting lots of moisture and nutrients. In which case you may prune anytime the plant is growing vigorously and need to be brought back into shape.

[@nanomc3174]

@@thelmamccatty9181 Thanks a lot Thelma…now I know.

[@rebeccakeating1226]

How do you prune

[@randyvelarde7448]

How do we control these snail invasions

[@thelmamccatty9181]

The standard treatment is Methaldehyde - pellets or liquid application. But I try to avoid this in a home garden, especially if there are pets. The alternative is to search them out at night, physically remove them, then dispose of them either burying them or neutralizing them with salt. (Unfortunately, this is a never-ending task).

[@santhisel]

Should ve a close up when pruning

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Thanks for this feedback. We were new to making youtube videos then. 😊

[@7broskies857]

I can barely see the focus of the video when you zoom in. Information is very good

[@thelmamccatty9181]

We appreciate your feedback, especially re the focus, and look forward to constructive comments on other videos since this helps us to improve. Thank you.

[@KravDr]

I'm sorry, but you were saying something about 20-20-20 soluble... what is that?

[@thelmamccatty9181]

Good question as this can be confusing. Its one of the more commonly used fertilizer formulations containing 20% nitrogen, 20% phosphorus and 20% potassium, plus small amounts of micronutrients. It's referred to as 'soluble' as it dissolves easily in water and can be applied to plant leaves without burning them, providing you don't exceed the recommendations on the package. Hope this helps😊🙏

[@demauppasant6465]

I'm afraid I gave my bougainvillea too much phosphorus...a 10-20-10 soluble. Significant amount of flowers falling off. Guess I'll have to prune back and start over. I'll surround her with other flowers to veil the bare branches she'll have.

[@gardeningwithcalyx]

Oops! We know how this feels. But it sounds like you know you’ll have to be more careful next time. So, unless you’re trying to promote root growth in a young plant, go easy on the phosphorus; likewise the nitrogen, unless you’re promoting leaf growth. That’s a great consolation idea, surrounding her with flowers while she recuperates😊

[@maramunson336]

you never told us where to cut... above the node or under the node ... just don't cut when there is a shoot coming out the side. I would have liked to see a close up of the cut

[@bethanyhopkins1495]

Evict those slugs! haha

[@thelmamccatty9181]

😆 😂 😆 Thanks Bethany for this first 'laugh of the day'💕🌄🙏