Every bougainvillea fanatic needs to know how to prune bougainvillea to enjoy those beautiful color displays to the fullest! Prune a bougainvillea plant regularly to encourage prolific flowering and bush growth. My first attempt at growing in a pot in Canada. Grows as an annual outdoors or as a perennial in a container indoors. For tropical climates, Bougainvilleas are a boon, as they are going to offer you an all year floral fiesta! Seal all cuts to prevent rot. How to Hard Prune a Bougainvillea Hedge. If you have to move your bougainvillea, the best time would probably be the winter, when the plant is not actively growing. Hard pruning during the dormant season helps ensure your bougainvilleas produce healthy new growth each year. The blooming cycles last four to six weeks; prune and pinch after the blooming cycle. Wear gloves and long sleeved shirts and pants if trimming or training these plants. Pruning is the technique that will keep the plant looking colorful all the time and maintaining its shape and compactness. Pruning before the beginning of a new cycle allows the vine to produce vigorous new growth. please help how to take care of yellowing leaves best time to prune how do i get rid of them harvest please help asap! Remove the length of stem that has flowered just behind the first flower. Prune a bougainvillea plant regularly to encourage prolific flowering and bush growth. By putting it in a pot the rampant tendencies are curbed," Ray said. And that’s why you want to prune or lightly prune your bougainvillea after each big round of flowering. ", wall. Don't cut into the old growth until early spring. This is best performed in early spring before bloom and growth to get the most out of the bougainvillea in your desired direction. The plant usually produces three rounds of vibrant blooms in spring, summer and autumn. My bougainvillea is not flowering, what could be causing this when it is large and healthy? ", spread on a frame and flowered well. No. In zone 9-11 landscapes, late winter/early spring is the best time for bougainvillea pruning. Perform “soft pinch” pruning on a bougainvillea plant any time of the year to promote bushier, lateral branches. A book title would help. Bougainvillea is a climbing, flowering vine or shrub native to Brazil. ", "Excellent descriptions for caring for bougainvillea. The one I’m pruning here is Bougainvillea Barbara Karst. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. I would, however, like to be able to print the, "This article was exactly what I needed. ", "Info on pruning was helpful. The warning about thorns could be expressed stronger. My bougainvillea has just exploded this year and pulled my trellis off the, "I love this plant and I had a bougainvillea before, but did not pay attention to its care and it died. Bougainvillea is a vigorous grower and needs pruning throughout the year. You can plant the cut stems and they will grow into a healthy shrub. Bougainvilleas can respond well to a hard prune but only do this if it is absolutely necessary as they respond better to light regular pruning. Bougainvillea is a tropical vine with beautiful flowers and evergreen leaves. Bougainvillea is a climbing, flowering vine or shrub native to Brazil. Thank you. Do I cut off the full stem of dense flowers when pruning bougainvillea? "Big help. Bougainvillea Pruning and Pinching Proper pruning is important for bougainvillea to bloom. It is particularly important to prune bougainvillea regularly to maintain reasonable branch structure, keep them manageable, and avoid tall, heavy, and/or unruly shrubs that put out little new growth each year and bloom only occasionally or minimally. Tropical vines that bloom throughout much of the year, bougainvilleas (Bougainvillea spp.) Always cut at a joint. It will take a few years, but once it takes hold it will grow nicely. Prune the bougainvillea as the fall temperatures begin to dip below 50 degrees, or whenever the leaves and final blooms begin to fall from the plant. Pruning Bougainvillea in Summer: I’ve gotten comments like “why is my bougainvillea not blooming” or “my bougainvillea was blooming was blooming when I brought it home but now it’s not”. A neighbor pruned her bougainvillea and left long branches. Just don’t forget to move them indoors when temperatures begin to fall, as the plant has little cold tolerance. She has been a home gardener and professional gardener since 2008. Prune the bougainvillea. What a bougainvillea likes is full tropical sun, moderate watering (unlike most plants, it does better if you keep it on the dry side than evenly moist) and regular fertilization during its growing period. Summer Bougainvillea Care In the summer heat, Neem oil — or any oil — will melt and slide right off of your plants. Fertilizing. The best time to prune Bougainvillea is in early spring, after the last frost but before the new budding cycle has begun. The exact month of the year during which bougainvillea should be pruned differs by region. Approved. Bougainvillea pruning for hedges is severe, but usually the plants are trained to trellises or other vertical supports and need minimal pruning in early spring to enhance growth. Wear thick gardening gloves to protect yourself from thorns, and disinfect your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol before you start pruning and after each cut. Trimming bougainvilleas yields cuttings that were rooted and grown on for new specimens. With a bit of pruning, bougainvillea can be trained as a bush, a climbing vine, a tree, a … Do I cut off the little branches that are left after the flower dies and falls off? Once the bush stands between 100 and 150cm tall, prune off the branches on the lower 50cm of the bush. Effective Tips To Prube Bougainvillea. This will promote healthy growth in the spring. If you must prune to control the plant, prune lightly at the end of the flowering period. Before we jump into pruning, let me clear a common misconception about bougainvillea. I want to trellis my bougainvillea against my outside wall, but that would mean I couldn't bring it indoors during the winter. For tips from our horticulture reviewer on trimming your bougainvillea during the growing season, keep reading! Place a rock over the drain hole. Plants grown indoors should experience annual bougainvillea pruning for maintenance and to keep them small enough for transitional movement and ceiling height. It would be best if you didn't move your bougainvillea to a larger container at all. Thank you, you helped a lot. Katherine Gohmann is a Professional Gardener in Texas. ", first pruning. Can those be planted successfully? Remember to wipe your pruning shears with the disinfectant after pruning diseased branches before pruning healthy branches to prevent disease from spreading. It puts out a big show of magenta/purplish color off and on for 9 or 10 months out of the year. Last Updated: November 24, 2020 Plants need time to rejuvenate and start another growing cycle . I grow my bougainvillea in a pot outside in summer and inside in winter. These tropical climbers are suitable for large containers placed in the garden during summer but must be kept frost-free in winter. Leaving dried blooms on the plant will prohibit new blooms from forming. When learning how to prune bougainvillea, keep in mind that the more often you prune off dead blooms, the more new blooms your plant will produce. I cut mine from about 10 feet down to 6 feet, and they still bloomed a few months later. "Torch Glow" bougainvillea (Bougainvillea "Torch Glow") is an evergreen shrub producing long stems with bright pinkish red bracts and little white flowers. Depending on how tall the bougainvillea standard tree form is to be, it may take a 4- to 8-foot long stake to allow for enough of it to be sunk into the ground to support the top. Bougainvillea is a climbing, flowering vine or shrub native to Brazil. I live in Almeria, Spain. Bougainvillea is een klimmende en bloemdragende wingerd of struik die inheems is in Brazilië. Thank you!". Can you suggest some way I can keep it alive here? Prune it to the shape you want and keep it fairly short. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2a\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2a\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-2.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-1.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6b\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6b\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-3.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-4.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d4\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d4\/Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-7.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-Prune-Bougainvillea-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/67\/1383806-6.jpg\/v4-460px-1383806-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/67\/1383806-6.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-1383806-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/14\/1383806-7.jpg\/v4-460px-1383806-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/14\/1383806-7.jpg\/aid1383806-v4-728px-1383806-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"