A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 What the secret to keep bouganvilla blooming?

I have my Bouganvilla in a hanging basket and it gets 8 hours of full sun. I want to know what do yall use to keep bouganvilla blooming constantlly? Cause mine do bloom but after the bloom fades its hard to keep blooming. Do they bloom in winter if kept on the sun? How much water to add? Do you prune? If so how much to cut? Zone8b.

I frankly cannot see a bouganvilla in a hanging basket....not to say they can't be.... lets just put it this way ...mine are planted at the top of a hill and this year I had to cut them way back because they were taking over the hillside....I'm talking branches that reach 10-15 ft very easily within just a few weeks......and the stem of that branch is at minimum the size of your baby finger. So you see it is hard for me to picture a bouganvilla in a hanging basket.

Bougans after they are very well established planted in the ground should bloom almost year round....I have never fertilized them at all....the only thing that seems to mess with them is when they get toooo much water. This plant likes neglect....less water the more it flowers....up to a point ...it will take a long time ....but the green leaves will start to look a little faded and start to turn in and crinkle...but give it a good deep soaking a boom it is back.....but I get the most blooms when the soil is pretty darn dry.
Pruning....when planted in the ground once established you can snip that guy anywhere and he will pop out more branches....If you tip prune you are going to cause it to be fuller. I have tried taking one out ....cut it all the way to the ground and that plant shoots out in every direction possible now. I have another in a hedge pattern....the third one I experimented with ....I took out about 1/2 of the stems and left a few nice awesome bending branches ....keeping those clear of leaves up about 3-5 feet and then just letting it spread over my kitty lodge to give it shade.

In California I can prune it year round...less water the better for blossoms....but like I said that is for a bouganvilla planted in the ground and well established with a lot of sun year round. Hanging baskets I would think would be tricky because they tend to dry out so fast....and the planting material you used, the crystals that could of been added, size of basket, heat of the day, humidity...etc. Too much work for me...I bet they look awesome though.

Can anyone else help with a bouganvilla planted in a hanging basket?
Catlover

I hack furiously at mine with a hedge trimmer in the vain hope that it will die... That seems to do the trick for us.

I grow mine in a hanging basket.Is cocoa fiber lined and one of them wire baskets.Its now on front porch hanging and hope to add a few more baskets so can twine through the top of porch so hubby has something to complain about.I water when basket feels light.It seems to bloom more when not so hot.like outta the 90 temps(though 86 today WAS close)

http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit

Go to tulips

I AM LISTENING TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT PUTTING THE BOUGAN'S IN THE GROUND. I'M IN NORTH CENTRAL FL. WE DO GET A FREEZE NOW AND THEN. BUT THE FIRST START OF spring (MARCH) I AM PUTTING MINE IN THE GROUND. IT IS DOING WELL IN THE HANGING BASKET WHERE IT IS. HOW DO I START CUTTINGS FROM THIS plant? THANKS, SHIRLEY

Okay, I first learned that I have been spelling the name of this plant wrong for darn near my whole life.. :rolleyes:
spelling is: bougainvillea ...learn something everyday.

From the site below I have learned you can either tip or air layer bougans.
bougainvillea propagation

Bill has some pages already written up on how to do these procedures.

I have read other places they are very sensitive to being transplanted....so be careful not to disrupt the roots very much when transplanting.

Let us know how they turn out and if they survive a winter etc.....I know once established they are sure hard to get rid of here. I am hoping with a light frost....it will just die back in that area and then sprout out like crazy.
Catlover

I've often wondered about that plant. You see it mentioned in every third novel. There's always some of it blooming as the characters pass a place.

I wonder if it would grow here in the north (Toronto, Canada)

If you want more "flowers" on your bouganvilla then you must let it dry out. This plant thrives on a sorta abuse of drying out. If you keep it well watered then it will grow new and healthy green leaves but until you let it start drying out then you will not get any new color leaves.
All of my bougys are in hanging baskets or pots but I intend to start growing some in my yard next spring. During freezes they will die back but in spring they will start all over again.