Bougainvillea - sick, dead, or normal?

[yikesplshelp]

I'm terrified I might have damaged, or even killed, my partner's potted purple bougainvillea plant. He is currently away on a 3-week bucket-list trip that he has been planning and saving for over two years. He asked me to water his plants once every 3 days while he is away. So, he left on a Friday, and I was supposed to water the plants for the 1st time on Monday of the following week, and then again on Thursday etc., until he returns. Sounds easy enough, right? Ugh...well, apparently not for my ADHD brain. Despite being medicated, and setting a recurring 3-day alarm on my phone - I forgot that 1st Monday, and continued to forget until the next alarm on Thursday. As a result, his plants were not watered for 6 days straight.

I have not told my partner about this yet, because I know he'll be so anxious and I don't want to ruin his big trip. I feel it would be better to face him in person, rather than telling him over the phone and leaving him alone to worry while he's away and can't do anything to fix it. So, I plan to tell him when I pick him up at the airport when he returns this Friday. In the meantime, I've been panicking and googling and trying to prepare myself for the worst case scenario and I stumbled upon this site. I'd be so grateful if someone here could help me anticipate the outcome for this plant and/or offer advice on the best way to apologize and make this up to him.

When I went to his place on Thursday, all of the plants seemed okay, except the bougainvillea - his favorite baby I'm a total plant newbie, so I'm not 100% sure if it's a bonsai or not. He keeps other bonsais, but this is in a deeper container. It does look like a tree from the side view, and some of the roots appear visible above the soil in the pot. Anyway, by the time I arrived on Thursday, the poor thing had already dropped 50% of its leaves and 90% of its purple blooms (picture of that day is attached). I swept up enough crispy, tan, dead leaves to fill an entire plastic grocery bag. That was a little over a week ago. Now, the plant is partially green and growing some teeny tiny new leaves but continues to drop a small a handful of older leaves every day.

Just a few weeks ago, every branch of this plant was covered in big green leaves and impressive purple blooms with little white flowers popping out. At that time, the plant was kept outside in full sun because it was still warm enough. However, my partner brought the bougainvillea inside just before his trip, as it is fall here and we were expecting our first frost. The plants are currently kept on the floor of his formal living room, averages 68 degrees, no grow lights, just indirect dappled light from a large southeast facing window. Is it possible that this plant would shed leaves in the same manner, simply from the lack of light in its new environment? In other words, is this actually just normal expected behavior from the plant? Or did I mess it up? If so, how likely is it to bounce back? And how soon?

 

[Cable]

Should be fine. They're pretty tough.

 

[Carol 83]

It's dropping leaves from being suddenly moved in from outside to a low light situation, not the watering. You're off the hook.

 

[yikesplshelp]

Should be fine. They're pretty tough.

Thank you, that makes me feel a little better

 

[yikesplshelp]

It's dropping leaves from being suddenly moved in from outside to a low light situation, not the watering. You're off the hook.

Is it possible that this was his intention? Would this be considered "over-wintering" or letting it go dormant? Sorry, just not sure if I should move it to a sunnier spot for now.

 

[Carol 83]

Is it possible that this was his intention? Would this be considered "over-wintering" or letting it go dormant? Sorry, just not sure if I should move it to a sunnier spot for now.

It's a tropical, so doesn't need dormancy. A sunnier spot would be better.

 

[ForrestW]

My Bougainvillea will drop about 50-70% of the leaves every year when I bring it inside for the winter (I use grow lights as well). Often within 6 weeks it is near total defoliation, but then it comes back slowly every year until a big burst once it is back outside -- I have had if for more than 20 years of this routine.

I suspect your watering had nothing to do with the leaf drop-- and it will bounce back a little in a month or two, and then fully in the spring/summer once it is outside again.

 

[leatherback]

Bougies respond strongly to changes in environmental conditions, particularly dry air & roots.
They drop their leaves to prepare for a longer period of daught. The combi between moving inside and not watering for a bit over a week can have caused this.

I'm a total plant newbie

word of warning DO NOT compensate by waterling loads now. The plant will need very little water in this state, and too wet a pot is a certain possibility, with its own real long term consequences. So just water as per explanation given by the owner.

 

[yikesplshelp]

It's a tropical, so doesn't need dormancy. A sunnier spot would be better.

Thank you!

 

[yikesplshelp]

My Bougainvillea will drop about 50-70% of the leaves every year when I bring it inside for the winter (I use grow lights as well). Often within 6 weeks it is near total defoliation, but then it comes back slowly every year until a big burst once it is back outside -- I have had if for more than 20 years of this routine.

I suspect your watering had nothing to do with the leaf drop-- and it will bounce back a little in a month or two, and then fully in the spring/summer once it is outside again.

Thank you very much for responding. This is good to hear! So relieved I didn't do permanent damage, and maybe didn't even cause the existing damage.

 

[yikesplshelp]

Bougies respond strongly to changes in environmental conditions, particularly dry air & roots.
They drop their leaves to prepare for a longer period of daught. The combi between moving inside and not watering for a bit over a week can have caused this.



word of warning DO NOT compensate by waterling loads now. The plant will need very little water in this state, and too wet a pot is a certain possibility, with its own real long term consequences. So just water as per explanation given by the owner.

Thank you This is a relief to hear.

...and yes, I have just resumed watering on the normal 3-day schedule ever since the first mistake.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Just want to say that outside the advice given, I think it is great you care so strongly about your partner's plants. If I asked my wife to water my trees she'd purposefully let them die probably lmao.

 

[Lorax7]

My purple bougainvillea is doing exactly the same thing right now. It does it every year when it’s brought inside for the winter. Even under LED lights it still doesn’t get anywhere near the same amount of light as outdoors, so it drops the leaves so it can make new ones that are optimal for its new growing conditions.

 

[vesper818]

Yikes, you are doing great. We don't get much subfreezing weather here but the bougies routinely drop their leaves in cooler weather.
What did we do before phone alarms? Sometimes a double alarm is needed to keep me on track, and I'm only responsible for my own trees.
You got this, and Mr. Bucketlist will appreciate you even more when he gets home.
C2

 

[Carol 83]

My purple bougainvillea is doing exactly the same thing right now. It does it every year when it’s brought inside for the winter. Even under LED lights it still doesn’t get anywhere near the same amount of light as outdoors, so it drops the leaves so it can make new ones that are optimal for its new growing conditions.

I have found that letting them see a little cool weather for awhile before moving them in lessens the mass exodus of leaves. Mine saw 40's for sure, probably some high 30's and they hardly dropped any leaves.

 

[Tycoss]

I overwinter bougainvillea every year, and even with good lighting, the change in air movement and humidity leads them to shed and replace most leaves. It made me panic the first couple of years. I just avoid looking at them too much for the first 6 weeks or so.

 

[Lorax7]

I have found that letting them see a little cool weather for awhile before moving them in lessens the mass exodus of leaves. Mine saw 40's for sure, probably some high 30's and they hardly dropped any leaves.

My process for moving the tropicals indoors is optimized for the convenience of the human being involved in the process, and to a lesser extent what’s good for the plants. Basically, everything got brought in at the same time except for the pomegranates and redwoods, which are still outside for now and won’t come indoors until after we’ve had some more freezing temperatures.

 

[Carol 83]

My process for moving the tropicals indoors is optimized for the convenience of the human being involved in the process, and to a lesser extent what’s good for the plants. Basically, everything got brought in at the same time except for the pomegranates and redwoods, which are still outside for now and won’t come indoors until after we’ve had some more freezing temperatures.

I totally get that. I could have probably left mine out another two weeks but I had the time and didn't want to have to rush. My bigger patio plants like the hibiscus, gardenia and lemon will come in tomorrow.