Bougainvillea Trunk Size - Winter Care

[Zako51]

Good Evening Everyone,

Below is a picture of my Bougainvilla I bought about 3 months ago from a local nursery. I paid $5.00 for it so I figured it would be worth an experiment. I have not done anything too it aside from Water and Feed. It did not have flowers on it when I bought it and now it is flowering. I keep moving it back and forth between the garage and outside due to the temps here in Austin occasionally dropping in the low 30's. The leaves drop occasionally as well.

If I wanted to increase the trunk size, do I need to remove the flowers? Should I increase the container size it is in? Can I cut this back now and give it a hard prune?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zako51]

I just read that you can prune these guys year round. Any thought around that? Should I prune it heavily on the top not and do the roots in the spring? Also, to increase the trunk size, should I plant it in the ground?

 

[aml1014]

To develop a thicker trunk you shouldn't prune at all, let it grow. If they can grow outside year round where you live then planting it in the ground is easily the fastest way to a thick trunk.

Aaron

 

[just.wing.it]

The variegated leaves are cool, haven't seen one like that before....
I don't think there's a great way to thicken the trunk, fast, other than ground growing, which you probably can't do.
Bougies are tropical trees, so 30 deg F is much too cold.

 

[just.wing.it]

And as far as pruning... I'm sure you could do minor trimming now, but I wouldn't hard prune until it's growing vigorously in the summer.

 

[aml1014]

30 deg F is much too cold.

You'd be surprised. Last year at my work we had a 5 gl bougainvillea sit through about a week of Temps between 18°f and 24°f. Took it into the grow house and 2 months later the bastard was in full bloom. I'd consider them subtropical.
I have one with variegated leaves that I enjoy.

Aaron

 

[Tycoss]

Putting it in the ground is fastest, but if this is not possible in your are, it sure isn't in mine, putting it in an oversized pot and feeding heavily will also help it futon girth. These are really fun plants to work on, as they grow fast and can take a lot of abuse.

 

[AZbonsai]

To develop a thicker trunk you shouldn't prune at all, let it grow. If they can grow outside year round where you live then planting it in the ground is easily the fastest way to a thick trunk.

Aaron

I agree....let it grow. They can take a lot of abuse as well as far as root work and trimming. Great plants.

 

[c54fun]

They don't like root work but they will take a lot of abuse for sure.

 

[AZbonsai]

They don't like root work but they will take a lot of abuse for sure.

Not my experience....but maybe I was lucky.

 

[aml1014]

Not my experience....but maybe I was lucky.

I'll agree with you, I generally remove 50-80% of my bougainvillea's roots when I repot them. In my experience they like less water then most tropocals.

Aaron

 

[Tycoss]

I repotted three in August and removed 2/3 of the roots. They hardly seemed to miss a beat, and the pots are almost full of roots again.

 

[c54fun]

I convinced you can run over a boggie with a truck, pull it out of the soil ripping all the roots off, shove it back into some dirt and in time will grow again.

I repotted three in August and removed 2/3 of the roots. They hardly seemed to miss a beat, and the pots are almost full of roots again.

That's awesome could you post a picture of the tree. Bougainvilleas are one of my favorite tree's to work on. So much you can do with them.

 

[Tycoss]

Here is the first one. Still in early stages of development. Trunk caliper 2.75" height 15". It still has the big ugly indoor leaves they get during winter.

 

[Tycoss]

Detail of the trunk. Hoping strong top growth closes the big vertical scar eventually.

 

[Tycoss]

The second one. Coming back from partial defoliation. Trunk caliper 2", 13" height.

 

[Tycoss]

My "little guy" trunk caliper 1.25" 8"wide.

 

[c54fun]

Awesome. I like the scar/carving on the truck. That will keep looking better each year with age. Thanks for posting. Don't get to see that many bougainvilleas. Yours are looking great. Like them all.

 

[Tycoss]

Same tree in flower. They do that 2-3 times per year.

 

[AaronThomas]

Austin occasionally dropping in the low 30's.

Looks like you and I are in similar climates.... been dropping to about 30 at night while the days are in the 60s and 70s. This is my first winter with my gathered Bouge... so far at all I have done was move it close to a sliding glass door by the house and cover it with a blanket at night when temps fall below 45. The heat from the house and the blanket seems to be enough to protect it... it appears to be doing very well. Love the leaves on yours!