We have a Bougainvillea in a hanging basket.?

Question

We cannot get it to bloom. Any suggestions or tricks?????

Answer 1

Get it out of the basket, plant it on the ground. The roots will have bigger space from where to get nutrients.

Bougainvilleas need minimal watering, and they won't bloom if you constantly drench them with water. Prune the twigs that do not have leaves, they fight for nutrients.

Have you fertilized the soil? Urea or complete fertilizer should do the trick. I do 1 spoon of urea and 1 spoon of complete fertilizer in a gallon of water to fertilize my ornamentals.

Answer 2

Bougainvillea are heat loving, sunny plants for starters.

Now things that help out blooming:

Being root bound or pot bound.  causes it to dry out faster. Increase the cycle and plants grow faster.

Allowing it to run slightly dry before watering. don't let it wilt hard though. A form of stress management that helps stunt growth, by shorting the growth nodes, and also stimulate reproduction as a means of self preservation. Blooms being the first part of reproduction.

Utilize a fertilizer high in phosphorous (the middle number of the three numbers posted on the label).  AKA Super-phosphate which is usually 0-60-0. Or other rooting and blooming special fertilizers. Otherwise, always use slow release fertilizers or water souluable ones.

And overall a healthy lush, growing happy plant.

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