Bougainvillea grafting

[TomM]

I have a nice little bougainvillea Pink Pixie which is quite healthy and it flowers nicely. Have had it for about 8 years. It stays under lights through the winter and goes outdoors in our short (CNY) growing season, June - August.

Unfortunately I broke an important lower branch due to a botched wiring attempt - very brittle branches.

The good news is that I'm left with a 1 inch long stump there and it is budding with new leaves and in time I may have a good replacement branch. I will be very careful and allow it to grow out properly.

Question is - can grafting be used to add new branches - borrowing from the back to fill in a weak area? Any experienced people to give advice knowing that I live in the cold Northeast climate? Specifically - when is the best time of year to do this?, and would I want to remove any foliage from the donor branch? How long might the process take?

[Gnome]

Tom,

I have never worked with this species so I don't have anything specific. I have attempted grafting several times though. I tried, unsuccessfully, to thread graft a Chinese elm. One graft site simply failed for no apparent reason, the second was still OK after more than a year when I severed it from the live side. That one then withered and quickly died, evidently I did not leave it long enough. Last summer I did an approach graft on a Juniper and the jury is still out on that one.

Being a vine it would seem that you should be able to get a shoot long enough to try a thread graft. Let us know what you end up doing please. Can anyone else help Tom?

Norm

[Charles M]

I have thread grafted a Bougainvillea, and while it is doable, it takes a very long time for the threaded branch to thicken enough to fuse with the main trunk if the tree is in a pot. (Two to three growing seasons). I may end up putting mine in the ground to speed things up.

[TomM]

Thanks for the replies Norm and Charles. I don't think my little bougie is ready for thread grafting anyway. The trunk is way too slender. But, like I mentioned earlier, it is growing back a new branch where I broke one while wiring. It will take some time - but that's OK.