Dead Bougainvillea Regrowth

[lamster]

Hi There,

I am totally new to gardening and I have a question regarding Bougainvillea.

An unfortunate event occurred that resulted in a 20 year old Bougainvillea bush being clipped so badly that all that remains of it is a stump in a deep pot of soil.

I'd like to know if it is even possible for the plant to regrow again from this stump with proper watering and fertilizing.

Please help me, there is someone who is very upset over the situation and I do wish to help to at least find out whether the situation can be salvaged.

Thanks

[grandpasrose]

My father has had a potted bougainvillea for the last thirty years, that he puts outside everysummer, then in for the fall and winter. Every time he brings it back inside, it drops all its leaves and goes dormant. He prunes it all back to just the main stem (trunk) and it has always come back. He has done this for years and it has never let him down.
Have patience, give it some tender care and lots of light, and it should be okay.
Val.

[Grey]

It should bounce back - a bouganvillia that old has a nice root system! Are you in Fl, Az, or Cal? Shouldn't be to bad, just don't let it dry out.

[lamster]

It's a relief to hear that the bougainvillea is such a hardy plant. I'm living in sunny Singapore so there's no lack of sun and rain. There's another plant (small tree) sharing the pot and recently, before it was clipped, the bougainvillea was also nothing but a thorny stump with 1 branch extended with leaves. (I live in an apartment where the plant is on the balcony in the shade, and the branch extends out into the sun)

The tree that is sharing the pot is growing well, but I always felt that due to its presence, the bougainvillea has to contest for water and nutrients from the soil, which is probably why it wasn't growing well.

Do you guys have any suggestions as to what I can do to help the plant to get back on its feet?

Thanks muchly

Terence Lam

[grandpasrose]

First of all, Bougainvillea thrive in sun! Also, how big of a pot do you have these two plants in, and what kind of tree is with it?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Competition will not help the comeback at all. You are probably correct in your assessment of the reason for the original decline and it won't get better with time. Assuming some return of growth you should probably start a cutting or three to perpetuate your plant (any possibility of getting them apart would do more damage than good at this juncture).

Mixed plantings almost never work as one will always outdo the other; sperate pots is the best bet...

Scott

[grandpasrose]

That's what I was getting at Scott. I don't think anything would grow well with a tree in a pot!
Best of luck!

[lamster]

Well, there's not much I can do about the small tree in there now. My dad placed a branch from a bonsai in the soil there and it took root and grew really big.

The pot is about 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep.

The tree has been in that pot for a number of years too. I've always wondered why my Dad would want to plant a tree next to the bougainvillea. But then my dad has kept 2 ferns that happened to sprout in our pots.

I want to ask what sort of say soil or fertilizer can I use to supplement the soil to make it easier for the bougainvillea to regrow. I don't have a clue...

Thanks

[lamster]

Oops actually the pot is actually only 1 foot cube. Never really measured it before. I guess the less the amount of soil, the more difficult it will be to regrow eh, since the small tree is contesting for nutrients and water.

[grandpasrose]

If you get new shoots on the bougainvillea I would suggest you do what Scott suggested and root a new plant.
If, however, you want to keep these two plants together, you certainly need to put them in a bigger pot. Bougainvillea prefer a light, peat based soil. I don't know what your tree would need. Bougainvillea are also very heavy feeders, and need to be regularly fertilzed, or try a good slow release fertilizer. They also need to be evenly watered, and allowed to dry out a little between waterings. Also once again, they thrive in heat and sun!
Hope this helps.
Val

[lamster]

Haha thanks for the tips guys.

[The Helpful Gardener]

It's what we do...

Scott

[azucenadelvalle7]

I have a bouganvilla plant which is not flowering and would like to know what I can organically add to it so that it will begin to flower. I live in an area where it is hard or expensive to buy comercially prepared organic fertilizer so I would need to know what I can prepare myself to feed the plant. Thank you for any advice you can give me!!