Bougainvilleas not blooming - Knowledgebase Question

Benicia, CA
Avatar for weekender1
Question by weekender1
August 4, 2006
Hi. I have a Bougainvillea that has grown pretty large (it's about 5 years old), but only blooms for a short period. How do I know if it's getting too much water? It has a lot of green leaves, but the flowers only last about a month or so.
Thank you.
Kelly Castillo


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Answer from NGA
August 4, 2006
Bougainvilleas bloom in a 5-6 weeks cycle and they tend to bloom better if they are kept on the dry side. Perhaps this is because in their native habitate they flower after a rainfall that ends a drought. In any event, provide as much sunshine as possible - the less direct sun, the fewer the blooms. You didn't mention whether or not you'd pruned your bougainvillea. These plants produce flowers on new wood that develops on old wood. You can try pruning it back a bit to force new flowering stems.

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