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Tropical Plants - Australia

repotting baby bougainvilleas

17 years ago

I have several baby bougainvilleas in large pots. They have been in these pots for about five years so, if nothing else, they need new soil .

Quite a few years ago, when I only had 2, I repotted them but I didn't want to go into bigger pots so I was pretty brutal.

Pulled them out, pruned the top and cut the root ball right back as well. Fresh soil and that was that.

It took them several years to come back.

Later on, I read somewhere where they don't like that sort of treatment and, apparently, I was lucky they survived at all.

I still don't want to go into bigger pots so what can I do?

I've had very little luck in getting any bougies to strike otherwise, I'd just do that.

Can anyone help me out pls?

thanks,

Annie

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Comments (4)

ashmeri
17 years ago
Annie, I have had them in the same pots for years, I just top up with new potting mix and then fertilise tyhem and off they go again.

At the moment I have 10 cuttings I am going to try, I have never done that before as I usually just go an buy a new one, but these were given to me. I am not sure whether to use the hard wood or the new tips.
Do you know ?
Marion
annie_____
Original Author
17 years ago
No, I'm afraid I don't, Marion. I've only really had one success and it was so long ago I don't remember how I did it.
I might ask Pam or Alison. They're pretty cluey, aren't they?
What colours do you have, Marion?
Are they all the Baby Bougainvilleas?
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alisonoz_gw
17 years ago
I'm not, Annie, haven't tried. I understand they can be propagated from soft cuttings in sand, bottom heat and moisture, or semi-hardened wood cuttings. Spring would be a good time to try. I think you have to be patient either way and aboid rotting with soft cuttings.
They certainly don;t like roots disturbed and take a long time to recover from a savage re-pot. But they bloom well, quite root-bound as long as they are getting adequate water and fertilizer but not too much nitrogen.
I agree with Marion, they can stay in the same container for years. I used to have a lot in l tubs at previous house, and never did more than top up the soil once a year, give an occasional prune and chuck on some dynamic lifter or whatever.
I did google up this site, which while not Australian, seems to have some useful propagation tips in general.
http://www.houstongardening.info/bouginfo.htm
Good luck
Liatris
17 years ago
I'm not either, but I did happen to do some cuttings at this time last year. You can do hardwood cuttings in Autumn - stick them into sand, enclose in a plastic bag, put it in a back corner and forget about them for a while. Bottom heat will work too. I seem to recall the ones I did a couple of years ago with bottom heat had roots in about 6 or 8 weeks.

Alternately, and this one is just as easy -what I did in Spring last year was really just an experiment to see if it would work. Terracotta pot, propagating sand and soft or semi-hardwood cuttings. Pot the cuttings as usual, and sit the whole pot in a saucer of water. Within a couple of months I had a dozen rooted cuttings I had no use for! :]

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