Pruning

My bougainvillea is in need of a prune in order to make it bush out more, but how can I prune it when the end of every stem looks like this?

 

Ah, problems, problems :D
Looks alright to me Rich.

 

Well for my tuppence - you can't prune now. Wait til the bracts disappear, and then have at it.

I just wish I could grow it. Remember seeing it an Africa - and drooled.

 

H, Rich!
According to the Pruner�s Bible -

Prune in early spring
Reduce the length of the main growths by cutting them back to about 2/3 of their original length, and tie into place on the support structure
Prevent overcrowding by cutting out unnecessary shoots
Cut all lateral shoots back to within 2 or 3 buds of the main stems, as these will bear the current season�s flowers and bracts

Sounds rather like dealing with climbing roses to me!! I�ve done that often, but never dealt with anything as exotic as a bougainvillea myself!! Enjoy!! :D

But your photo looks good to me!!

 

Prune in early spring.

Problem is that all winter it has been flowering, as soon as one load of bracts finishes another starts, all over the plant.

Now new leaves are growing along all the branches, each with a little sideshoot.. I just can't bring myself to cut od those fantastic bracts, but I'm waiting for it to grow a bit so I can attach the frames to the wall. It's 6 feet high at the moment.

 

Hi!

For what it's worth I just prepared a free pruning report you may find useful. See below:

 

Hi, Rich....

I take it yours is inside???? I had one last year, and, yes its another I managed to kill over winter, so I bought another this spring. It has been in the greenhouse, but is looking very ill,going all pale and insipid..... and hasn't sprouted al all..... ho, hum.... can you give me any tips????

 

Mine is in a 15" pot. The holes in the bottom are at the top of inverted spikes. I pot clay balls in the bottom up to just above the spikes and fill the rest with home made John Innes with extra grit.

The conservatory has a heater which prevents the temperature going below 17C.

The latest set of blooms have finished now and I pruned each branch back by a third, new growth is looking good and new bracts are forming.

Honeybee, my guess is that you are overwatering it.

I can't explain how I water it, I just do it when I feel it needs it, and let the top inch dry out before doing it again. I feed it with Phostrogen about once a fortnight during the summer. This is it's first summer so that may be wrong.

Thanks Containerman, I'll have a look at that.