Q&A for How to Prune Bougainvillea

To properly deadhead your bougainvillea, pinch off the whole flower and bracts down to where they meet the stem.

Don't prune your bougainvillea during a frost. Instead, wait until spring. If you don't wait, you could damage the plant.

It would be best if you didn't move your bougainvillea to a larger container at all. Bougainvillea grow and thrive better in a pot because the pot helps with drainage. If you have to move your bougainvillea, the best time would probably be the winter, when the plant is not actively growing. However, if you are gentle while repotting you can do it anytime. Try not to disturb the roots, and check your plant often after repotting to make sure it's okay.

You can plant into another pot of soil. You don't have to put the stem in water.

Probably. I cut mine from about 10 feet down to 6 feet, and they still bloomed a few months later. They are sturdy plants.

Give it some bloom fertilizer.

Yes. You can plant the cut stems and they will grow into a healthy shrub. It will take a few years, but once it takes hold it will grow nicely.

Around three months is when you see new leaves starting to grow.

No. Plants need time to rejuvenate and start another growing cycle .

Dig far beyond the root system of your plant so you do not upset the roots. If you're replanting in a pot, make sure it's an appropriate size, they like it a bit snug. Place a rock over the drain hole. Place the plant in a pot with soil or sand, then water to settle and remove air pockets. Don't water again, for quite sometime, they do well without water. Treat it similarly to a cactus.

If your plants are still in containers, make sure you water them daily (or every two days). If they are already planted on the ground, then water them deeply every few days until they are established.

You could be over watering it. Make sure you don't irrigate when the sun is too strong or you'll damage the leaves that way. Wait until late afternoon or whenever the plant is in shade long enough for the leaves to dry up.

Yes, you can. I bring my bougainvillea inside each fall. I prune it back down to about a foot tall, take it out of the ground, root prune it to fit a pot I can easily take inside, and place it in a south-facing window over the winter. It will lose all its leaves to start out with, but don't panic -- with lots of water and a bit of fertilizer every couple of months, it will grow again and even start flowering before it's time to put it back outside after the first frost!

I have pruned mine almost halfway back in the past without issue.

These are called water shoots. Cut them back to the trunk. They do not flower and only upset the shape of the plant.

Yes, you can.

I had same problem. I moved it to back porch where it gets sun all day instead of most of the day, stopped watering until I see it drooping, then water thoroughly and don't water again until it droops. Only feed if leaves start paling a bit. Within 2 months, it was blooming beautifully.

You need to anchor the trellis to the wall. Make it a good anchor; otherwise, the weight will try and pull forward again.

Try pruning them in May or June (rainy season). This usually promotes more branches and flowers.

Prune very early spring, almost to ground level. After that, it should grow up to 3 metres with prolific flowers.

Maybe. Don't disturb the fibrous plant. But if you damage the roots, keep it in shade for 1-2 weeks.

Yes, they attract slugs, which eat all the blooms.