Bougainvillea problems

I bought a really large bougainvillea in orlando this spring and it grew really well into the summer and was repotted into a large wooden box and cut back for some design changes. Two months or so later, the longest branch had grown to 6' so in early september I cut back and wired some of the long branches. A while ago I noticed some leaves dropping though none of the leaves turned yellow. I also began to see some holes in the leaves, so I sprayed some insecticides (neem oil and malathion), but the new growth has only nubs of leaves though the shoots are still intact.

now it looks like this:

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My small one always does this during the winter due to the lack of light inside. It looks like you are growing yours in a sun room so my guess is that you have the same issue.

My are too big to bring inside during winter months. I just cover them with plant blanket. They all do drop all leaves, when I cover them. My bougainvilleas grow back nicely in warm weather. Usually , I don't let its branches grow too long like your plant. Drop leaves is somewhat a normal thing for bougainvillea, when grow it in cold area.  2 big things that you need to keep in mind that not to over watering or over fertilizing.

Thank you I was really worried. I have another one that is beginning to bloom but is now drpping leaves. They are actually in a glass greenhouse and get direct Sun for at least a few hours a day and all my other tropicals are still growing well, so I did not suspect lack of light, however I know glass cuts light by about 50%.

But are the curled whitish brown leaf edges normal? It just looks like a disease. Would bottom heat help? I have my smaller plants on heat mats but not the bogies because they are so big but I can make room.

check your PMs... not bougie related though

Carter,

Did you mix neem and malathion? If so could it have been harmful?

Secondly is Bougainvillea a plant that can tolerate an oil spray. I've read that not all plants can handle oil on the foliage.

Best,

Augustine

No I did not mixed them. I actually just found the malathion after I ran out of neem. There don't seem to be any new holes in the leaves just a lot of leaf drop and brown edges on the leaves now. This is my first time overwintering them and I did not know that they would do that but from what people above said it seems that this is normal. As for the oil on the leaves- I noticed the leaf drop before I began spraying but I have eased up now that I am not as concerned. The brown edges could be due to the oil because I know that it will burn leaves if it is applied in full sun in the heat of the summer, but I thought it was safe now, but then again we have had some unusually warm days

Carter,

start to learn you plant zones and apply the information to your climate.

Neem is safe enough.

Stay away from Malathion, please.
Laters.
Khaimraj

The tree is recovering wonderfully. I moved it off of the cart that it was on onto the heat mat I think this made a huge difference because now everywhere that a leaf fell of there is a new shoot! It is not so easy to see in the photo but it looks very happy now. I was in Florida before Christmas and saw that many bougainvillea there were doing the same thing so I was not worried.


The smaller bougainvillea next to it is now in bloom.

Those leaves look super shiny and healthy, glad it came back so well. I've got like 10 bougies, but they are lots smaller and get health issues in no time. Still in cocopeat though, so that explains most of the imssues, but have you got any healtcare tips?

This is only my first year growing bougainvilleas so I don't know that I am the person to ask, but I can say that they like the fast draining soil and can stay dry for a long time in between watering in the winter. The small one that is blooming now I purchased in the spring and it was all yellow and looked nearly dead. I pulled it out of its pot and most of the soil fell away so I put it in its current pot with a perlite based almost completely inorganic mix and watered and fertilized well. It is now dropping some leaves, but after seeing some large ones in the landscape in Florida do the same thing in the winter, I am convinced that it is relatively normal and not much reason for concern. I do have to say that the tree quickly turned around after being set on the heat mat because I believe that the bottom heat may have stimulated the new growth. Steve from Plant City bonsai told me that he heats his greenhouse to only 38 degrees F in the winter yet the tropicals grow very well because he has them on a heat mat set at 70.

Ahh, okay. Thanks for replyin'. Do you fertilize much? Mine get chlorotic really fast..
Will ask my boss about bougie healthcare too, his brother grows them with thousands and thousands. Will see how good they can take a week on the radiator.
Will let ya know if they're still alive next week!

I don't know if a radiator would be too hot or not, but it might make the air too dry for them. As for fertilization, I gave both of them all types of fertilizer, but I have slowed down now that it is winter. Light may also be an issue since you are growing inside-do you use a supplemental light system? Bougainvilleas like heat and full sun.

No extra stuff for growing. The light my bedroom windows provide should be enough. If it's not, I move it to the orangery, which has not only bigass windows, but also polycarbonate roofpanels which the light can pass through without too much loss.
Thinking again, the radiator wouldn't be the best spot..

It seems most tropicals don't do that well in the house, but when put out side in the summer, they really jump and seem to be impervious to most all problems.

Almost all tropicals go outside in the summer, to reinvigourate. They seem to be extra happy when outside. The house is then all empty of plants (except for the orchids and a couple of others) to be stuffed (literally, sometimes we have no idea where to put 'em as everything is completely stocked) in autumn again.