bougainvilla ?

I have a wonderful thick trunked bougi with lots of leggy tenticles extending of from the top portion. I have them in a wired cascading effect which I think is quite catching visualy. The problem is each of the branches have tons of budds opwning but they don't seem to be quite right. All those buds running up and down and the fact too is that many never even approach any form of real potential. Any ideas as to how I might address this challenge? Thanks all for your advice.

It is hard to tell by your photo but the branches look green and fairly new. If you are bending too much the connection of the branch to the trunk may be breaking and then the branch can't get food. In Boston a Bougie will be a challenge, where do you keep it?

This is the wrong time of year for work on a Bougainvillea and, as Billy says, those branches look too young to be worked on yet anyway. I'd recommend you just keep it in a greenhouse over the winter and think about real work on it about June or July of next year.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:It is hard to tell by your photo but the branches look green and fairly new. If you are bending too much the connection of the branch to the trunk may be breaking and then the branch can't get food. In Boston a Bougie will be a challenge, where do you keep it?

Hello Billy thank you for your input. I will watch the bending, I think that could be part of mhy problem. As for where my Bouggie lives...spent the summer on the back poarch facing south...and a bit of an eastern early morning light...Kept her mostly in the morning light . She seems to like the sun more than not. For awhile I had her on the front porch with a northern eastern light...stays sunny til about 1pm and then a bit of sun early in the evening, but she did better in the southeastern sun on the back porch. The winters I have a "sun room" its a frame with a coving that is lined with reflecting paper...i forget what they are called...grow rooms. She spent last winter there and did ok.

JimLewis wrote:This is the wrong time of year for work on a Bougainvillea and, as Billy says, those branches look too young to be worked on yet anyway. I'd recommend you just keep it in a greenhouse over the winter and think about real work on it about June or July of next year.

I hope I have not done this one in....I cut the leggy branches back thinking it would have time to rest over the winter and then when she comes back out in the spring the leggyness would have been already taken care of.

Thank you for you input. There is so much to be aware of working in the art....but I love it. And the good thing is if you work real hard you can recover from mistakes...i am hoping....

Normally healthy Bougies like full sun, to be kept on the dry side, and love to be pruned. But, that is here in Florida.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:Normally healthy Bougies like full sun, to be kept on the dry side, and love to be pruned. But, that is here in Florida.

Here, too -- and everywhere else. Give them as much sun as you can all year long. Don't fret if it loses leaves in the winter. Be very sparing on the water -- at any time, but especially in winter.

Thank you for your post. I look forward to recieving information from you pros. It realy makes my day.
Have a great day. And, I will keep y'all posted on my boggie.