bougainvillea leaves dropping

I just brought a bgva in from being out all summer and its leaves have all fallen. What should I do? I am in zone 6a, Boston. I have it under artificial light and there are moisture trays. I think I remember that this happens...but how do I deal with the now leggy branches that will be braught about by the new foliage being on just the tips?

If you can keep light on those leggy branches and keep the tips pruned back regularly the Bougey MAY back bud for you, mine is inside now and doing just that on a bare branch. if not now then in the summer when you "hopefully" let her go outside. Mine drops all its leaves in early spring and then shoots out a branch at just about every former leaf joint, It gets dense fast that way. Just slack back on your watering significantly over winter, I allow mine to almost droop before watering deeply. If the light and warmth are available Bougainvillea are very like ficus in their ability to break buds all over and grow from branch stubs..have no fear.

I should add that if your new to Bougainvillea, in winter we just try to nurse them along when they're indoors, all I ever do is wire them in winter, I prune back anything thats too leggy sometimes, but basically the tree kinda stops until spring, so we keep watering to a minimum, keep it away from drafts, just get her through the long indoor season, then in spring they spring right back again and go crazy with new growth. They will often look like poo throughout the winter, just be ready for that. I would allow whatever growth it feels like doing to just extend and as I say just cajole it along through the winter.

Don't fret. They do that. Just do NOT over water. Bougies without leaves probably should be allowed to go bone dry between watering. Chances are better than good that your tree will be blooming in January.

Thank you for giving me some comfort. I was really worried there for a moment, or maybe it is just my watching the LiveStream covering OccupyWallStreet....man glad I got my plants to keep me company.....