My Bougainvillea plant is never blooming inspite of growing tall and big?

should i prune/cut it, but i dont know how dats done....and should i add fertilizers like Grow-Fast for the plant to bloom ? i water it every day once in the morning, and is placed in my balcony with plenty of sunshine (though no direct sunshine)....thnx :)

My Bougainvillea plant is never blooming inspite of growing tall and big?
I sorta agree with 'sugar'. Bougainvillea is a tropical plant. Lots of sun is sorta essential, I'd also recommend allowing it to dry out between watering's. Lastly, heat is an important factor.





I used to work for a retail nursery in Michigan, we would get Bougainvillea as a tropical porch plant. They would be in bloom when we got them, but soon there after, the flowers would mostly fall off. Once it warmed up in the summer, the flowers would return. I've also had one indoors, which would only bloom in the winter, when the heat was on.





I would also keep the nitrogen to a minimum. Use a fertilizer with higher phosphorus (the middle number on the package). Also use something with a soil acidifier, iron or another such soil amendment that will help out too.





I hope that this helps


Good luck-
Reply:I'm willing to bet that your vine is near a nice green lawn that gets plenty of fertilizer. If the vine gets the same kind of fertilizer in the process, it's going to keep growing happily, and will never be prodded to bloom. You need to keep lawn fertilizer (or any other high-nitrogen [first number] fertilizer) away from blooming plants. They will grow madly, but never be stressed enough to bloom. Instead, feed it a fertilizer with a high middle number to encourage it to bloom. Keep the lawn fertilizer away from the roots of the plant; hopefully within a year or two, your vine will start blooming.





Good luck!
Reply:too much water. they like it on the dry side.
Reply:POTTING: They may be grown in large pots filled with a compost of two-thirds loam and one-third leaf mold, sand and broken brick, however, they are most beautiful when planted in a bed of soil and trained up wires tied to the roof in the spring or fall. In the spring, a few inches of topsoil are removed and replaced with fresh compost. A minimum winter temperature of 55 degrees is required. During the summer, an abundance of water is necessary, but in the winter the soil can be kept almost dry. In February, the lateral shoots should be pruned to within two buds of the base.
Reply:I think you are being too kind to your plant. these plants need a bit of a harsh treatment. Being a desert plant they are adapted to that.





Bougainvilleas need three things to bloom- firstly pruning-- just cut one third of all the stems. Secondly, don't over water it as it is a desert plant. Just let it dry a bit in-between waterings especially when it is not flowering. And most importantly- give it plenty of sun. Bougainvilleas won't form buds if they don't get sun.


Don't fertilize it too much - just twice a year may be. and when you do fertilize, make sure it is a high potash fertilizer.
Reply:When pruning, cut back the side shoots leaving three to four buds. Provide a high nitrogen feed when it comes into growth, followed by a high potash feed when the buds appear. Keep just moist in winter.