Bougainvillea Cuttings Started - Help with - Propogation Methods

RobertB

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So I finally brought myself to purchase a bougainvillea this summer with plans on propagating some cuttings for bonsai training. I had always heard that bougies were some of the easiest to propagate. I haven't done anything to the mother plant yet besides snip some branches off on 7/22 to make cuttings. I was thinking of repotting but wanted to first learn about and wait to repot till next year. The plant itself isn't anything really that special besides the really nice white / pink flowers it puts out.

So my plan is to propagate cuttings from the plant to train as bonsai. I took 9 cuttings on 7/22 and planted in a med size bonsai soil. I cut 2 branches off the mother tree once the flowers has faded and the plant had moved back to veg growth. The two branches were cut into about 4 inch cuttings, cutting right below a node on the bottom, dipped in hormone and trimmed the old bracts off and leaves up to the top of the cutting leaving only a few leaves. If they were large, I cut them in half. I then left on my table which has a shade umbrella (whole table is under a large oak tree). The cuttings received about 1.5 hrs of direct sun in the early morning then shade the rest of the day. I handed misted these (my wife when I was at work) about 4 times a day. I should also mention that the humidity has literally been close to 100% every day so I didnt cover them with anything. Within a week, most of the leaves started to fall off and I moved the cuttings to my back porch in full shade. By now, all the leaves have fallen off and I moved them back on my patio where they will start getting a little sun again. There are still a few cuttings with buds partially opened but not looking great. Half of the ones that have the half open buds have turned brown.

I decided to pull a cutting out yesterday (the one the dropped leaves first) and exam it. There was no callusing at the bottom but when I broke the stem in half, it was still green.

Do these take some time to root? Is it normal for them to drop all their leaves before they root? Do they need some sunlight to root?

This weekend, I plan on starting more in pure pearlite. 100% pearlite seams to be the only medium I have success with for cuttings. I will probably prepare the cuttings exactly the same but plant in pearlite then cover with a plastic tube, while still misting 4 times or more a day.

If these done work, I will probably wait till next summer and start trying cuttings and some air layers too.

Any recommendations?
 

atlarsenal

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I have had them drop all their leaves and think they are unsuccessful and then surprise me by leafing out some time later. They don’t need much sun light to root. I have 10 cuttings started 2 weeks ago under my deck with shade cloth over them that haven’t lost a leaf. I have a larger one from a month ago shaded by bigger trees on my bench that lost all but one leaf. I’m not giving up on it unless it hasn’t leafed out by fall.
 

Carol 83

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I've tried, with no luck.:(
 

RobertB

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Well i know these are not hard to do. There is info all over the place about them, just not some details. Everyone talks about how easy they are. I will figure them out eventually then post up a good "how to in my area" on here.
 

bonsai-ben

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Saw it off, ignore roots. Just cut it where you want it. Stick it in soil. Ignore it for 6 weeks but water it every day or two. It'll pop out again, root, and have color. The Bougie is the simplest of all "trees" -- chop it like its hot and stick it in an aggregate.

The thing people screw up with making new Bougainvilleas:

1.) They over water
2.) Wrong time of year (HOT HOT HOT is best, year round successful, but best when warm)
3.) Not enough sun. FULL SUN! That does not mean 5 hours of sun. It means sunrise to sunset for the best most vibrant bracting.
3.) Feed it with Bougain (Home Depot, Lowes, nothing else works anywhere near as well)
 

RobertB

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Are saying to place cuttings in full sun? I have the mother in full sun and it's growing like crazy. The cuttings have been placed in mostly shade. A few hrs of drirect sun in morning.
 

bonsai-ben

Mame
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Are saying to place cuttings in full sun? I have the mother in full sun and it's growing like crazy. The cuttings have been placed in mostly shade. A few hrs of drirect sun in morning.

In Florida, full sun. Your area may vary, but in my back yard, full sun. :)
 

thumblessprimate1

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My bougainvillea cuttings go in the shade. My medium varies. Could be vermiculite, or potting mix with lots of peat moss, or even just diatomaceous earth from the auto parts store. I just water to keep moist.
 

RobertB

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i had two make it till about mid winter and i tried moving out of the grow pot and into something smaller to bring indoors and they quickly died. I dont want alot of plants so im going to airlayer this year. I wired the branches that i plan on layering during winter and plan on layering as soon as the host plant is back strong. I really like layers!
 
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