Bougainvillea leaves turning white

Lorax7

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I have a pixie bougainvillea that has been indoors all winter but receiving natural light from south facing windows. I just moved it outside 2 days ago. Some of the leaves are now turning whitish. Is this anything to be concerned about? Should I defoliate in order to coax it into pushing out new leaves?

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Forsoothe!

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They need the same progression coming outdoors reversed in the autumn going indoors: shade, bright shade, dappled sun, part (or east) sun, full sun. Then in autumn: full sun, part sun, dappled shade, bright shade, full shade. Each step needs about 5 to 7 days for the plant to acclimate its photo receptors to slightly changed intensities.
 

Steve C

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So what happens when one plunges bougies from full sun to full shade

They will drop their leaves. Mine do that every time I bring them in for the winter because I don't wean then off the direct light. Not a big concern for me though they always push out new leaves after dropping them. If you don't want to deal with a bare tree for a month or two inside then it's best to wean them.
 
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