Bougainvillea update

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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Here is an update on this one. I've taken her in a neagari style. Thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

View attachment 394596

View attachment 394597

You have done a nice job keeping it alive for several years. @Fidur is correct, the darker green veins with pale yellow green for the rest of the leaf is a clear sign of malnutrition. Most likely a lack of iron. But I would use a plant food that is advertised for acid loving plants. Be sure it says "contains macro and micro nutrients". Mira Acid is one product "Iron-Rite" is another product. If you check the sales section of this forum website, myself and a few others are selling fertilizers, and would have they type you need. You can pick up a fertilizer that contains iron at your local nursery.

About styling. Exposed root style is not to everyone's taste. You have done the correct move with the zip tie holding the roots into a conical arrangement. This is good.

Now look at your branches. Once of your lower branches juts upward, in short angular segments. Another branch has a rainbow arc to it. I can't see all the branches due to leaves, but these two illustrate the problem. There should be a unified pattern to your branching. Either all the branches should have smooth rainbow arcs to their growth, or all the branches should have short, straight segments, abruptly changing directions as they grow.

I would "pick a theme", then train all the branches to be the same style. Either all short straight segments, all irregular branches, or all smooth arcing curves. The unification of branch styles will go a long way to making the tree look "tree like" and less like a houseplant.

You have some caliper to the trunk, it is coming along nicely. Think about unifying your branch styles, do the pruning next spring to set it up for next summer.
 

YamadoriFL

Mame
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Thanks Leo and Fidur. All great points. I’ll add an Iron supplement today. I have a couple other Bougies with the same condition.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
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Excellent, the leaves should color up quickly, maybe a week or two for the younger leaves. The older leaves might permanently have the dark veins on a pale leaf, or they might color up. Nice cutting. Start thinking about what branch structure pattern you will use for this one.

Sometimes I use plant tags, and add notes to help me remember what I my plant is. Once you are watering more than a dozen pots, one can not always remember the plan. I also will list dates on a tag for when I fertilize, and when I treat with pesticides or fungicides.
 
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