Bougie to hot?

[LemonBonsai]

Throwing this out there...on a slight possibility. Did you check the tree for scale. Those sap suckers weaken a tree...and make the new growth not so strong when pushed. What I've read...is scale can cause leaf curl in bougainvillea as well...and also discussed elsewhere. (Made me pause because not seen that as a side effect on my tigerbark. But also different foliage thickness.) You mentioned checking leaves for pests. What about trunk and branches for scale?

Just checked, nothing that resembles scale, still didnt see any other insects when checking either. Could this be anutrient deficency?

Also do bougies do good in dry heat? Because right now in canada its very dry heat. Do they thrive in hot humid temperatures? Because theres not been much humidity here.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I live in NE Ohio. We don't have high humidity here for the most part. Never seen it on my bougainvillea.

Edit...Arizona has very dry heat most of the year. My friend who has many bougainvillea there has no leaf curl.

 

[LemonBonsai]

I live in NE Ohio. We don't have high humidity here for the most part. Never seen it on my bougainvillea.

Edit...Arizona has very dry heat most of the year. My friend who has many bougainvillea there has no leaf curl.

Hmm ok well I guess the next step is to check the roots no? If its nematoads ill find knots, if its not maybe the roots have been overwatered and it cant get water to the foliage at the very top?

Edit: or I could just try watering less and let it dry out for a bit, since the soil is very well draining.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Yes...I think monitoring watering is the best idea. Because clearly you don't have nematodes in both pots. Would be my speculation.

 

[LemonBonsai]

New symptom alert.
Black spots about 1 -2 mm in diameter. Looks flat. But it isnt in the leaf, some kind of sticky substance on the leaf. Looks to flat to be scale but not sure what it is. Either way its been sprayed down with neem oil and quarentined for now.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Sounds like soft scale...

Bougainvillea Pests

Bougainvilleas are flowering vines. They are often grown as houseplants but can be grown...

homeguides.sfgate.com

 

[RJG2]

Well what do you know. I've been trying to figure this out on mine all winter

So far, I'm pegging it to root issues. I think I was under watering at one point, and some died/rotted. I have seen no pests.

New growth looks good, old growth is still curled. I just brought it outside this week.

We'll see when I repot this summer.

 

[LemonBonsai]

Well what do you know. I've been trying to figure this out on mine all winter

So far, I'm pegging it to root issues. I think I was under watering at one point, and some died/rotted. I have seen no pests.

New growth looks good, old growth is still curled. I just brought it outside this week.

View attachment 380123

We'll see when I repot this summer.

See mine is opposite, new growth is curled, old growth is completely fine

 

[LemonBonsai]

Sounds like soft scale...

Bougainvillea Pests

Bougainvilleas are flowering vines. They are often grown as houseplants but can be grown...

homeguides.sfgate.com

I wonder if this was my original problem, or if they found it because it was already suffering seem to have shown up over night

 

[Cadillactaste]

I wonder if this was my original problem, or if they found it because it was already suffering seem to have shown up over night

Makes you sure wonder. No clue...

 

[LemonBonsai]

Well an update on this one, I ended up moving it to a shadier spot away from the rest of my trees for a bit, I never did see any bugs on it but either way I sprayed down the tree a couple times with an insecticide soap. Gave it some strong fertilizer maybe 2 weeks ago, and now I have moved it back into full sun, and its exploding in growth! I count 40 growing points all the way from the very bottom of the trunk to the canopy.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Exploding with growth is good. I think letting it get slightly more dry between watering might help with the curl.

Bougainvillea come from Brazil, but not the rain forest. They come from more open southern Brazil where there's a mix of grasslands and wet-dry seasonal forests. They need sun, and large specimens can survive extended droughts, though small ones will dry up & die if allowed to go completely dry for more than a day or two.

Curling leaves may be due to keeping it too wet.

 

[LemonBonsai]

Exploding with growth is good. I think letting it get slightly more dry between watering might help with the curl.

Bougainvillea come from Brazil, but not the rain forest. They come from more open southern Brazil where there's a mix of grasslands and wet-dry seasonal forests. They need sun, and large specimens can survive extended droughts, though small ones will dry up & die if allowed to go completely dry for more than a day or two.

Curling leaves may be due to keeping it too wet.

Noted. although recentlly we have had rain probable 3 days in a row, and torrential downpour. not drizzle. When the leaves were curling it was during the hottest and sunniest part of our summer so far here

 

[Forsoothe!]

I suspect that leaf curling is nothing more than temporary uneven growth of different parts of the leaves which ultimately equalizes at leaf maturity. Many, if not most leaves grow irregularly as they unfurl from being tightly packed in buds.

 

[LemonBonsai]

I suspect that leaf curling is nothing more than temporary uneven growth of different parts of the leaves which ultimately equalizes at leaf maturity. Many, if not most leaves grow irregularly as they unfurl from being tightly packed in buds.

Well i feel its either this or an enviormental issue, cause ita doing it again ill just let it do its thing

 

[Carol 83]

Well i feel its either this or an enviormental issue, cause ita doing it again ill just let it do its thing
View attachment 389964

One of mine did that last year. I never knew why, but it eventually was fine. No ill effects.

 

[LemonBonsai]

Well I never quite figured out why my bougainvillea did this, but whatever im doing now must be right

 

[hinmo24t]

Regardless of curl...looks like new growth and flowers, good signs

 

[cbrshadow23]

I get leaf curl like this on my red bougie every year before it blooms. It happens only to the leaves that are getting lots of direct sun. Right now only the top leaves have curled/red leaves because of where the plant is placed. The lower leaves which don't get as much direct sunlight have flat green leaves. It would worry me except I know it happens every year with this tree. Those areas are always first to flower.