Needing some help

Shibui

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
7,545
Reaction score
15,224
Location
Yackandandah, Australia
USDA Zone
9?
A nutrient deficiency of some sort? What is your usual fert regime and when did you last feed it?
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
Looks kept indoors by a window.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 

Mannythered

Seedling
Messages
23
Reaction score
16
Location
Saint Paul mn zone 4 b
I do have it indoors under 2-600 watt led grow lights. I live in mn so the weather doesn’t allow me to put it out just yet. I use sumo cakes slow fertilizer. It’s a 7-6-6
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
Possibly too dry between waterings. Drying out only once or twice will cause leaves to look quite beat up. Bougainvillea come from a wet-dry climate, not exactly a monsoon climate, but a climate that has a fairly dry 3 month long dry period. They are opportunistic in how they deal with drought. They drop leaves easily, they can sit dormant for as much as 4 or 5 months, but the minute water is available they will start growing. They do not require a dry rest. Hence the term opportunistic. Unlike some trees that must have a dry rest, Bougainvillea will grow anytime water is present. But in order to survive drought, they loose leaves rather easily, not putting energy into keeping leaves that would get lost during drought. So while looking ugly, I doubt this is a serious condition.

If you were too heavy handed with the sumo cakes, an excess of nutrients can cause the reddish color. If this seems a possibility, take off the cakes and maybe a little of the surface soil, replace with fresh media. Then give water with no fertilizer until it is safe to put it outside. (knowing Minnesota, it might not be until June). But if you feel you were not overdoing the fertilizer, then don't remove the fertilizer.

I also noticed that under LED leaves will often take on atypical coloration. This could also be the source of the colors.

So we have 3 possibilities. You need to decide which is the cause. All 3 are either just tolerate the ugly leaves until new ones come in spring.

You can remove the ugly leaves if they really bother you. There will be a flush of new growth, usually pretty quickly after defoliation, 3 to 6 weeks.
 

Mike Corazzi

Masterpiece
Messages
2,678
Reaction score
3,225
Location
Lincoln, CA
USDA Zone
9b
It could be protesting children in the house. Have you checked the soil for milk or KoolAid? ;)







.....................kidding of course.
 

Mannythered

Seedling
Messages
23
Reaction score
16
Location
Saint Paul mn zone 4 b
Possibly too dry between waterings. Drying out only once or twice will cause leaves to look quite beat up. Bougainvillea come from a wet-dry climate, not exactly a monsoon climate, but a climate that has a fairly dry 3 month long dry period. They are opportunistic in how they deal with drought. They drop leaves easily, they can sit dormant for as much as 4 or 5 months, but the minute water is available they will start growing. They do not require a dry rest. Hence the term opportunistic. Unlike some trees that must have a dry rest, Bougainvillea will grow anytime water is present. But in order to survive drought, they loose leaves rather easily, not putting energy into keeping leaves that would get lost during drought. So while looking ugly, I doubt this is a serious condition.

If you were too heavy handed with the sumo cakes, an excess of nutrients can cause the reddish color. If this seems a possibility, take off the cakes and maybe a little of the surface soil, replace with fresh media. Then give water with no fertilizer until it is safe to put it outside. (knowing Minnesota, it might not be until June). But if you feel you were not overdoing the fertilizer, then don't remove the fertilizer.

I also noticed that under LED leaves will often take on atypical coloration. This could also be the source of the colors.

So we have 3 possibilities. You need to decide which is the cause. All 3 are either just tolerate the ugly leaves until new ones come in spring.

You can remove the ugly leaves if they really bother you. There will be a flush of new growth, usually pretty quickly after defoliation, 3 to 6 weeks.
Wow! Thanks so much! I’ve got a feeling it’s part of the lights and some of the underwater if it.
 
Top Bottom