Dying Bougainvillea

[T_y]

Hi all,

during a visit to my local nursery i picked up a Bougainvillea as a test bonsai. from what I hear they're pretty hardy and great for first time bonsai enthusiasts.

I bought it home and moved it to a bigger pot but noticed that that the leaves started wilting and have now fallen off... is there anyway to salvage it?

[Dumper]

Bougainvillea is like a semi decidous plant.

If it is cold enough, they will go into dormant.

It should be fine. give it a scratch at the main trunk to c if it is green. if it is green. nothing to worry about

[Matthew]

it maybe going dormant is thw weather is cold enough but possibly its stress from the repot if too much root was taken or maybe the roots dried out while you were repotting? if its green underneath its still alive, if its a potting issue , maybe a dash of seasol and put it somewhere with morning sun but protected. if its the weather should be ok watch for frost or -5.

[Bougy Fan]

What has the weather been doing in South Africa when you repotted it ? Did you just slip pot it or did you really mess with the roots ? How long from repot to leaf drop ? And how often have you watered it ?


Tony

[T_y]

Thanks for the replies,

It's currently winter here in South Africa, but the temperature doesn't dip below the -2 degree Celsius mark. I did remove the soil from the roots during the repot, and checked to see if the trunk was still green today, (which it is) but still noticing that the soil is staying moist, so I haven't watered it...
About the leaf dropping, it started to wilt the day after i repotted it, and the leaves started dropping about a week later...

just wondering if the soil is wrong, and if so, should or can i repot it into different soil?

[NBPCA]

Bougainvillea will need winter protection of some sort if you are getting down to minus 2.

We had one on loan here for 5 months over the summer period but it didn't thrive as much as it does in its warmer clime.

Our cooler night temps and lack of humidity over summer slowed it down a lot and it did not bud back as freely.

If you repotted yours going into winter that might be a big problem. If it is staying too wet that is also not a good thing and dangerous for the tree over the winter period.

Keep it dryish, warm if possible and protected.

Good luck,

Grant

[Jarrod]

I was going to say the same thing Grant. I treat Bougs like figs and rootprune and repot at the end of spring start of summer. Keep yours on the dry side and also warm as Grant has stated.