How To Get My Bare Bougainvillea To Bloom?

Question

I bought a 5ft bougainvillea from a nursery and the moment I took it home it started getting spider mites. I sprayed it with insecticidal soap and it was doing fine. But then I had a few days of windy and rainy weather and the bougainvillea’s leaves and bracts all dropped. It’s completely bare and I assumed it was from all the rain. I decided to repot it into a terracotta pot to help it dry out faster. However it’s still bare and some of the smaller branches where the leaves and bracts grew turned brown. I decided to prune those off and some of the stalks but I don’t see it showing new blooms or leaves at the nodes. The plant is still alive because if I scratch the bark it’s still green inside but I have no idea what to do. For reference I live in southern Ontario near Toronto so the weather is now warming up but we’ve had several days of temp fluctuations.

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Answer 1

You have done all that you could, but make sure to keep spraying for mites. They are hardy and will not die with the first treatment. I'm battling them, constantly, all year. A little patience and care should get new growth going, but I would definitely focus on vegetative growth rather than blooming.

Keep in mind that you are well outside where it can be hardy. This means that your cooler weather is likely preventing growth, as well. Anything approaching 40F (4C) is going to seriously injure the plant.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/bougainvillea/bougainvillea-garden-care.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/spider-mite-control.htm