Bougainvillea that has been grown for years finally blooms, why do the buds keep dropping

Bougainvillea, also called paper flower or lesser bougainvillea, is a tropical climbing flowering shrub with sharp thorns on its branches. It can climb up supports as it grows, and with proper pruning it can also be trained into a charming potted flowering plant. It especially loves light, and with proper care it can keep blooming continuously all year round.

As long as it gets plenty of light, a ventilated and well-lit environment, and regular supplements of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, bougainvillea blooms very easily. If the buds of your bougainvillea drop before they fully open, that is caused by improper care on your part, and the most likely reasons are the following.

First point, watering too frequently

Bougainvillea is a tropical flowering plant that prefers somewhat dry conditions, with extremely strong drought tolerance. Throughout the growing season it does not need frequent watering, and if the spot where you keep it does not get enough light, you should control watering even more.

During the flowering period, if you water too much, it easily causes the flowers to drop, and in severe cases it also leads to yellowing leaves and constant leaf drop.

You must control watering and wait until the soil has been dry for a few days before watering again.

Second point, insufficient light

If the environment where you keep your bougainvillea does not get quite enough light, it also easily causes the flowers to drop.

Bougainvillea is a tropical flowering plant that needs more than 6 to 8 hours of direct light per day to bloom easily. If during the bud-forming period there is not enough light, if it encounters rainy weather, or if the spot where it is kept is rather dim, the flowers drop very easily.

You need to move the bougainvillea to a place with more sunlight and avoid keeping it in the shade.

Third point, temperature too low

Bougainvillea likes a warm, slightly dry environment all year round. If the ambient temperature is too low, it also easily causes the flowers to drop. In addition, one more thing to watch out for is avoiding too great a difference between day and night temperatures.

If the daytime temperature is relatively high while the nighttime temperature is relatively low, creating a large temperature difference, it also easily causes the flowers to drop.

Fourth point, unsuitable environment

If the environment where you keep your bougainvillea is poorly ventilated, it will also cause constant flower drop. Do not move a newly purchased bougainvillea around frequently, and do not keep it indoors. It has thorns itself, so keeping it indoors easily injures people or pets. The space where it is kept must not be closed off. Even if you keep it indoors, place it on a windowsill with plenty of sunlight and give it plenty of scattered light every day.

Fifth point, the fertility of the potting soil

The soil used to grow bougainvillea must be slightly acidic humus soil, and the soil must maintain good drainage. If the soil is on the alkaline side or has become compacted, it also easily causes the flower buds to drop.

Another thing to note is regularly supplementing phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. A lack of potassium fertilizer in the soil also easily causes bud drop. About 2 weeks before the flowering period, you can give a single application of a slow-release potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution.