Bougainvillea dropping flowers and leaves: causes and solutions

Bougainvillea has a long flowering period and comes in diverse colors, making it very suitable for potted landscaping. However, during cultivation, it is very easy for bougainvillea to drop flowers and leaves. So why does bougainvillea drop flowers? What should you do when bougainvillea drops leaves?

Why bougainvillea drops flowers

Human causes

Frequently moving the plant during the flowering period, or exposure to strong wind and rain, will cause flowers to drop. So during the flowering period, place the repotted plant in a fixed position, and move it to a place sheltered from wind and rain with plenty of sunlight.

Improper watering

Try not to water bougainvillea while it is blooming, as this will make the flowering period longer. Watering during the flowering period will cause the flowers to drop quickly, so be careful not to water when bougainvillea is blooming. If the branches and leaves wilt, you can mist appropriately to increase humidity.

The normal flowering time for bougainvillea is October to November, and flower bud differentiation is generally completed in August to September. To make bougainvillea produce more beautiful flowers, you can promote flower bud differentiation through appropriate water control, and during its flowering period you can apply more phosphorus fertilizer, which helps extend the flowering period of bougainvillea.

Fertilizer burning the roots

Applying too much fertilizer to bougainvillea or choosing the wrong fertilizer will cause root burn, making the whole plant wilt, with leaves turning yellow and flowers dropping.

Insufficient light

Bougainvillea likes sunlight, and at least 9 hours of light per day is needed to keep its branches lush and its flowers abundant. If light during the flowering period does not meet the requirement, bougainvillea will grow abnormally and drop its flowers.

What to do when bougainvillea drops leaves

Bougainvillea is prone to dropping leaves during cultivation. The causes are the same as those for flower drop, so we will not repeat them here. Below, we introduce the methods for handling bougainvillea leaf drop!

Add light

Bougainvillea is a sun-loving plant. If it is kept in a shaded environment for a long time, leaf drop is bound to occur. At this point, move the plant into the sunlight promptly, and after some time the bougainvillea will gradually recover.

Control watering

In hot seasons, insufficient water supply or excessive watering in winter can easily cause leaf drop. Therefore, water bougainvillea in the right amount: in summer, water once each morning and evening; in winter, reduce watering frequency appropriately, watering once every 3~5 days. This can avoid bougainvillea leaf drop caused by improper watering.

Control temperature and fertilize

The suitable growth temperature for bougainvillea is 20-30°C. Temperatures that are too low or changeable will cause leaves to fall. Especially in winter, if the plant is moved indoors too late, the leaves will fall all over the ground. When fertilizing, choose fully decomposed organic fertilizer, and adhere to the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently, to avoid root burn and leaf drop.

Prune dead leaves

When bougainvillea drops leaves, the plant will show yellow leaves to varying degrees. At this point, cut off the yellow leaves, but keep the branches. After new buds sprout, cut off the dead branches. If leaf drop occurs during the seedling recovery period or in winter, it is normal; just place it in a cool place, promptly clean up the fallen leaves, and after some time it will be fine!