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Bougainvillea plants, two feet high, and bound to stakes, are planted one foot from a fence, and are meant to eventually cover the fence.

Can they be left bound till they are stronger and the branches are thicker and longer or is it best to cut them loose?

pnuts
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Bob
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1 Answers1

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care of bougainvillea

I wish I had Bougainvillea worries! Yes, pruning is essential. I would not use the fertilizer the second one suggested as that will enhance vegetative growth not reproductive growth (flowers). Equal or Nitrogen less in percentage than the Phosphorus and Potassium.

I would un stake your plants and allow them to get stronger and climb for themselves. This will cause a much stronger 'trunk'. Any staking makes for weakened plant structure. Just like having a cast on your arm, your muscles atrophy big time in just a few months. If you have high winds or animals, then a simple chicken wire cage would protect.

Key is competition with grass or other plants for chemicals necessary to make their own food and energy. What are you doing for fertilizer. This is a tough and sensitive part of engendering a plant's strength. Plants have to have chemicals (others call this 'nutrients') with which in combination with light the plants make their own energy or food. Just a little too much and you kill your plants. Providing none and your plants die a little slower.

Send a picture of the environment, the plant and the fence. That will help tremendously. As well as any information you could possibly add even if you do not think it is pertinent.

stormy
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  • Tks, Stormy Fertilizer is soil ammendment and compost. – Bob Jun 03 '17 at 01:53
  • Tks, Stormy Fertilizer is soil ammendment and compost. It is planted near where a pepper tree was cut down a year ago. http://neonfire.com/~/Bougan1.JPG http://neonfire.com/~/Bougan2.JPG http://neonfire.com/~/Bougan3.JPG – Bob Jun 03 '17 at 03:10
  • Stormy, any additional comments ? – Bob Jun 14 '17 at 00:26
  • Soil amendments and compost are not balanced fertilizers. They will have some but won't be balanced and need to be considered with what you chose as a fertilizer. The simplest would be Osmocote 14-14-14. Use it twice a year. This vine has some work to do. Fertilizer is just as critical to plants as water, light and drainage...and we humans are the ones who have to manage this for the plants. Compost is for soil tilth and soil organisms, not so much the plant. I am puzzled how fertilizer got to be a 'bad thing'...it is not. It has to be added. Carefully... – stormy Jun 14 '17 at 19:05
  • @Bob and most definitely unwrap these guys. Give them something to climb to get up on the fence. Loosely tie to the guide wires, string is probably better. When they get on the fence make sure that you remove the string and all ties. You can always help them by a big of looped string attached to the fence. Allow them to slip through the loop 14" or so of string, looped in two, a screw to secure to fence, guide branch through the loop. This will take a year or two before they will be on their own... – stormy Jun 14 '17 at 19:31