Bougainvillea drought recovery...

[FiggieSmalls]

Hey folks,

Well I let my pixie bougainvillea go a little too long without water and it dropped all of its leaves. I want to say the leaves were starting to wilt for just a couple of days before I caught it, but since it lives in a tent in a closet with lots of intense light (and gets quite hot in there) it's pretty unforgiving.

Now it's been at least a couple weeks since this happened and I'm getting worried because I don't see any new growth yet. Totally barren! At first I made sure to give lots of water to revive, but now I'm starting to back off because it has no leaves so I don't want to overdo it.

Am I wrong to be starting to panic? What do yall think? Will she bounce back? Any suggestions? Should I turn down the intensity of the grow light or anything?

Thanks all,
Figgie

 

[Eckhoffw]

Hey folks,

Well I let my pixie bougainvillea go a little too long without water and it dropped all of its leaves. I want to say the leaves were starting to wilt for just a couple of days before I caught it, but since it lives in a tent in a closet with lots of intense light (and gets quite hot in there) it's pretty unforgiving.

Now it's been at least a couple weeks since this happened and I'm getting worried because I don't see any new growth yet. Totally barren! At first I made sure to give lots of water to revive, but now I'm starting to back off because it has no leaves so I don't want to overdo it.

Am I wrong to be starting to panic? What do yall think? Will she bounce back? Any suggestions? Should I turn down the intensity of the grow light or anything?

Thanks all,
Figgie

Any pics? What are you using for soil?

 

[Eckhoffw]

From bonsai Empire:

Water the bougainvillea thoroughly when the soil gets dry, but avoid constant soil wetness which will lead to root rot, fungal problems, insect susceptibility and death. The species prefers a pH value of 6 to 6.5, so avoid using highly calcareous water.

Just keep er moist. Not wet, and I bet it’ll be fine.

 

[Crawforde]

When my bougies dry out enough that they lose their leaves, I water them as if nothing happened and they typically flower right away. Bougies in my experience are more likely to die from overwatering than from underwatering.

 

[Carol 83]

Be patient and don't overwater. They can easily recover from being underwatered, not so much from overwatering. Just when you think they're a goner, they'll start growing.

 

[leatherback]

Bougainville is hard to kill from underwatering. Mine regularly go bare at some point and take weeks to resprout in winter, if I keep them cool and drier.
In the drier tropics it is normal for them to be bare for long stretches.

Just keep the plant slightly dry and wait

Side wuestion.. Why do you grow this in a closet?

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Bougainville is hard to kill from underwatering. Mine regularly go bare at some point and take weeks to resprout in winter, if I keep them cool and drier.
In the drier tropics it is normal for them to be bare for long stretches.

Just keep the plant slightly dry and wait

Side wuestion.. Why do you grow this in a closet?

Hehe well the grow tent just fit nicely in the closet honestly... And i figure it's a bonus that I can maintain 80-90 deg temps in there by keeping the door shut. Maybe not ideal air circulation-wise... but hey the plants seem to like it

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Thanks all!

I think I just needed some reassurance lol and I appreciate the reminder to not overwater as well. I'll make sure to keep her a little on the dry side