Tropical Storm Hilary and Bougainvillea Propagation

[bako_bonsai]

Last weekend, tropical storm Hilary blew through my area and knocked over my two 15ft Bougainvilleas (they were overgrown and the trellis was very old). While cutting it down so it wouldn't hang in the pool, I obviously decided to save the best for rooting. It was a really beautiful plant so I saved most of the main trunks and plan to re grow the big one alongside the bonsais.

 

[Srt8madness]

Damn that's a huge one!!

 

[bako_bonsai]

Damn that's a huge one!!

They get big here in central CA! We only have like 60 days between first and last frost so there's lots of growing season. There's a house in my neighborhood that just lets them grow like wild vines up their mature pines. Those bougainvilleas are probably like 50-75 ft up. It's beautiful but I'd hate to have to take care of it.

 

[Backwardsvg]

I’d be interested in some cuttings

 

[bako_bonsai]

I’d be interested in some cuttings

If you can make your way to Central CA I'm happy to give you some! I posted to our local gardening group and had a few takers so it seems like there's going to be plenty of new Bougainvilleas from this.

 

[bako_bonsai]

I made a little greenhouse with extra garden hoops I had. Filled some upcycled containers with sand and a tip layer of soil. It's been about two weeks and the smaller ones have already shown some new branch growth.

 

[Millard B.]

If you are going to spend the time and effort on Bougies, I would lean toward Pink Pixie, drop dead gorgeous "flowers", smaller leaf size , and shorter internodes. The down side of this tree, a vine, is that large cuts never heal over and the wood decays fast. That being said I am trying to buy from an older neighborhood a 65 year old Pink Pixie grown without irrigation in white sugar sand- A 10" base with massive muscling nebari, crazy movement to be shortened to 36" at 2", at least 50 sizable cuttings, I stopped and offered the owner $500 cash last year, maybe I'll stop again just before Christmas and add a !5 gallon NamDoc Mai Mango! In 5 years this tree could fetch $20K.