Perhaps you can help me with re-potting my bougainvillea which has been indoors in Toronto all winter.
I was told that I would need to re-pot it in a larger pot in April to allow for this years’ growth.
The pot is currently 14 inches across the top and 9 inches high. There are 2 stems as in picture below.
Any tips you can provide would be helpful.
Also, when can I put it outside on our west-facing deck after re-potting?
Thank you.
Hello – Thanks for sending along the photo of your bougainvillea. Bougainvillea like their roots to be crowded so I wouldn’t be in any hurry to re-pot your plant. Unless you are seeing roots stretching out of the drainage holes or appearing on the surface of the pot you shouldn’t need to re-pot this year. When you do decide it’s time, use a pot just one size larger.
You can move your bougainvillea outdoors once all danger of frost has passed. In Toronto, that would typically be in late May. Give your plant a chance to acclimatize to the outdoor sunlight by keeping it at first in a shadier location and gradually exposing it to more direct sunlight over a 1-2 week period.
I’ve included a link below to a good article on caring for bougainvillea by one of our fellow Master Gardeners in California. I hope you get lots of bloom on your plant this summer.
UC Master Gardeners – Bougainvillea