When To Propagate Your Bougainvillea, And The Best Way To Do It

Bougainvillea is a gorgeous vine or shrub that can fill your outdoor spaces with bright colors. Hummingbirds seem to love it even more than people do, so if you are a fan of backyard wildlife, it's a great plant choice. But because bougainvillea is a tender plant, it can only be grown in more desert and tropical zones year-round, but that doesn't mean you can't grow it if you live in a different climate. For example, if your area gets cold in the winter, grow your bougies in pots. You can bring your plants inside at the first sign of hard frost and overwinter them there.

There are so many varieties of bougainvillea that you may want to consider propagating your own from fellow gardeners' plants to avoid the prohibitive cost of buying them at the nursery. Maybe you just want to double the number of plants you already own without dipping into your kid's college funds. With a few step-by-step instructions, you can propagate bougies right in your kitchen with just a few simple supplies.

Experts recommend that the best way to root bougainvillea plants is to propagate by stem cuttings. When you propagate bougainvillea plants is as important as how you do it. Too early or too late and your cuttings will refuse to root. The best time to do stem cuttings is late spring or early summer when the stems are part new wood, part older wood. You will look for a stem that has a grayish look with a green tip of new growth.

First, choose a 6-inch length stem to cut off the mother plant, and cut just below a leaf node. (There will be a small bump where a leaf attaches to the stem.) Be careful: They have pretty fierce thorns. Strip the lower leaves off the stem until there are just three leaves left at the tip. You can choose to dip the end of the stem into a rooting hormone powder available at nurseries or home improvement stores, but that is optional.

Next, insert the end of the stem into a small pot filled with fast-draining soil. Water until damp, but not soggy. To keep the humidity high, put the pot into a clear plastic bag and twist the tie closed. Mist the inside of the bag daily to keep the soil damp. Place in indirect light in a warm room for four to six weeks. You will know that the cutting has rooted once you see small new green leaves form.

Once your bougainvillea cutting has rooted, let it continue to develop four to six new leaves. Then get your new plant ready for the outdoors by using a process called hardening off. This means setting your pot outdoors for longer and longer lengths of time each day until the plant has become accustomed to varying temps and brighter sunlight. Start with just a couple of hours, then gradually increase by an hour or two each day. Bring it back indoors at night. You can do this over a seven-to-10-day period. Once your plant has spent an entire day outdoors, it is ready to do an overnight.

After your bougie is fully hardened off, plant it in a sunny spot in well-drained soil and keep moist for the first few weeks. After that, allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Enjoy the beautiful show all summer and into fall.