Bougainvillea does not sprout »What can it be? (Triplet flower)

What you must admit to the bougainvillea

In some ways the bougainvillea is a little diva - at least if you keep it here in northern central Europe. But you can forgive her for that, if you take into account that she actually does not find anything unusual here. In her subtropical, South American homeland she is of course offered a lot more light and warmth than with us and instead of four seasons there is only the change between dry and rainy seasons subject. So you have to be a little patient with her.

Basic needs of the bougainvillea:

• a lot of light and warmth
• clear phases of dryness and wetness

What can delay budding

When you get your bougainvillea out of winter quarters, it usually doesn't look particularly good: dried out, leafless and weak. And it may well be that nothing happens for a long time and you wait in vain for a willing, powerful budding.

Most of the time, the bougainvillea simply lacks warmth and light. She just can't get enough of that. What could also be: the winter quarters were too dark. Then the plant just needs a little longer to regain its vitality. Also check the pot size: is the root ball too narrow? Of course, this can also paralyze the shoot.

Possible obstacles to budding at a glance:

• The supply of light and heat is not enough
• Winter quarters were too dark
• Pot already too short

measures

Check whether the location offers full light and heat output. If necessary, try a different, lighter location and a little more heating. Under no circumstances should you water more - the bougainvillea cannot have waterlogging, especially in the still weak initial vegetation phase. If you find that the pot is actually too tight, repot the plant and enrich the substrate with nutrients such as Horn meal at. A universal liquid fertilizer can also cause a growth spurt.

If all else fails, check whether the branches under the bark are still moist (scratches) - in the worst case, the plant may have died.