Ruby Red Bougainvillea

1. Planting:  Bougainvilleas do best in a full-sun location. Place your Ruby Red Bougainvillea somewhere that will offer at least 6 hours of direct sun every day with well-drained soil.

Bougainvilleas like to climb since they're vines, so make sure they have something like a fence or trellis to grow properly. If growing as a hedge, space them 18-20 inches apart, or plant it as a hanging basket somewhere in full sun.

2. Watering:  Water your Bougainvillea as needed. Maintain a consistently moist soil but not overly saturated. Too much water can weaken the vine and cause excess leaf growth in place of the decorative color you’d expect.

For a potted Bougainvillea, use your index finger to determine if more water is needed. Stick your finger down 2-3 inches into the soil. If it feels dry, then it's time to water.

3. Fertilizing:  During the blooming season, your Bougainvillea will respond well to monthly applications of fertilizer. The best results have been from 6-8-10 formulas which still allow enough Nitrogen for healthy growth but also a boost of phosphorus to encourage good blooming.

As summer comes to an end, you no longer need to fertilize. Potted Bougainvilleas do better with a balanced 20-20-20 water soluble formula applied every two weeks at half the strength recommended on the packaging.

4. Pruning:  Some light trimming will keep your Bougainvillea vine trained to a certain visual habit. Trimming removes smaller materials and maintains the shape.

Hedge-planted bougainvilleas will require some extensive pruning unless they have been properly trained along a trellis or other vertical support systems. You can remove dead wood/branches as they appear.

Potted vines should have their tips pinched off monthly during their active growing season to encourage more branching of the vine. Pruning should be done after winter with sterilized clippers. Rubbing alcohol works perfectly for sterilization.