How to Grow Bougainvillea Bonsais from Cuttings

Now that we’ve covered all the groundwork of growing bougainvillea cuttings let’s jump into the actual process. Rooting bougainvilleas from cuttings is a relatively easy process. It can even be done by amateur horticulturalists or anyone looking to dabble in the magic of bringing lush, vibrant new life into the world.

Step 1 – Soil

The soil used in rooting bougainvillea cuttings should not retain water. This is because bougainvilleas have relatively thin roots and need adequate air circulation to thrive. It’s important to remember that these are also drought-resistant plants, so the soil you use should be well-draining.

Soils to avoid would be any kind of mixes that contain peat. The presence of peat in the soil you root your bougainvilleas in will likely promote root rot. Any other water-retaining substances are also not recommended for healthy bougainvillea rooting. If you root your bougainvillea in pots, do not use saucers, this could result in your new bougainvillea being waterlogged.

Step 2 – Harvesting Your Cuttings

As we established above, you can take softwood, semi-hardwood, or hardwood cuttings when harvesting stems from your bougainvillea. For softwood, take four to five-inch cuttings; for semi-Harwood and hardwood, you’ll want to increase the length of your cuttings to six to eight inches.

Cuttings should be about as thick as a pencil and should be taken just below one of the bumps in the wood; these are known as nodes. Use a sharp knife, or alternatively, pruning shears. Your cuttings should each have five to seven nodes; this is where the natural growth hormone of the plant is concentrated.

Step 3 – Preparing Your Bougainvillea Cuttings

Preparing the freshly harvested cuttings is essential to rooting the new bougainvillea shrub. A plant only has so much energy to expend on the growing process. If there are too many leaves to support, there likely won’t be enough energy to expend on root growth, and without roots, you won’t have a new bougainvillea.

It’s also why you never take a stem that has flowered, the bulk of the stem’s energy has already gone into producing vibrantly colored bracts, and there won’t be enough for rooting. Leaves also help with water evaporation, so a cutting with all its leaves intact will be losing water faster than a properly prepared cutting.

To avoid future issues with rooting the cuttings, remove all the bottom leaves. The bottom of the stem should be cut at an angle; any angle will do. The last step in preparation is to lightly scrape the lower part of the stem, somewhat exposing the fibrous internal structure. This wounds the stem slightly and promotes root growth. As with human muscles, to strengthen them, we need to injure them a little to be stronger than before. The area of the stem that you need to scrape is about one inch.

Step 4 – Planting

You should now make a hole in the soil of whichever pot you choose to root your bougainvillea in. The hole should be about as thick as a pencil and should extend all the way down to half an inch above the bottom of the pot.

Now you will take your cuttings and dip the lower inch into an appropriate rooting hormone for bougainvilleas. Research has found that the best rooting hormone for bougainvillea is a synthetic auxin hormone called IBA. IBA is a brilliant root stimulant and decreases propagation bench time and the risk of losing your cuttings. IBA also strengthens the plant’s ability to fight off diseases. IBA is available in the form of powder, liquid, and talc.

There are also a few natural options if you don’t want to or have immediate access to rooting hormones. Cinnamon, honey, aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, and even your own saliva have yielded good results with rooting all sorts of plants. The use of sweet products like honey isn’t a good idea if you have an ant problem, as the ants are likely to use your cuttings’ newly formed roots to sustain themselves.

Once you have dipped your cuttings into your chosen rooting hormone, commercial or otherwise, shake off the excess and insert the cuttings into the hole you made. Don’t push too hard on the cuttings and set them into place by pressing the soil around them with your hands. Don’t limit yourself to one cutting in a pot; use around four to five cuttings per pot for best results. It’s possible to propagate bougainvillea without using rooting hormones, especially if you use softwood cuttings.

Once you have your cutting situated comfortably in your pot, you’ll want to make a makeshift greenhouse with either a large plastic bottle cut in half or a clear plastic bag. Water the soil moderately before you tie the bag around the pot or place the half bottle over it. This will ensure that your cuttings have enough moisture to support their rooting phase, but not so much that root rot sets in. You won’t need to water your new little enclosed ecosystem until you have confirmed root growth.

The pot should be placed out of direct sunlight but where it can still benefit from strong light. You should only open the ecosystem up every ten to 12 days. You can spray the soil with water if the soil appears dry. Be stingy with water; however, you don’t want to cause your newly planted bougainvillea cuttings to rot.

Roots take approximately seven to ten weeks to develop roots. This largely depends on temperature. In areas where the average temperatures are toward the cooler side, applying moderate heat to the bottom of the pot will further stimulate root growth. This can be done with a heated water bottle.

You’ll know when your new bougainvillea plant starts to root because leaves will start growing. It’s safe to move your bougainvillea plant out of the rooting pot when four to six sets of vibrant green leaves are present. You can now remove the clear plastic bag or bottle completely.

Once your plant is out of its makeshift greenhouse, you can start watering it more frequently. The best practice would be light watering every day. Before you move your new plant out of its temporary home, you need to get it accustomed to the level of sunlight you want it to prosper in. Move your plant anywhere it can bask in the healthy glow of the morning sun. Keep it in this spot for about a week. Thereafter, your new little bougainvillea is ready to bask in the healthy glow of the direct sun.

Step 5 – Transplanting Your New Bougainvillea

You should leave the pot in full sun for about a week before you transplant your bougainvillea. Once it’s time to transplant, tap the sides of the pot to loosen the soil and roots so that you don’t tear or break any when you move your plant. Turn the pot upside down carefully into your palm. Rest the plant stems gently between your fingers and ease the entire plant, roots and all, out of the pot. Repot your new plant in a bigger or stick them straight into the ground.