Most of the time, Bougainvillea plants are relatively easy to grow. Other times, though, they can be stubborn, hide their flowers, and refuse to bloom. As beautiful as they are the in garden or landscape, sometimes getting blooms on bougainvillea can be a difficult task.
There are several reasons plant parents tend to do which causes less flowering. Let's discuss the important points here.
Root formation
Bougainvillea plants tend to grow best when their root growth are slightly restricted. The plants produce more flowers when the roots are slightly crowded in the pot, so consider re potting if your plant is on the small side if your pot is very large.
Provide sufficient sunlight
To get the most blooms from a bougainvillea, the plant needs full sun or at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. If your plant isn't blooming even in summer, you may need to dig it up and move it to a sunnier spot in your garden.
Watering
The healthiest bougainvilleas, and those that flower best, get adequate water during the growing season. But don't make the plant to sit constantly on wet soil. Water the plant when the soil is dry.Check soil moisture at least once a week using your finger and apply water when the soil is dry to a depth of about an inch. Deeply water garden-planted bougainvilleas so that the soil is moist but not over saturated. Drench container plants till water flows from the bottom drainage holes.
Soil
Use a well draining potting soil for your bougainvillea. Generally, the best soil mixes for potted Bougainvillea plants include per lite and peat moss mixture. You can also try a soil-less combination.
Fertilizer
Feed bougainvilleas with fertilizers during it's growing season. When you find your bougainvillea has lots of leaves growth and no flowers, it’s probably because of an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer. Like other plants, too much nitrogen encourages bougainvillea to add lots of vegetative parts like leaves and stems,and very less flowering. Feed the plant with phosphorus and potassium.
Pruning
At any time during the growing season, pinch off about half inch of the stem tips to encourage more branching and more flowers. Heavy pruning of bougainvillea will seriously reduce the amount of blooms your bougainvillea produces.