How to Care for a Bougainvillea Vine

Plant the bougainvillea where it will receive as much light as possible. It blooms best when it receives at five or more hours of full sunlight a day. Place a potted bougainvillea on a patio or balcony where it will receive as much sun as possible. The plant will have vegetative growth if it is indoors, but it will have little or no bloom.

Water a flowering bougainvillea to keep the soil evenly moist. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Keeping the plant a little dry will help encourage it to flower if it is not in bloom. Resume normal watering once it is in bloom. Do not allow a blooming bougainvillea to wilt; it may drop its flowers.

Feed your bougainvillea with a water-soluble balanced fertilizer, such as 20-20-20. Use 1 tablespoon of fertilizer per gallon of water. Fertilize weekly during the summer and every four to six weeks during the winter. If the plant has no leaves or buds at all and is dormant, do not fertilize until new growth begins.

Prune your bougainvillea to shape it and to encourage branching and blooming. A good time to prune is after it finishes blooming. Cut the tip of new growth from a branch to promote new stems. Remove most of a branch when you want to control growth to maintain shape. Cut bougainvillea in hanging baskets back hard at least once a year to help the plant bush out.

Plant bougainvillea in 5- to 10-gallon clay containers or in 12-inch hanging baskets. Clay works best since it will allow the plant to dry out between waterings. Place a container on a tray or table to keep the roots from growing into the ground through the drain holes in the bottom of the pot.