AusBonsai

Hi All,

This bougainvillea is about 6 years old. Being in training for 2 years. Starting to flower now after being dugged up 8 months ago. The single left branch pointing upward will be jinned. Thoughts?

David

When asking for assistance on style, best to take a picture of profile shots from the sides, as an 'aerial' view is not any help.

Personally I wouldn't 'jin' anything on a bougainvillea as it will promote rot.

sorry about the cruel pictures
would lime sulphur helps with rotting?

Most probably not to the lime sulphur.

So something I learnt on the weekend, something to aim towards is to style different species as you would see them in the wild, giving them a more natural feel.

Dead wood weather it be sharis or Jins are from most frequently on conifers as they are subject to more extreme weather conditions.

You can how ever see this as a personal preference a do it anyway, rules are made to be broken I know there aren't really rules in bonsai anyhow just guide lines,

Style wise id love to see a bit more movement in the main cascading branch, a few too many straight sections,
Feel free to ignore all advice anyhow just some thoughts

Daniel

I agree with the comment about deadwood on bougainvilleas. It is prone to rot and the rot can spread. If you do have deadwood then you have to deal with it by hardening it so it will resist rot. However, I wouldn't create more.

Old bougainvilleas can have great trunks and bark. Until yours does I'd suggest you do what we all tend to do - grow it for the spectacular flower display. That means you either need a tall upright tree or a tall cascading tree so you have heaps of foliage upon which to show off those wonderful flowers.

I'd recommend that you adjust the potting angle of your tree in the pot so that it lends itself to a cascade style eg; lean it over more.

I have found bougainvilleas to be very brittle so wiring for shape will be a challenge. I'd recommend 'clip and grow' as easier for developing the branches.

Also, if you want flowers - don't cut off the spikes as the flowers develop from these.

Good luck!