Bougainvillea repotting and reducing internode length

[sheepdawg]

Hi everyone

Would it be alright to repot a bougainvillea during autumn, with little to no root trimming? (temps are predicted to get down to 10c/50f in the next week :O )
I recently got this a bougy, but it's sitting in terrible soil, most of which has disappeared. Would it be okay to take it out of the pot, rinse off the old soil and plant it back without pruning the roots? Basically a split pot, but with some disturbance.

How hardy are bougainvillea with repotting? And what is the trigger for bougainvillea dormancy? Will mine grow through winter?

Here's a pic:


Also, how do I get internodes to be shorter on new shoots? In this pic, you kind of see how the internodes start really big, then get smaller as the shoot grows. How can I reverse this/stop it? Link to pic: http://i.imgur.com/mLHKF1i.jpg

Can't get it to work normally sorry

[Pierre]

Gday mate.
I would rather wait for a repot at this time of the year in Toowoomba... once it gets warmer, mid spring, go for it. Then you can cut back pretty hard at the same time which will help get those internodes in check. Then it's a matter of keeping on top of a fast growing tree and cuttkng back hard to a set or two of leaves once the new growth has harden.
Pierre

[Pearcy001]

Unsure about the repot but nodes will grow closer together when the tree receives more sun, the more the better too. Internodes grow longer when the tree is reaching for the light. The only real way to get shorter existing internodes it to chop off the long one and re-grow it in full sun. Temperature may also play a part but I am unsure of exactly how.

I believe excessive fertilizing (especially at spring) may also cause internodes to be longer due to the tree putting on alot of growth quickly. This is more pronounced when using ferts high in Nitrogen, so you will have to balance the two and decide at the start of spring if you'd prefer really short internodes or more growth.

Good luck Sheepdawg!

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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