What causes bougainvillea to drop leaves?

Bougainvillea is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to South America. It is often used in landscaping, street beautification and potted ornamental plants because of its beautiful shape and bright colors. So what causes bougainvillea to drop its leaves? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Insufficient light

Bougainvillea prefers light. If flower lovers keep it in a dark environment for a long time, it will easily fall off its leaves.

Solution: Move the bougainvillea to a location with sufficient light to encourage it to resume normal growth.

2. The temperature is too low

Bougainvillea is relatively cold-resistant and will not be frozen to death as long as the temperature is above 5 degrees. But if the temperature is too low, the old leaves will easily start to turn yellow and fall off.

Solution: If the temperature at home is below 5 degrees, the bougainvillea will be frostbitten, and large areas of leaves will turn yellow and fall off. At this time, you must quickly keep the plant warm and place the flowerpot in a warmer room to prevent the bougainvillea from freezing to death.

3. Overwatering

Excessive watering will cause water to accumulate in the pot, which will rot the root tissue over time, and eventually result in the leaves falling off.

Solution: Bougainvillea hates waterlogging in the soil, so you need to follow the principle of “watering when dry and watering when wet”. At the same time, you also need to increase the air humidity by replenishing water through the leaves in summer. In addition, if there is root rot, you need to quickly change the pot and trim the roots, cut off the rotten roots, soak it in carbendazim and rooting solution, and then change to new soil for cultivation.

4. Improper fertilization

Excessive fertilization or the use of uncomposted organic fertilizers can lead to root burn, which in turn causes the leaves to turn yellow and fall off.

Solution: Apply fully decomposed fertilizer and adopt the method of "applying small amounts of fertilizer frequently".

5. Impact of pests and diseases

Bougainvillea may be attacked by pests and diseases, such as aphids, red spiders, etc. These pests suck the sap from the plant, causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall off.

Solution: Check the plants regularly and take timely preventive measures. Generally, 1500 times of imidacloprid or 3000 times of cypermethrin can be sprayed for prevention and control.

In general, the leaf loss of bougainvillea may be caused by a variety of factors. In severe cases, it may wither and die, so it must be taken seriously. The key to prevention and treatment is to identify the cause and then solve the problem accordingly.