BOUGAINVILLA

COMMON NAME : BOUGAINVILLA SCIENTIFIC NAME : BOUGAINVILEA SPEATABILIS ORDER : CARYOPHYLLALES FAMILY : NYCTAGINACEAE

Features y They are thorny, woody vines growing anywhere from 1-12 meters tall, scrambling over other plants with their hooked thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4-13 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery. The fruit is a narrow five-lobed achene. Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and aphids. Blooming Time: April-September. It is the bracts that make the plant so eye-catching. The actual flowers are located in the center, and are usually creamy yellow.

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Cultivation and Uses y y Bougainvilleas are popular ornamental plants in most areas with warm climates, including Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. Numerous cultivars and hybrids have been selected, including nearly thornless shrubs. Some Bougainvillea cultivars are sterile, and are propagated from cuttings.

Bougainvillea are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pinched or pruned. They grow best in moist fertile soil. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. As indoor houseplants in temperate regions, they can be kept small by bonsai techniques. If overwatered, Bougainvillea will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt, or even die from root decay.

Planting Bougainvillea bushes will generally live for three to 10 years, though if well maintained they can live even longer. Planting bougainvillea from seeds in the United States is rare, as the plant is native to Brazil. Plant a small bougainvillea that you purchase at a nursery, and within just a few weeks the plant will have an elaborate roots system. If you want to save some money and don't mind putting in a little extra work, you can even clip branches from a healthy bougainvillea and plant them in soft soil and in four to six weeks the clippings will have established roots and will grow into big, beautiful plants. Growth Bougainvilleas go through two growth cycles twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. For several weeks, a bougainvillea will go through a vegetative growth cycle during which the plant will sprout new stems and leaves. During this vegetative growth state, if the plant receives the required five hours of sunlight a day, the plant will likely form buds as well. This vegetative growth state is followed by a blooming period of several weeks in which the plant will produce bracts (blooms). The amount of heat and sunlight combined with the general health of the plant will determine the length of the growth period and the number of blooms. Location Bougainvilleas can grow just about anywhere in the United States, but they really thrive along the equator, where the length of day and night are generally similar. They give the biggest blooms in spring and fall--the closer to the equinoxes the more flowers you tend to see. As plants that flourish close to the equator, bougainvilleas don't fare well in frost, so you should contain your bougainvilleas to pots if you live in an area that suffers harsh winters or you will have to replant them every season. Light Bougainvilleas require at least five hours of sunlight a day, so use your bougainvilleas to create shade, not to be planted in the shade. If you are growing your plants inside, they must be near a window that gets light for most of the day. Humid weather is preferable to arid climates, though many plants will adjust if you keep them moist enough to achieve a first bloom. Water Bougainvilleas also need proper drainage. If your plants are growing in the ground, just be sure not to overwater by checking to see if the ground is already moist before watering the plants. If

you are keeping your plants potted, do not place a saucer under your plants as the sitting water will cause the roots to remain too wet and damage your plants. Blossoms Blossoms flourish on the bougainvillea 11 months out of the year. The plants do require heavy fertilizing to continue blooming. Use 20-20-20 fertilizer once a month on the bougainvillea to encourage growth and heavy flowering. Hibiscus food fertilizer can also be used. Follow the directions on the fertilizer's labels. Insects The bougainvillea is disease- and pest-free. Aphids will rarely accumulate on a stem or two of the plant but can be easily washed off using a strong spray of water from a garden hose. Location The bougainvillea can easily be grown as a vine, bush, in a container or even as a bonsai specimen. For container growth it is best to keep the plant relatively root bound. The bougainvillea is very accepting of soil conditions. Many gardeners enjoy planting the bougainvillea at the base of a tree, fence or along a house so the plant can easily climb. The plant is requires tropical and subtropical climates to flourish. They can be grown in a greenhouse setting successfully. The bougainvillea does not do well as a house plant because of their extreme light requirements. Pruning and Pinching Bougainvillea may be pruned at any time of the year. Bloom initiation does not depend upon pruning - a bougainvillea has a bloom cycle followed by a rest period whether pruned or not. A hard prune is recommended when you need to contain growth or when you are preparing to move your bougainvillea indoors for the winter. The Soft Prune' is recommended for bougainvillea only when trying to obtain a special form. A bougainvillea, like most vining-type plants, will continue to grow outward without sending out side branches from each leaf-bud point unless the stem is pinched. If you want one long stem, then don't pinch out the tip. By pinching out the tip, most bougainvillea cultivars will send out new stems from 2 to 3 leaf-buds below the cut. Some varieties do not send out any new stems, so their appearance is always stringy or bare. Best Climate for Bougainvillea Bougainvillea are tropical and must be protected from frost. In Zone 8 and cooler, you are almost limited to growing them in some kind of container unless you treat them as an Annual (plant a new plant outdoors each year) -- which works fine if you obtain a large plant in the spring. Bougainvillea thrives in full sun. At least 5 hours a day of full sunlight is the minimal light required for good bloom. More hours of direct sun are better. Less than 5 hours and the plant may not bloom very well. In shade or partial shade, you will have nice vegetative growth, but little or no bloom. A Bougainvillea just doesn't bloom well indoors. If possible, keep your plant outdoors (in the maximum sun available). If placed on a porch, patio or balcony, where the plant

receives at least 5 hours of sun each day (afternoon sun is best), then it should bloom ok. A bougainvillea likes high humidity just before it comes into bloom. Once bloom has been initiated, then it will tolerate less humidity. Production Bougainvilleas' natural habitat is equatorial where day and night lengths are almost equal. Bougainvillea in these areas tend to bloom year round, but in North America, best blooming occurs when the night length and day length are almost equal (in spring or fall). In winter, blooming is better than in the dog days of August because of night length. Also, some cultivars are triggered to bloom after a rainy season followed by a dry season. Light level As a tropical plant, Bougainvillea requires full sun, or a light level of at least 4000 f.c. Production temperatures Temperatures should be maintained somewhat high; a minimum of 65F at night and 75 to 95F during the day. Growth production will be delayed at cool temperatures, especially if the soil is also cool. Salt tolerance Good salt tolerance pH preference Bougainvillea does best with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5 Media Bougainvillea has an extremely fine root system, and should be planted in well-drained soils. Avoid soil mixes with high peat levels and water retention. These types of media retain too much water and will contribute to root rot; be sure to select a well-draining media. The best growing mixture is one that is soil-less. Soil-less media are free of any disease pathogens, insect pests, and weed seeds. They are also generally lightweight and porous, allowing for a well-drained yet moisture-retentive mix. Premixed growing media are available from garden centers. However, be careful not to use peat or peatlite mixes alone. By themselves, these media tend to become compacted, too lightweight, and hard to wet. The greatest problem with peat/peatlite mixes is when the soil dries completely, the root ball will pull away from the side of the pot, and it is almost impossible to completely wet the soil again -- the water simply runs down the side of the container and drains out the bottom. If your plant dries out and you use this type of mix, to rewet it, let the pot sit in a pail of water until the soil ball is completely wet. Before using your mix to repot plants, be sure it is damp. Totally dry soil mixture is difficult to handle and may damage tender roots before the plant is watered.

Fertilization Bougainvillea are heavy feeders that require regular monthly fertilization. Nitrogen and phosphate are critical to flowering, but do not overfertilize with these two elements because it will add growth and inhibit blooming. This is the case when using generalized fertilizers like a 20-20-20 or 12-12-12. Thats why weve created a blooming fertilizer specifically for bougainvillea called BOUGAIN. With Bougains 6-8-10 plus Minors formula, Nitrogen levels are just right for flowering, but low enough to limit excessive green growth. In addition, Bougain contains 5% Iron -- and any professional grower will tell you thats the secret for vibrant, beautiful color on bougainvillea. Growth cycle The bougainvillea has two distinct growth cycles : 1) A vegetative growth period for several weeks -- when new leaves and stems grow. If the plant receives enough sunlight, the plant will form buds during this time. If there is not enough sunlight, the plant will remain in vegetative cycle. 2) A blooming period of several weeks when little or no vegetative growth occurs. The length of time they will display color is dependent upon the health of the plant and the environment they are in; the more sun and heat, the better. However, long days and short nights (July and August in Florida) limit a bougainvillea's ability to bloom. Photoperiod/Flowering Blooms occur only on new growth, so new growth on plants is vital to the achievement of flowering. Bougainvillea normally flowers during the short days of winter, but blooms are highly dependent on temperature. Drought stress can also stimulate flowering even with long daylight exposure. Growers frequently allow plants to dry just to the point of wilting to induce flowering. However, excessive drying can cause leaf drop and dormancy; use care and be sure to water at first signs of wilt. Landscape culture Bougainvillea is a wonderful addition to any landscape, whether it's used as a permanent fixture, a container plant or hanging basket in a semi-tropical landscape, or an annual in cooler climates. For the best performance out of your Bougainvillea, follow these guidelines: Keep Bougainvillea on the dry side, especially if you want lots of blooms. Too much water will promote root rot and cause leaves to drop. Don't water on cool nights. Use a high-bloom fertilizer. Plant or place Bougainvillea in full sun. As a potted plant, flowers will last for up to eight weeks if kept in a sunny location. Winter dieback may be a problem if the weather gets too cool, so if you're growing Bougainvillea in a frost-prone area, plant in a protected location or cover in case of frost.

Frost tolerance Bougainvillea require winter protection. It may be killed if the temperature remains below freezing for more than 4 hours. A light frost will not kill a mature bougainvillea, but may for a young planting. Within a day after the frost, all the leaves and bracts will fall off. If they remain on the plant, they may have a singed or burnt look to the edges. In this case, the plant will regrow, but only if not subjected to further frosts for longer durations. Winter protection It is not unusual for a bougainvillea to be full of bloom when it comes time to move it indoors for winter. Almost immediately after bringing a plant like this (full of bloom) inside, all the bracts will fall off and most of the leaves will eventually fall off as well. Its recommend that you do a hard prune before moving it indoors: Bougainvillea is a vine and new growth (after a prune) starts one or more leafbuds below the cut and not up and down the entire branch. By doing a "hard" prune, next spring, when the plant regrows it will be fuller from the base up. Most reference to pruning bougainvillea I have found on the web is applicable more to nonvining plants where new branches grow up and down the stem after a pinch -- vines or climbing plants tend to grow only one or two branches from the leafbuds just below the cut after pruning. If you like the shape of your plant now, then you may not even want to prune before moving it indoors. Next spring it will hold the same shape, just grow larger. But, if is not quite the shape you desire or is overgrown, the best thing to do would be to perform a hard prune. Bringing Indoors for the Winter If you have planted your bougainvillea in the soil outdoors and want to dig it up and move it indoors for the winter, expect the plant to go into dormancy sooner than if it had been in a container -- the root damage as a result of digging will be the cause rather than the cool weather - but the plant should survive this kind of transplanting. Make sure to dig as far away from the root system as you possibly can. Its important not to sever the roots; take care to dig up the entire root ball and especially in one piece. Any space which doesn't freeze will be fine for your bougainvillea while indoors. If you put your plant in a high light area which remains warm during the winter nights, it may not go into dormancy and will be in better shape once Spring comes. If the spot you have doesn't have much light and stays cool during the day, then expect the plant to go into dormancy. After a few weeks indoors bougainvillea may go into dormancy and all the leaves will fall off. While indoors, water very little, and just keep the soil slightly damp. Planting in Containers Generally, bougainvillea can be grown in anything that will hold soil and allow proper drainage. Some of the more traditionally used containers include terra cotta (clay) pots, plastic pots, hanging baskets, wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss or fibrous liners, concrete planters, planter boxes, and bushel baskets. When BGI was on a bougainvillea exploration trip through

Southeast Asia, we saw beautiful bougainvillea growing out from old laundry baskets and tires! Just remember that the container MUST have proper drainage. If you place your pot directly on the ground, the roots may emerge from drainage holes and find their way into the earth. To prevent this, place wooden slats or four bricks (in a T-design) under the pot. The air will naturally prune the roots that are exposed. Its very important to remember that a bougainvillea does not tolerate standing in water. Whatever container you choose, consider these tips:  Drainage: Bougainvillea must have it.  Insulation: Avoid using black containers in full sun.  Large enough: The container must be large enough to hold the minimum amount of soil required for mature plants to grow in.  Weight: Will it be too heavy to move? Styrofoam peanuts can be used in the bottom of the container rather than filling it fully with soil mix. This should also help with drainage and keeping drainage holes clear of debris. Repotting Bougainvillea A bougainvillea blooms best when pot-bound so do not be tempted to re-pot unless you must. It is best to leave the plant in its original container until the roots have replaced all of the soil and you can't keep the plant well watered. For example, it is not unusual to grow a bougainvillea in a 1 gallon pot for three or more years. When it is necessary to re-pot remember that a bougainvillea has a very delicate root system and a fragile root to stem connection. Handle bougainvillea with care. Root pruning is not recommended when re-potting bougainvillea - in fact, disturb the roots as little as possible because the plant might go into shock and take weeks to recover. Bougainvillea love to be pot-bound, so pot in the smallest container available for the purpose you desire. Re-pot into larger pot sizes gradually. For example, move a plant in a 6" pot into a 9" or 10" pot. Several years later, you can then move up to a 14" pot. The root system needs time to grow into each new pot. Common pests and diseases A part of the bougainvilleas appeal is that they are relatively disease and pest-free plants. It is NOT common for your bougainvillea to be affected by these pests and diseases if you follow BGIs Rules for Care, and fertilize with Bougain which contain a significant amount of micronutrients vital for healthy, blooming bougainvillea. This page contains most (but not all) common pests/diseases that may affect your bougainvillea. On the rare occurrences that your bougainvillea experiences pest problems or disease, always try the least toxic method of pest control as your first step. If you use chemical pesticides to control insect pests, you will also kill natural predators. If you choose a chemical control, follow directions and guidelines closely and always wear protective clothing and safety gear including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, neoprene gloves, goggles and a respirator. Chemical pesticides are not recommended for use inside the home.

Aphids Known also as greenfly, blackfly or plant lice, aphids are minute plant-feeding insects. Important natural enemies include the predatory ladybugs/ladybirds/ladybeetles, and lacewings. Aphids are tiny, pear-shaped, sap-sucking pests, appearing in the spring to feast on your plants' tender new leaves. They leave behind a secretion that attracts ants and promotes mold growth. Not to fear; you don't have to resort to toxic chemicals to save your bougainvillea. Natural Control  Examine your garden regularly for signs of aphids. Look for clusters of the little bugs on new growth as well as on the curled and twisted leaves.  While wearing gloves, remove the aphids by hand, or use a sharp stream of water to knock them off the plant.  Cut away and dispose of infested foliage.  Capture flying aphids by placing yellow sticky traps near infected plants.  Make a nontoxic pesticide by mixing 1 cup vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap. Add 1 teaspoon solution per cup of warm water to a handheld spray bottle.  Hit the aphids directly with above mixture and spray entire plant thoroughly.  Introduce beneficial insects, such as ladybugs/ladybirds/ladybeetles, or green lacewings to your garden to feed on the aphids. Both can be bought from garden stores or online.  Avoid planting bougainvillea near aphid-attracting plants, such as birch trees, and instead grow plants such as white sweet clover, spearmint, sweet fennel and Queen Anne's lace, which attract and house the lacewings, ladybugs and other insects that feed on aphids.  Rid your garden of ants. Ants love to eat the sugary sap (honeydew) secreted by aphids, and will farm the aphids, protecting them on the plant they eat. Caterpillars; namely the Bougainvillea Looper Caterpillar The bougainvillea looper is a green or brown caterpillar about 1 inch long. It is also called inchworm or measuring worm. The looper larva mimics stems and branches very well and feeds primarily at night, which is why you may see the damage but fail to find the culprit on the plant. The adult is a moth, a very fast flyer with a wingspan of about 1 inch. The moth does not feed on the foliage. Like the larva, it also is active at night, when it is believed to lay its eggs on the underside of bougainvillea leaves. Go out scouting very early in the morning or at night if you have a good strong flashlight. The bougainvillea looper feeds from the edges of the leaves, which results in severe scalloping of the foliage. Attacks begin on the young tender shoots and leaves before progressing down the stem. The insect will cause significant visual damage to bougainvillea, although this does not apparently result in the death of the plants. Chemical Control Bacillus thuringiensis (BT, or Dipel) and neem-based biological insecticide products should are a good solution and should be effective on the loopers without harming other insects that may biologically control them. Insectical oils and soaps will not control caterpillars such as the looper. Most synthetic insecticides with labels permitting use against caterpillars on landscape ornamentals, such as carbaryl (Sevin), will likely kill the bougainvillea looper, although these

products are often destructive to beneficial insects as well. Spraying insecticides late in the evening is recommended. This is when the bougainvillea looper caterpillars and adult moths are active, and also when the beneficial insects are not likely to be active. Leafminers: Moths, Flies, Beetles, Wasps The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera) and flies (Diptera), though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior. Although the types of insects differ, the damage they cause is very similar. Because of this, the larval stages of all insects which leaf mine are collectively and generically called leaf miners. All leaf miners will cause the leaves to look skeletonized, and to fall from the plant. Eventually they can kill the plant. Natural Control  Cleaning around the plant is your best solution. Like wood borers, leaf miners are difficult to control as they are protected from insecticide sprays and plant defenses by feeding within the tissues of the leaves themselves. Some leaf miners can be killed by systemic pesticides (a type of pesticide that moves inside a plant following absorption by the plant), but many breeds are still immune to the effects of pesticide.  Cleaning around the plants. Debris tends to collect at the base of plants, and this is where the adults of the leaf miner larvae lay their eggs. Some leaf mining larva may also winter over in this debris. Removing leaves and other debris from around plants is an excellent method for controlling them.  Weeding provides an alternate food source for leaf miners, so areas around plants should be weeded and mulched.  Do not use contact pesticides. Since the leaf miner is inside the leaf, contact poisons cannot reach it, and therefore cannot kill it. Additionally, leaf mining insect larvae quickly become resistant to contact pesticides. Scale Insects: Parasites, Mealybugs Most scale insects are parasites of plants, feeding on sap drawn directly from the plant's vascular system. Scale insects vary dramatically in their appearance from very small organisms (1-2 mm) that occur under wax covers (some look like oyster shells), to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to creatures covered with mealy wax. Scale insects' waxy covering makes them quite resistant to pesticides, which are only effective against the juvenile crawler stage. Over time, scales and mealybugs turn leaves black with sooty mold. Natural Control  Identify scale insects by looking on the undersides of leaves and around leaf joints. Scaledamaged plants look withered and sickly and may have sticky sap or a black fungus on the leaves and stems.  Move an infested plant to isolate it from the rest of your collection. Scale insects are invasive and will infest other plants.  Remove scale insects with a twig or scraping tool. They will scrape off of plant tissue easily.

 Wash infested plants with a soap/oil mixture if scraping alone doesn't do the job. Mix tsp. insecticidal soap, tsp. horticultural oil into 1 quart of warm water. Wash the leaves individually with the soap/oil mixture. Rinse well. There are also numerous chemical products available for the control of mealybugs.  Purchase and release a natural predator called Chilocorus nigritus or Lindorus lophanthae for serious infestations. Place the insects directly on the infested plant. Once they have consumed the scale, the predators will simply die from lack of food in the indoor environment.  Spray with pyrethrin as a last resort. Pyrethrin is an organic pesticide made from chrysanthemums.  Be diligent - examine infested plants for evidence of new scale every day. It may take some time, but your bougainvillea will thank you! Snails & Slugs Snails usually eat from the middle of the leaf, but they can take bites out the edges as well. All this biting and chomping will make the leaf look scalloped. Putting down barriers that slugs can't cross is, perhaps, the best way to protect your garden from these common pests. Keep them from entering and you won't have to use pesticides. Natural Control  Water your garden only in the early morning, or use an underground irrigation pipe. This will keep the top of the soil dry and uninviting to slugs and snails.  Spread dry soot, dry ashes, dry lime, sharp cinders and dry chalk around plants or beds. Any one of these or several in combination should do the trick.  Rough, sharp sand is another option. Use it the same way as the materials in Step 2.  Try calcified seaweed or crushed eggshells as a barrier.  Another barrier material is clippings from thorny roses or holly leaves. Rosa rugosa (Japanese rose) clippings are good.  Spread pine needles in your garden (these are also good mulch for strawberries).  Spread chopped hair (human hair is fine) in your garden.  Try using oak leaves as a barrier. Slugs and snails don't like the tannin in the leaves. Chemical Control Any brand of slug/snail killer will do the job. Sluggo is good because it can be used around pets and people. Mites; namely Spider Mites The webspinning two-spotted spider mite occasionally makes their home on bougainvillea. To the naked eye, spider mites look like tiny moving dots. Adult females, the largest forms, are less than 1/20 inch long. Spider mites live in colonies, mostly on the under-surfaces of leaves. The names "spider mite" and "webspinning mite" come from the silk webbing most species produce on infested leaves. The presence of webbing is an easy way to distinguish them from all other types of mites. Mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves. A small number of mites is not usually reason for concern, but very high populationslevels high enough to show

visible damage to leavescan be damaging to plants. At first, the damage shows up as a stippling of light dots on the leaves; sometimes the leaves take on a bronze color. As feeding continues, the leaves turn yellow and drop off. Often leaves, twigs, and fruit are covered with large amounts of webbing. Damage is usually worse when compounded by water stress. Check the undersides of leaves for mites, their eggs, and webbing; you will need a hand lens to identify them. To observe them more closely, shake a few off the leaf surface onto a white sheet of paper. Once disturbed, they will move around rapidly. Be sure mites are present before you treat. Sometimes the mites will be gone by the time you notice the damage; plants will often recover after mites have left. Natural Control If a treatment for mites is necessary, use selective materials, preferably insecticidal soap or insecticidal oil. Petroleum-based horticultural oils or neem oils are both acceptable. Oils and soaps must contact mites to kill them so excellent coverage, especially on the undersides of leaves, is essential and repeat applications may be required. Mid-season washing with water to remove dust may help prevent serious late-season mite infestations. Regular, forceful spraying of plants with water will often reduce spider mite numbers adequately. Be sure to get good coverage, especially on the undersides of leaves. Chemical Contol Spider mites frequently become a problem after the application of insecticides. Such outbreaks are commonly a result of the insecticide killing off the natural enemies of the mites, but also occur when certain insecticides stimulate mite reproduction. Naturally controlling mites is the best method. Thrips Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings that cause discoloration and deformities on bougainvillea and other plants. Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs, storm flies and corn lice. Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers, although they can be carried long distances by the wind. Thrips feed by piercing plant cells with their paired maxillary stylets, which form a feeding tube. Due to their small size, cryptophilic behavior, and high rate of reproduction, thrips are difficult to control using classical biological control. Only two families of parasitoid hymenoptera are known to hunt them, the Eulophidae and the Trichogrammatidae. Whitefly Whiteflies typically feed on the underside of plant leaves. Whiteflies feed by tapping into the phloem of plants, exposing plants to the whiteflies' toxic saliva and decreasing the plant's overall turgor pressure. The damage is quickly elevated as whiteflies congregate in large numbers, quickly overwhelming susceptible plants. Damage is further exacerbated as whiteflies, like aphids, excrete honeydew as a waste product, which promotes mold growth. Whitefly control is difficult and complex, as they rapidly gain resistance to chemical pesticides. A major problem is the fact that the whiteflies and the viruses they carry can infect many different host plants. Use of yellow sticky traps to monitor infestations and only selective use of insecticides is advised.

Common Diseases & Problems Fungal and Bacterial Leaf Spot (Pseudomonas and ropogonis) The early symptoms are small reddish-brown leaf spots which usually occur on younger foliage, and cause the leaves to look "rusty". These enlarge into circular or irregular dark necrotic spots. When environmental conditions are drier and less favorable, leaf spots are slower to develop. Lesions have a tan center surrounded by a dark redbrown margin, and are sometimes bordered by a chlorotic halo. In time, leaf edges may become ragged as the necrotic tissue turns dry and papery. Under conditions of high rainfall or relative humidity the lesions develop quickly and are often black and vein delimited. Infection of developing leaves and bracts results in puckered, distorted growth. Defoliation will occur when leaf spotting, blighting or marginal necrosis becomes severe. Natural Control Maintaining dry foliage is the primary control measure. Prune branches back and away from each other or, if just starting to grow, allow a large amount of space between them. Branches that are overlapping can't dry quickly and become more susceptible to leaf spot disease. Remove infected leaves and/or plants from the growing area.Dispose of them immediately to reduce the spreading of infection. Chemical Control Spray fungicide in the spring if necessary. It will not cure infection that is already there, but it can control the spread of it. In frost-free climates where bougainvillea is perennial, disease incidence drops during cool and/or dry weather. Black, Sooty Mold See Aphids, Scale Insects: Parasites, Mealybugs, and Whiteflies Leaf drop Problem as a result of over-watering, under-watering, low light levels, or cold temperatures. Leaf spots Yellow or tan spots appear on older leaves may be sign of Magnesium deficiency (common with yellow bougainvillea varieties), or from over-watering. Root rot Plants that are over-watered or subjected to water logged conditions can develop root or stem rot. Its easily prevented by careful handling and by the application of a broad spectrum fungicide drench during transplanting or planting in the landscape.