Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called San Diego Red Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red').

More about bougainvillea 'san diego red'

About Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red'

Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' · also called San Diego Red Bougainvillea · flowering

Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' (also sold as 'Scarlett O'Hara') is a large, vigorous cultivar bearing deep true-red bracts and dark green leaves. One of the most cold-tolerant and sun-loving bougainvilleas, it flowers heavily on lean, dry, well-drained soil in full sun. Thorny and fast-growing, it makes a bold wall, fence, or pillar climber in warm regions.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor bract colour: Too much shade, water, or nitrogen; relocate to full sun, dry it out between waterings, and use a bloom-focused feed.

The reasons bougainvillea 'san diego red' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming bougainvillea 'san diego red' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding bougainvillea 'san diego red' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get bougainvillea 'san diego red' to flower

Maximise sun. Give bougainvillea 'san diego red' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for bougainvillea 'san diego red' and get the feeding right with the bougainvillea 'san diego red' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full bougainvillea 'san diego red' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my bougainvillea 'san diego red' flower?

Bougainvillea 'San Diego Red' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make bougainvillea 'san diego red' bloom?

Give bougainvillea 'san diego red' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does bougainvillea 'san diego red' normally bloom?