How to Get Cuttings From a Bougainvillea Plant

Overview

Bougainvillea is a tropical vine, native to Brazil. Although bougainvillea has a natural inclination to climb, it can be trained as a bush or as a trailing container plant. However you choose to grow the bougainvillea, get ready for it to steal the show when the entire plant becomes covered in brightly colored blooms. This plant is very easy to propagate using cuttings. Wear gloves when taking the cuttings as the branches of the bougainvillea are loaded with thorns. Bougainvillea is hardy to USDA zones 10a to 11.

Step 1

Cut a 2- to 4-inch piece of new-growth stem from the tip of the bougainvillea. Remove all leaves but the top two.

Step 2

Pour equal parts of the sphagnum peat moss and sand into the planting pot and water it until the water drains from the bottom. Create a hole in the soil for the cutting. You can do this with your finger or an unsharpened pencil.

Step 3

Dip the cut end of the cutting in the rooting hormone

Step 4

Insert the cutting into the soil until the top leaves are just barely above soil level. Pack the soil around the bougainvillea cutting. Mist the cutting with the plant misting bottle.

Step 5

Place small stakes or sticks in the corners of the pot and place the pot in the bag. Adjust the plastic so that the sticks are holding it away from the leaves.

Step 6

Place the potted cutting on the heat mat, set to 60 to 65 degrees F. Check the cutting daily to make sure that the soil is moist and spray it with the misting bottle if it appears dry. The bougainvillea cutting will root within four to six weeks, at which time you can remove it from the heat mat and the bag.