Bougainvillea leaf curl

Hello all,

I live in SE QLD Australia, we are currently in the last month of summer. This area could be compared to Orlando Florida.

I have a Bougainvillea which has been getting leaf curl in certain patches. Just to give you some info.. It was re-potted about 16 months ago into a mix of 1:1 akadama:organic (as advised by the guy i bought it from). I’ve been fertilising it with blood and bone and slow release Osmocote type of fertiliser. It also gets watered once or twice a day, depending on substrate dryness. There is also a salt water canal about 50m from where its sitting.

Ive been told maybe its over fertilised and to take off fertiliser. I have and it still seems to be an issue.

Can anyone give me some insight into what it may be? Thank you

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I’m in SE Qld too, and from my experience I don’t need to water the bougie twice a day, ever. Keeping them on the dry side seems to be their preference. In saying that, as a bonsai, they tend to produce too many leaves anyway, especially if you’re going to display the plant, so I regularly just cut off the bigger leaves to help show off the bracts. They’re a tough plant, and tend to flower better when kept on the drier side, historically. Good luck.

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