hi everyone,
so my mom has a very nice bougainvillea in her back yard. she recently had someone over to trim it down to get ready to pull it out and trash it. i told her to wait cause i might want it as its possible it can be good bonsai material. shes been at that house for 15yrs and it was there before she even moved in so idk how old it is but i can imagine it being almost 20 yrs old.

do you guys have any tips or advice for removing this thing and getting it ready to start some training. ive been reading and watching videos and i keep hearing that these things are very delicate with their root system. Instead of trashing it i rather try to salvage it for a possible bonsai. i need some advice direction or tips please
whens a good time to dig it up and put it in a pot?
is it even possible?
how far should i trim before digging?
special instructions on dig and root trimming?
anything helps as im fairly new but definitely willing to learn. i will be visiting her for Christmas so i will get pictures of the bougainvillea and post as soon as i get the pics.
thanks everyone! looking forward to getting advice and learning from everyone.

I have never dug one, let's start with that.

I do however have some. I found that getting the settled requires heat. So a heat mat below the pt is probably a good idea. I understand fromother fora that they are really tough, and worry more about wet ffeet than being too dry, certainly after repotting.

Hope it helps!

leatherback wrote:

Hope it helps!

thank you at this point anything helps. when is a good time of season you recommend trying to dig this up. i was maybe thinking late winter-early spring?

i think the 15yrs my mom has been at that house she's never watered it and man that thing is still big and colorful. lol

I would probably do it as spring is coming, and buds start to show the plant is waking up for spring growth?

leatherback wrote:

I would probably do it as spring is coming, and buds start to show the plant is waking up for spring growth?

cool thats what i was thinking. well i will be there Christmas and take a look at it. so ill definitely be posting some progression pictures.

here are some pictures i was able to get. i didnt have a chance to really look at the trunk structure. but im hoping ill go back soon to further dig into the foliage it does have.

Looks like it is growing like manic. Where is this plant located in the world? I would say.. I woul ddig it up as soon as I had time, with it going like this. Appearently, it is well into grwing season for it there.

leatherback wrote:

Looks like it is growing like manic. Where is this plant located in the world? I would say.. I woul ddig it up as soon as I had time, with it going like this. Appearently, it is well into grwing season for it there.

i am located in southern California. it has been fairly warmer this year. we usually get winter weather by now but its been crazy this year.

if thats the case im thinking ill make time this weekend