Question
Hello-

I am currently living in South Africa where bougainvilleas are big and beautiful outdoors. I am desperately trying to grow some plants from cuttings (from a wild plant) due to sentimental reasons before I move back to the US. I have killed over 30 cuttings even though I've spent hours online researching how to propagate bougainvilleas from cuttings. My 'usual' method is to take a cutting that's roughly 6-8" long, roughly 1/8" inch thick, cut off all but the top 2-3 leaves, pot in a well draining mix, scrape the bottom of the cutting, swipe in rooting hormone, plant in a small pot with holes in the bottom. I then put the plant and cutting into a zip top bag. I spritz water in the bag and on the soil until slightly moist. I 'water' them this way about every other day. I open the bags at night to let oxygen in. I close them up and put them in the sun (inside) during the day. Overnight they are on a heated floor (we just got past the winter). I have had 1-3 small 'successes' (small leaves open up) but then the leaves turn brown and die, never to bloom again. I know almost nothing about plants and flowers in general so I may not even use proper gardening terms.

Any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Thanks very much, Kat

Answer
Kat
They grow big and beautiful in FL also...
I see many problems with you methods...
My 'usual' method is to take a cutting that's roughly 6-8" long, roughly 1/8" inch thick, cut off all but the top 2-3 leaves,
1)Leave 3-4 leaves and cut off other leaves where leaves are attached to stem.
2)Thourughly wet the mixture after you place it in the pots with holes in the bottom.
Scrape the bottom of the cutting, swipe in rooting hormone. Poke a hole for the cutting in the soil with a pointed object (pencil, etc.). Place the cutting being sure to bury the cut off leaf areas. Tamp the soil around the cuttings thoroughly to make contact with the potting mix...
3)Then put the plant and cutting into a zip top bag. This step is OK.
4)I spritz water in the bag and on the soil until slightly moist. No need for this step as you have already wet the soil mix thoroughly.
5)I 'water' them this way about every other day. This is probably your biggest mistake...Take the plants out of the bag...Water by weight...Put a saucer under the pot. Water and let the plant sit in the excess water for 5-10 minutes. After that time pour off any excess water in the saucer. Pick up. It should feel heavy. Don't water again until it feels considerably lighter in weight. Watering frequency depends on many factors(sun exposure, type of plant, wind, day temps, etc.). Plants die from too frequent waterings - not from too much water at one time. They can also die from being allowed to be too dry for too long.
6)I open the bags at night to let oxygen in. OK
7)I close them up and put them in the sun (inside) during the day. Don't give them direct sunlite unless it is morning lite exposure...You only need a bright location...
8)Overnight they are on a heated floor (we just got past the winter). This should be OK if not too hot...

This should improve your success rate...
Good luck and let me know how it works for you with a follow-up...
Rick in southern New Jersey