Mexican Flame Vine

I bought a small Mexican flame vine in the middle of June. It has grown up and over an 8 foot trellis as I expected it to do. Now, it is wilting everyday and not recovering after the sun sets. I do not remember my other Mexican flame vine needing to be watered every day even in severe heat. It was killed by house painters who moved its container after I told them not to do so because the plants roots had grown into the ground. It too was planted in full sun. Although the leaves are shaped like a Mexican flame vine, the more mature leaves are not thick and somewhat shiny like my other plant's were. It has not bloomed yet. I'm afraid that watering it everyday is going to kill it due to fertilizer burn and/or root rot. I wish I could cover it but I can't. Neither can I move it to a shadier spot. I am beginning to think that it may not be a Mexican flame vine.

Is anybody else's young Mexican flame vine wilting in the heat?

I so wanted to see it's lovely blooms again ...

It is as gorgeous as I have ever seen. What a lovely photo.

I suspect the reason yours is wilting down is from June till now, the roots haven't gotten firmly established as well as your former one. When you said those roots had traveled into the soil, that was a clue. If you can possibly create its' own shade by stretching a sheet or anything, I think it would help make it through what is left of this gosh awful summer.

Wishing you the best with that beautiful vine...

What stunning flowers!

podster, thanks. Unfortunately, there is no way that I can stretch a sheet over it because the container is on a 2.5 foot tall stand and the container is large so that puts the trellis too high for me to do so. I have been placing a sheet over 2 star jasmine plants in another area when the sun hits them directly in the afternoon. I wet the sheet to keep the plants cool. This has really saved these vines whose roots had not gotten established either. They now are putting on new growth. The Mexican flame vine does okay now for 2 days when the temperature is not above 100 degrees. However, the rats are back and have feasted on its leaves the past 3 days. I have to place some rat traps in the container.

morganc, the blooms are quite stunning and the bees and butterflies love them.

In my subtropical climate, it does suffer from 110F here full sun. Some leaves burn and the growth diminishes. In hot summer afternoon, it must be given shelter. But it is a tough vine and although it will suffer from extreme summer heat, it will survive it surely and as soon as the temperature will come down, will grow back fast.

I do mulch it in summer with coco peat/chunks around 2 inches above soil.

khabbab, thank you for the information. I forgot to mulch it! I will do that tomorrow. I bet that will help it a lot.

I miss my Mexican flame...it die this past winter. It was just huge and climbing up the neighbor's tree. I am in need of one!!
Good luck with yours.

Thanks, Inthegarden. I'm sorry that yours died. I just had to buy me another one this summer because I missed mine so much. It is doing a bit better after I mulched it. I hope it makes it through this weekend when it supposed to be 106-107 degrees. I'm thinking about placing a mister on the patio to keep the cement cool and reduce the heat from reflecting upward and outward on the plants as well as keeping our living room cooler. I don't want to wet the plants'' leaves because theymay burn in the intense sunlight.

Can you just cover/shade the container? So the roots don't heat to death? We use burlap on ours, not the prettiest but it makes a big difference. I go out and wet the burlap as soon as the sun is down, so that evaporates and cools the dirt down, so it's not baking at 100F until midnight.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that!

Such a beautiful vine. I just got one at the Mercer Fall Plant Swap, and am so looking forward to it growing and blooming for me. Now that the weather seems to be cooling some for Texas, I hope yours perks up and blooms for you!! ~Diana

TXbabybloomer, lucky you...I missed the Mercer swap. Still looking for one (hint, hint, anyone?)

RATS?

Diana, mine is doing fine now, but has not bloomed. The rats still have been eating the leaves from it, however.

Inthegarden, if mine blooms and seeds, I'll be happy to send you some seeds. They grow very quickly.

Debijaynes, yes, rats. I have a real problem with them. There is a field behind my house and my neighbors have fire wood stored next to my fence under which the rats live and reproduce. Although there birdseed is plentiful having been scattered from the birdfeeders, the rats now prefer to eat my plants. I keep waging wars against the rats; however, they seem to be winning most of them.