Hi,
Do Mandevilla's usually die back at this time of year? Mine was gorgeous all year and bloomed non-stop from the day I received it for Mother's Day until about 2 weeks ago. It is now all brown and the leaves have turned brown and are falling off. The only thing I done different was to scatter just a pinch of 10-10-10 in with it.
Have I killed it?
RJ
Mandevilla Question
Can you post a picture? It should still be pretty and green unless you've already had some nights get below freezing, so it sounds to me like something went wrong. Too much fertilizer can burn a plant, and if that's the only thing you (or your weather) have done to it that's different than usual then that could be a suspect, but "just a pinch" shouldn't have hurt it. Other possibilities are too much or too little water, too much sun, etc.
Sure, I'll take a picture this afternoon and post it. I'll see if I also have a before picture I can post.
I'm just heartsick............I was kinda hoping someone would say it's normal and would be fine.
RJ
Was it real hot when you fertilized? 2 wks ago I did the same thing but mine is recovering now.
Jeri
Hi Jeri,
Yes, it was hot...in the high 90's.
I don't think my plant has much hope. Would it help if I removed it from the pot and refilled with fresh potting soil?
Here's a picture. The green you see, is not my Mandevilla but a canna directly behind it. Sorry the pic is so bad, maybe I can get a better one tomorrow.
RJ
Here's a picture that was taken the 1st week of July.
I'm sorry to say but it does look pretty far gone, I've seen plants that looked pretty dead come back sometimes so I wouldn't necessarily give up on it yet, but it's definitely going to take a bit of luck for it to come back for you. Given that winter's coming anyway and you'd have to bring it in then, you might be better off just getting a new one next year. But if there's more green left on it than what we're seeing in this picture, then definitely don't give up (and see if you can get a picture that shows some leaves that are not completely brown yet)
Can you give us a little more information to help figure out what might have happened? Fertilizer could be a suspect since it sounds like the plant went downhill after you applied it...what sort of fertilizer was it? And to the best of your memory, how much did you use? You would have had to use way more than what the directions say to cause that sort of damage, typically if you use a bit too much fertilizer you'll see some leaf damage, but it would take a lot to kill the plant. Water (or lack thereof) is always a suspect in plant death--can you give us some info on how much you were watering it, and how much rain had you been having (if the plant's in an area where it would get rained on)? Also, as the plant started to decline, how did the leaves look as the problem was starting? Were they wilting, turning yellow, turning brown on the edges, etc?
If there's a bit of green left, putting it in fresh potting soil wouldn't hurt, if it is too much fertilizer or too much water, giving it fresh potting soil can help fix those situations. If the problem was too little water, then the new potting soil might not help a lot but it won't hurt.
I need your advice on what to do now.
I think I figured out why my Mandevilla has died or almost died. I decided to remove it from the pot and repot it with fresh potting soil...and to my surprise, I found it was in double pots.
The inside pot was cut down so that the potting soil covered it and it didn't show. The drain holes were stopped up so that unknown to me, it had been sitting in water.
I found some of the roots had become mushy but only a few of them and the upper part of the roots are still firm.
Do you think if I cut the soft part of the root off and rinsed them with plain water,,,,then repot with fresh potting mix it might stand a chane?
Below is a pic of the roots.
Glad you found the cause of the problem! It's worth trying to cut off any rotten looking roots and repot, but the plant is in pretty bad shape so it's possible that it's too late. But you don't waste anything besides your time by trying, so I think it's worth it. I would actually put a little hydrogen peroxide or chamomile tea in the water when you rinse them off, that will help kill any fungus that's left. Then put it in some nice clean potting soil and see what happens! Make sure you're really careful on the watering though--since the plant really doesn't have any leaves, it's not going to use up water nearly as fast as a plant that has lots of top growth, so it'll be really easy to overwater. Of course you don't want to let it get bone dry either! You might also want to get some Super Thrive or other root booster (NOT fertilizer) and water that in too, it may help the roots to grow back and eventually put out new top growth.
I want to thank each one of you that replied to my question. You are true friends.
Where else would I be able to ask any question and get so many helpful replies. The questions you asked me, lead me to check the roots, otherwise I would of probably chalked it up to the fertilizer burning it and thus causing it to die.
I hope I will be able to post back here in a few weeks with some good news.
Just a couple of questions.....should I cut off the vine and how much peroxide is safe to use?.
RJ
If there's no green left, then you can definitely cut the vine back. I probably wouldn't cut it all the way back to the ground, but you could chop a good chunk off. For the peroxide, I buy the 3% stuff from the grocery store and usually eyeball things, but I'd say I probably use a tablespoon or two per gallon of water. I remember reading on another thread about someone using the 3% stuff on their plants straight out of the bottle--don't know that I'd recommend trying that, but as long as you're diluting it some I don't think you have to be too careful about the exact measurement.
ecrane3,
I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this.
May only good things come your way,
RJ
I will keep my fingers crossed that there's some life left in your vine and it comes back for you! I've been surprised on many occasions by something that looked completely dead, so you never know!
May I add a bit about the fertilizer - just for future reference. When I hear 10 10 10 I think of the granular stuff you throw out on your garden. That is formulated for use on soil, not containers and even a pinch could be harmful. If you used a product that was labeled for containers than you should be fine but if you used that other stuff, hold off on that next time.
I agree with Liz, you never know when a plant will bounce back so keep the faith and remember, even the most experienced gardener loses plants. Mandevillas are prone to give me trouble although my next door neighbor grows beautiful ones.
ardesia,
Yes.....:( it was the type of fertilzer you use on the yard and not really meant for containers. I will never do that again......there's just too much to risk losing, to take a chance.
I'll let everyone know if it pulls thru....I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
RJ
Another thought...was it lawn fertilizer or one for the garden? With lawn fertilizers you need to be careful because some are weed & feed, which means they have a herbicide in them which won't kill the grass but will kill other types of plants, so if that's what it was that certainly wouldn't have been good for the mandevilla.
hmmmm..............I've have to go check the bag, all I really know is that, it was 10-10-10..........man,I have so much to learn about all the different fertilizers.
Another question my mother brought up to me... maybe you will have the answer.....is it a good idea to fertilize your flowers and garden plants in the fall?
I had always thought when you fertilize it stimulates their growth and that you really don't want them to start growing and putting on new growth when it's so close to winter and time to put them to bed.
RJ
Good point Liz, weed and feed is bad stuff.
RJ, you are correct, fall fertilization stimulates soft new growth that is more susceptible to cold.