pruning mandevilla

[ker...@my-deja.com]

I hope this is the right forum for this type of question. If not,
please help me find the right place to get help. Thanks.

I bought my mother-in-law a yellow mandevilla 2 yrs ago for Mother's
Day. Last year, she pruned it back about this time of season and it
entered dormancy (as best I can guess anyway). She passed away this
summer so I'm trying to care for this particular plant. It's important
to us that we keep it alive and need to know how to care for it.

I live in NE Alabama (zone 7, I think, you can correct me if I'm
wrong). I'm not an expert at handling plants but have a little luck
with some things. We had our first frost last week and brought it
inside before it got "bit". It is now inside, which is where she kept
it last winter. She did not try to keep it growing and blooming. I
think her pruning back to the main trunks was part of it, but should I
water it? Water it the same or less? How frequently?

Help me keep from killing this plant. She really loved it and this
makes it important to us in sentimental ways.

Thanks!!

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Before you buy.

[ker...@my-deja.com]

I hope this is the right forum for this type of question. If not,
please help me find the right place to get help. Thanks.

I bought my mother-in-law a yellow mandevilla 2 yrs ago for Mother's
Day. Last year, she pruned it back about this time of season and it
entered dormancy (as best I can guess anyway). She passed away this
summer so I'm trying to care for this particular plant. It's important
to us that we keep it alive and need to know how to care for it.

I live in NE Alabama (zone 7, I think, you can correct me if I'm
wrong). I'm not an expert at handling plants but have a little luck
with some things. We had our first frost last week and brought it
inside before it got "bit". It is now inside, which is where she kept
it last winter. She did not try to keep it growing and blooming. I
think her pruning back to the main trunks was part of it, but should I

water it? Water it the same or less? How frequently? Does it still
need light? Or do I need to put it somewhere dark, cool, ???????

[Ashcrow Larkspurr]

I hope I can help, even if a little bit. First of all, my condolences on
your lost. I do hope this valued plant lives long.

The best time to prune is late winter or early spring. When you prune,
you "spur prune", meaning you cut back sideshoots to within 3 - 4 buds
from the framework. Since this plant is initially a climber, I can imagine
you might want to train it on some sort of trellis. When you prune, be
mindful of the sap, because it can cause skin irritation.

Only fertilize during the growing season, but since it's going to be
overwintered, just keep it from totally drying out. It likes sunlight, so
don't deprive it, but be sure the sunlight isn't magnified by your window
or you could fry it.

Since you have an emotional connection to the plant, I recommend that you
propagate it. Take softwood (new growth) cuttings and root them in a
balanced soil mix. I like to use fancy propagation mats and cloches, but
you can get away with using part a soda pop liter bottle.

I'm not to sure about climate in your area, but you can get better
information from the garden.com website, where you can enter your zip code
and find out what zone your in. From what I've read, I think it cannot
tolerate "wet feet", so make sure it gets good drainage, and I don't think
it can handle frost either.

Good luck, and I hope my information is helpful

Regards

[ker...@my-deja.com]

First, thank you for your kind thoughts. I could go into it and make
you sad and possibly cry, but suffice it to say, my mother-in-law had
been very sick for a long time and longed to go Home to her Lord.

Also, thank you for responding to my post. I failed to mention that
this is a Yellow mandevilla, not the more common pink variety. I don't
know if this makes a difference, but thought of it too late to add to
the post.

It's a strange situation, but the plant is not at my home. It is still
at my in-laws. Which would be fine otherwise, except that my father-in-
law travels (extensively is insufficient description) for work. He is
very rarely home. My husband's younger brother (baby of family)
insists that the plant stay there. This works out ok while the weather
is warm, but that has already changed and forced us to bring it
inside. Due to another long story, we are staying at that home now and
probably will for a couple more weeks. However, we will return to our
home, leaving the plant behind... heated only the minimum to prevent
burst pipes (not a high risk until Jan), limited sunlight, little to no
water for long stretches.

Could we force this plant to move into a dormant state for the winter?
Is this type of plant capable of doing this at all? I think that is
what she did to it last year, but I just don't know HOW!!!

Thank you again.

In article <39EFE275...@worldnet.att.net>,

[Ashcrow Larkspurr]

I'm not sure if this is the Mandevilla boliviensis or M. Laxa, but that
shouldn't affect the plant growth too much. It sound that for wintertimes,
simply water sparingly. Since it grows slowly, it's going to more hardy
than plants that grow quickly.

As for forcing a plant to go dormant... dormancy is simply when the leaves
fall due to a constantly low temperature. I don't think you should force
it. Simply move it in when it starts to get nippy.

I've found that with proper attentiveness and care, plants are very
forgiving of their owners. However, if you do require further research,
your local library might be a great place to start. I've already exhausted
the information from my Horticulture tomes. :)

ker...@my-deja.com wrote:

[ker...@my-deja.com]

There are a few things that take a lot of repetition to finally sink in
my head, and plant care is one of them. The few I have success with
are so darn hardy no one but my mom could kill them (she's been known
to kill a cactus or two).

Thank you very much for your advice and research on my behalf. I'm
going to work on the thing in a few minutes.

Keri

In article <39F14759...@worldnet.att.net>,