Mandevilla plants may begin dying off for a variety of reasons. These include overwatering, pest attacks, lack of nutrients, or lack of sunlight. Once you understand the problems, though, it is usually easy to revive your mandevilla plant. Improve drainage to save overwatered plants. If your mandevilla is struggling due to lack of light, replant it in an area that receives 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Make a custom mandevilla potting mix from potting soil and builder’s sand to provide the best soil for your plants. Finally, check your mandevillas for pest insects and eradicate them to save the plant.
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Why is Your Mandevilla Dying?
Your mandevilla plant may be failing for many reasons. However, when your vines are dying prematurely, it is typically due to one of four things:
- Your mandevilla may be overwatered or sitting in soggy soil.
- The vines may have been attacked by various pests.
- Your mandevilla vines may not be getting enough sunlight.
- There may be an overall lack of nutrients in the soil, which can stunt growth.
Each of these issues can be fixed quickly. When you take the right steps to identify the reason your mandevilla is struggling, it becomes much easier to find the solution.
4 Steps to Revive a Dying Mandevilla Plant
Mandevilla vines can add beauty and charm to almost any garden. However, under certain circumstances, they may die prematurely. Below are 4 tips to help revive your plants quickly, depending on the underlying problem:
Ensure Proper Soil Drainage
Begin reviving overwatered mandevillas by carefully evaluating how well the soil drains. If it appears that moisture remains in the soil for too long, cut back on the amount of water you give your vines to compensate for this. Powdery mildew and dark spots on the leaves or flowers are classic signs of overwatering or poorly draining soil.
- Revive overwatered mandevillas by allowing the ground to dry out between waterings.
- Follow our comprehensive mandevilla watering guide to water your vines perfectly.
- Check for mildew or mold on the leaves—these signs indicate overwatering.
- Reduce the number of times you water your vines if you discover the soil drains poorly.
If the soil drains appropriately and you have determined that you are simply giving your mandevillas too much water, make sure you allow the ground to completely dry out in between waterings to resolve this issue.
Give Your Mandevillas 6 Hours of Light
If your mandevillas have been exhibiting slow growth, or curling or browning of the leaves, the vine isn’t getting enough sunlight. Giving adequate light to mandevillas that have been sun-deprived is an essential step in reviving your vines. Make sure you provide at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
- A mandevilla that grows slowly or has curled leaves with brown spots needs more sun.
- Provide at least 6 hours of light each day for mandevillas that are sun-deprived.
- Even indirect light is sufficient, provided they get at least 6 hours daily.
Mandevillas do well in partial shade, but they will suffer if completely deprived of light. Even 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight is sufficient, but less than this may lead to the demise of your vines.
Provide Nutrient-Rich Soil
The most obvious sign that your mandevillas are not being grown in the right kind of soil is the leaves turning yellow and dropping off. Create a nutrient-rich environment in the soil to revive mandevilla plants that appear to be failing due to a lack of nutrients.
- Yellow leaves and leaf drop indicate that your mandevilla needs more soil nutrients.
- Revive dying mandevilla vines by offering them a neutral pH soil environment.
- Use a formula of one part builder’s sand in two parts potting soil to create the perfect environment.
Mandevillas prefer soil with a neutral pH. If the soil is either overly rich or nutrient-poor, your vines will quickly begin to suffer. To create the ideal soil for your mandevillas, mix together two parts potting soil and one part builder’s sand. Plant your mandevillas in this mixture for renewed growth. Check the acidity of the soil with this pH tester if you are planting your mandevillas in the ground.
Eliminate Pests
Evidence of pests attacking your mandevillas typically includes a sticky, honey-like substance on the leaves, including the leaves’ undersides. Spray your mandevilla plants with a vigorous stream of water from a garden hose to clear pests from your vines as soon as they are discovered.
- Clear pests from your mandevillas as soon as possible with a sharp spray from a garden hose.
- Scrub off sticky scales with an old toothbrush.
- Use a garden hose to spray your mandevilla vines once weekly in the late afternoon.
In severe cases, mildew and mold will cover the sticky portions, making the problem worse. Sticky scales can be rubbed off by cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol or an old toothbrush. If your vines have severe infestations, prune the defective parts off. After taking initial action, spray your mandevilla vines with a hose late in the afternoon once weekly. This should prevent the problem from recurring.
Will a Mandevilla Plant Come Back to Life?
A mandevilla plant will come back to life quickly in many cases. Simply make sure you determine the underlying cause of the problem, keeping in mind that there may be more than one.
- Dying mandevilla plants can usually be brought back to life.
- Make sure you address the underlying cause of the problem.
- Act quickly to increase the chances of saving your mandevilla plant.
If problems are severe, it is possible for a mandevilla to fail to revive. Fortunately, however, this is usually not the case when you follow the appropriate steps. It is important to understand, though, that acting quickly is very important. The sooner you address the problem, the better the chances are that you can revive your vines.
How to Revive a Dying Mandevilla
Mandevilla vines are beautiful and easy to grow, but are sometimes susceptible to problems that may kill them. Fortunately, by addressing problems quickly, you can revive dying mandevilla plants.
- Mandevilla vines may die because of pests, sun deprivation, overwatering, or poor soil conditions.
- If your vines are not planted where soil drains well, carefully monitor their watering.
- Revive sun-deprived mandevillas by giving them 6 hours of sun daily.
- Ensure your vines are planted in neutral pH soil.
- Address pest problems by clearing away substances left by insects and monitoring for pest problems in the future.
- Act quickly when problems are discovered to ensure the best possible results.
Mandevillas are hardy tropical plants that bounce back quickly from disease in most cases. By providing slightly moist soil, plenty of sun, and nutrient-rich soil, your plants will recover and produce new blossoms.
