Updated at: 10-03-2023 - By: Sienna Lewis

The tropical mandevilla vine (Mandevilla spp. ), which blooms from spring to fall, is sure to be the center of attention in your garden. According to the North Carolina Extension Gardener, mandevilla can survive the winter outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10b through 11a. Growing it in a pot means you can bring it inside for the winter if you live in a cooler climate. Mandevilla vines can be allowed to go completely dormant in a cool location during the winter with the expectation that they will return in the spring. A better plan is to bring your mandevilla indoors, treat it like an indoor plant, and then return it to its outdoor spot in the spring when the temperature reliably rises above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Examine the soil, the area around the drainage hole, the undersides of the leaves, and the stems of your mandevilla vine for signs of pests. Clean them with water, or apply horticulture oil or an insecticidal soap if needed.

If you want to keep your vine within reasonable proportions to your home, you should prune it back to a set of healthy leaves. You should reduce it by half or even more if you need to. Clemson Cooperative Extension suggests also getting rid of any stems or leaves that have died. You can prune your vine in the winter if it gets too big for its space.

How to Winterize Mandevilla Plant - Sunday Gardener

Mandevillas prefer temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so locate your vine in the sunniest room in the house.

You should water your vine once a week to maintain a slightly moist soil. Water thoroughly until water begins to leak out the bottom of the pot, then empty the drainage dish.

Two or three months before planting outdoors, begin fertilizing your mandevilla and continue doing so monthly. Apply a fertilizer with a high phosphorus content, such as a 10-20-10. Mix with water per the directions on the bottle, or sprinkle the recommended amount of granular fertilizer around the plant’s base before watering. It’s not a good idea to fertilize if you don’t have room for expansion.

Things You Will Need

  • Shears for cutting back bushes
  • Fertilizer

Tip

Allowing your mandevilla vine to go dormant entails cutting it back to 8 to 12 inches in length and storing it in a dark, cool place (around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Maintain a relatively dry soil by watering once a month or so. In the spring, bring it inside and place it in a sunny area with moist soil. It should be held outside when the temperature is expected to stay above 60 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time.

Steps Involved in Winterizing Mandevilla Vine

The warm months of spring and summer are ideal for growing mandevilla. As the days and nights get colder, plants slow their growth to conserve energy for the coming winter. You should begin winterizing them now, according to experts.

You can either bring your Mandevilla vine inside if you have the room, or you can leave it outside in a cool location if you planted it on a trellis in your yard. The latter, however, is no guarantee that your Mandevilla will survive the winter.

Here are the measures you should take to bring your indoor Mandevilla Vine through the winter.

Step #1: Prepare Your Mandevilla

Feed your Mandevilla (preferably with a water-soluble fertilizer) before bringing it into a hobby greenhouse or moving it to a new location so that it can harden off before the onset of winter. Thanks to the fertilizer’s added nutrients, they’ll be ready to face the coming cold weather. It’s ideal to get this done about three weeks before winter begins.

Before bringing the plant inside, it’s also important to give it lots of sunlight. Cold temperatures of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit are not an issue for mandevilla vines.

Step #2: Check the Plant for Disease or Pests

Mandevillas are notoriously vulnerable to blight and pests. Check the vines, leaves, and flowers for any signs of disease or pests before bringing them inside. In order to prevent bringing in pests that could harm your indoor plants, you should give the plant a good rinsing and treat it with horticultural oils or insecticides before bringing it inside. Drainage holes are a common entry point for pests, so it’s important to clean them regularly.

Mandevilla Care in Winter | Costa Farms

Step #3: Prune Your Mandevilla Vines

The Mandevilla vines need to be pruned slightly so that they can grow within the confines of your home. The stems should be pruned to a height of 12 inches above the ground at the very least. You should also check for and remove any dead flowers or leaves while you’re at it.

Step #4: Take Your Plant Indoors

Bring your Mandevilla indoors if the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Put it somewhere that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day and stays between sixty and seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The weather needs to improve before you can bring it outside.

The toughening and slowing of your plant may also require you to reduce the amount of water you give it. Forget about your plant’s health this winter. Assuming you’ve fed it well before bringing it inside, it should have plenty of energy to last through the cold months.

While it is normal for your Mandevilla plant to shed its leaves as part of its fall and winter preparations, you need not worry. It’s losing its leaves because of the lower humidity typical of winter. This is to be expected.

Use Your Hobby Greenhouse to Winterize Your Mandevilla

Using a small greenhouse over the winter will help your Mandevilla make it through the cold months and bloom beautifully in the spring. There are many advantages to using a greenhouse as a hobby. With indoor gardening, you can tailor the internal environment to your plant’s specific preferences by adjusting factors like temperature and humidity.

In addition, if you have a greenhouse for your hobby, you can avoid the hassle of moving your tender plants indoors before winter. If you build a greenhouse, not only will your plants be safe from the cold, but you will also be able to keep harmful pests and animals out of your garden. The potential for growth in your plants can be increased by creating the best possible growing conditions.

Learn How to Winterize Mandevilla Vines Successfully

Your Mandevilla vines will have a much better chance of surviving the winter if you give them the attention and care they need and educate yourself on how to winterize them. Winterizing may be time-consuming, but it’s the only way to ensure your plant survives the winter months and continues to thrive throughout the year, resulting in spectacular spring flowers. Put your Mandevillas and other plants in a hobby greenhouse for the winter to give them the best chance at survival.

How to Over-Winter a Mandevilla Vine

Mandevilla splendens is a species of mandevilla that is endemic to Brazil. Its glossy leaves and showy trumpet-shaped flowers are immediately recognizable. Vine cultivation is the norm, but it can be pruned into a shrubby form. The hybrid Mandevilla (Mandevilla x amabilis) can become a very tall vine, between 8 and 10 feet in height. They require a trellis in order to flourish.

The cultivated variety, like its wild ancestor, thrives in bright, sunny conditions with adequate drainage. If it’s wet right now, wait until it dries out a bit. When your mandevilla is actively growing, fertilize it every other week with a liquid fertilizer. Mandevilla, in contrast to many tropical plants, does not appreciate being confined to a small container.

5 Ways To Overwinter A Mandevilla Plant

If you want to overwinter your mandevilla, you have two options given that they are not hardy in our area (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6). Bringing it inside your house is the first option. Once the temperature begins to drop, bring the container inside if you have the room and a sunny window.

Before bringing it inside, it is best practice to trim back the plant. If the vine is too large for your home, snip it in half (or whatever size you find most manageable). During the colder months, its development will be sluggish. Fertilizing the plant at this time of year is unnecessary; instead, simply water it as needed.

In the month of February, prune the plant once more and start feeding it monthly. Mandevillas bloom on young stems. If you prune and fertilize the plant now, it will be ready to go when you put it outside in May or June and will soon be covered in flowers. If you’re trying to cultivate a mandevilla indoors, it’s best to keep the temperature in the 60s or low 70s to prevent the plant from drying out.

Your mandevilla can also survive the winter if you let it go dormant. If you want to overwinter your vine successfully, it’s best to leave it outside until it cools down, and then bring it inside a garage or basement where the temperature stays above freezing (ideally around 50 degrees Fahrenheit). In this case, you should severely prune the plant, leaving it no more than 12 inches tall. Avoid drying it out by watering it occasionally, but otherwise, leave it alone. When the weather outside starts to warm up in the spring, bring it inside and watch it flourish. Then, leave it outside all summer long and marvel at its beauty. Best of luck!