Step-by-Step Guide on How to Winterize Mandevilla Vines

Due to the added beauty that Mandevilla vines can give to a garden, a lot of homeowners want to learn how to winterize Mandevilla vines. Mandevilla is a plant that’s native to Brazil, and it features glossy leaves and trumpet-shaped flowers. The colors of its gorgeous flowers range from crimson pink to white from early spring to fall.

Furthermore, some of its varieties can lie dormant during the winter season. In case you’re wondering, Mandevilla vines intolerant to extremely cold temperatures. Although this plant can be grown indoors and outdoors, they grow best in enclosed spaces such as a hobby greenhouse where the environment is controlled.

If you live in an area where the climate is mostly cold, it’s best to grow your Mandevilla in a pot or a hobby greenhouse so that they can stay safe and warm when the weather outside gets really cold. This will make winterizing easier for you by the time the cold season comes.

Steps Involved in Winterizing Mandevilla Vine

Mandevilla thrives during the spring and summer season. As the colder days and nights approach, their growth is slowed down as the plants focus their energy on staying warm. By this time, experts suggest that you start winterizing them.

If your Mandevilla vine is planted outside your home in a trellis, you have two choices: bring it indoors if you have enough space, or leave it in a cool location. However, the latter may not bring assurance that your Mandevilla will live through the winter.

Here are the steps involved in winterizing your Mandevilla Vine indoors.

Step #1: Prepare Your Mandevilla

Before bringing your Mandevilla into a hobby greenhouse or transferring it to another location, don’t forget to give it some food (preferably a water-soluble fertilizer)  to make sure that they’d get to toughen up before the winter season comes. The nutrient boost from the fertilizer will prepare them for the colder days ahead. It’s best to do this before the winter season officially comes (approximately 3 weeks before winter).

It’s also important to give the plant a lot of sunlight before bringing it inside. Mandevilla vines can tolerate temperatures as low as 50˚F.

Step #2: Check the Plant for Disease or Pests

Mandevilla plants have a low tolerance to disease and pests. For this reason, be sure to check the vines, leaves, and flowers before placing them indoors. You can wash the plant with water and apply horticultural oils or insecticides to make sure that you don’t bring any unwanted pests inside your home and cause damage to the other plants inside. Be sure to wash the drainage hole of your container, as well, as pests might also lurk in there.

Step #3: Prune Your Mandevilla Vines

Prune your Mandevilla vines a little bit so that it will fit the size of your home. Ideally, you should cut the stems to at least 12 inches above the soil line. While you’re at it, you can also check the plant for dead flowers and leaves and remove them.

Step #4: Take Your Plant Indoors

If the night temperatures reach below 50˚F, take your Mandevilla vine inside your home. Be sure to place it in an area where it can receive lots of light and the temperatures can reach 60˚F to 70˚F. Keep it inside until the temperatures outside are better.

You may also need to cut back on watering your plant to further toughen your plant and slow it down. You don’t have to worry about your plant’s well-being during the winter. As long as you’ve given it enough food before taking it inside, it will be strong enough to survive the entire winter season.

If you notice your Mandevilla plant dropping leaves while winterizing, you shouldn’t be alarmed. It’s shedding some of its leaves because the winter season often brings lesser humidity. This is completely normal.

Use Your Hobby Greenhouse to Winterize Your Mandevilla

The best way to make sure your Mandevilla survives through the winter season and come out productive during the spring is to use a hobby greenhouse to winterize it. A hobby greenhouse offers plenty of benefits to home gardeners. Unlike traditional outdoor gardening, you can control the temperature and humidity levels inside the enclosed space, so that you can make it as warm or as cold as your plant needs its internal environment to be.

Furthermore, with a hobby greenhouse, you won’t have to worry about transplanting and relocating your non-cold tolerant plants before winter sets in. Setting up your own greenhouse will not only protect your plants from the cold, but it will also help you keep destructive bugs and animals at bay. Creating an ideal growing environment will maximize your plants’ growth potential.

Learn How to Winterize Mandevilla Vines Successfully

By providing it with proper care and learning how to winterize Mandevilla vines, you’ll give them a good chance of surviving the winter season. Although winterizing may take a lot of work, it’s the only way to ensure that your plant survives the coldest time of the year and still produce amazing quality blooms in spring. For best results, winterize your Mandevillas and other plants in a hobby greenhouse to provide it with an optimal environment for growth.