You should be able to see the mealybugs without a magnifying glass, and Mandevillas are prone to them.

Thanks for the info. I have not seen any bugs on mine, but there are "chomp bites" on a few of the leaves. If you do know tips of transplanting, please pass 'em on. Still at a loss if I should pot my October purchase now??

If it's mealy bugs you wouldn't see "chomps" taken out of the leaves. Maybe it was a slug or caterpillar. I'm not sure that I understand about potting it. Do you have it in the ground? If so go ahead, cut it back and dig it up. If you are talking about transplanting into a larger container I'd wait until spring when it's putting out lots of new growth. The only reason that I'd transplant into a larger container this time of year is if it's severely root bound.
Karyn

Hi all,

I don't know how active this forum is, but I also have a transplantation question.

When I bought my first Mandevilla, I thought they might be related to Bougainvillea, but it turns out that's not the case.

I knew Bougainvillea's don't like their roots to be disturbed much, or they may throw a fit.

So... I bought a Mandevilla late this last Summer; and now it need's to be transplanted. It's pretty root bound, so I was wondering if anyone out there has any advice, or special precautions, like root sensitivity, how much of the root mass can be removed, above soil pruning, thing's like that; before I get to work.?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Rob

Rob, I would put it in a larger pot for the winter in relatively free draining medium, and if possible with your schedule, put it outside during the day if it is warm. Once days are cool, keep it inside in the sunniest spot you can find, but also cooler than the typical indoor temperatures. Let the soil dry between watering, based on my experience overwintering them.

Torrie it's best to re pot in the spring. Or at least in the early spring-March- when the days are getting longer.

Rob, very nice plant although it's a dipladina. For both plants the care is almost the exact same.

Matt - I agree, Spring is the time to transplant/repot. However, I have an extensive grow system in my house, so the time of year really isn't an issue.

After doing some research; I learned that Mandevilla grow from rhizomes; and unlike Bougainvillea, can withstand quite a bit of disruption.

As far as the name goes, I've seen a lot of mixed info. Some sites claim "Mandevilla" and " dipladenia" (common name) are two separate plants, whereas other sites indicate that " dipladenia" is the former name for Mandevilla. As a side note however, " dipladenia" spelled with a lower case "d" is used when referring to the "common name", and when spelled with an upper case "D" is referring to the "genus".

Wikipedia -

"The genus name Dipladenia or the common name dipladenia can refer to several flowering plants:

Mandevilla, several species"

Anyway, enough technical jargon. The transplant went well (so far as I can tell). I moved it from a #1 pot, to a #3 pot, and I used the same soil mix as I use for my Adeniums. It hurt to remove so many flowers, but I know it'll spring back, I even made 4 cuttings that are in a covered prop tray; setting on a heat mat.

Next project: Purple Queen Bougainvillea

I know we won't get into the detailed stuff but let's just say the flowers look about exact same but the rest of the plant is very different.

Mandevilla on the left, dipladenia on right

Dip

Mandevilla -still blooming outside!!

Yes that looks like a success. You must have your plants in a good spot. Let us know how the bougainvillea turns out.