Mandevilla cuttings root in water?

[greenpassion]

It looks like no one has been on this forum for a while, but I'll try for a response anyway. I have Giant white parasole Mandevilla vines in pots on my deck. I'm in z5, and I want to be able to do two things: Bring my two potted vines in for the winter, and propagate cuttings in water. I discovered my Daturas root well in just a jar of water. Can I expect the same with Mandevilla cuttings?

[John]

Seems to me that Mandevillea do not root easily in water, most directions suggest rooting hormone and potting soil.

I have a new one that is very red, so I'd like to start more myself, as well as overwintering the main plant.

[kHT]

We have several that we over winter with heat and lights in the Brug house. Conventional layering or air layering is the best route and no they will not root in water.
Need to as if you meant Brugmansia instead of Datura? We do strip off the leaves before going into the brug house or back outside. Less mess that way. Scream is you
need further information. We have over wintered many of ours for several years, one of our favorite plants.

[greenpassion]

Actually I do mean Datura. I have the kind that has white flowers pointing upright, not hanging. The leaves smell wonderful, like sugar cookies. The flowers smell wonderful as well. As far as my mandevilla question, I guess I'll bring them inside and treat them as a house plant. ?

[Pandora]

This will be my 3rd year to try to save a Mandevilla from winter. My first attempt was just cut it back and keep at about 50F and lightly water. NOPE
Last year, I brought it in to work where there is a lot of flourescent light. NOPE. My problem here might have been that I had to uproot it to bring in.
This year, I left it in the same pot and moved from outside to the garage a couple days, now inside by a South window.
I tried rooting in water too. NOPE.

So I am debating whether to leave it at home or bring it into the office before the temp drops anymore. We should have a few more days at the end of
this week to mid next week still in the 70sF, but then I think it's going to drop big time.

[kHT]

Pandora, so sorry to hear you are having so much problems rooting these. Have you tried the air rooting method?

[John]

The best idea would be to leave it in its container, and cut it back to about 12" tall. Water only enough to keep it from completely drying out.

[Pandora]

Thanks for the replies.
KHT, I am not sure how I would air root, when the stem of the vine is only about as thick as a pencil lead.
I might take an exacto knife to one stem and see if I can cut 1/2 way without cutting the whole thing.

John, which might be the lesser of 2 evils Mostly cloudy winter by a South facing window with
maybe occassional grow light OR to an office with a lots of fluorescent light and occassional South
facing window. Or is this a toss up??

[John]

Pandora, the idea is to just overwinter it, not keep it growing, so either one would be fine, wherever you can better spare the room. I'll be experimenting with my gorgeous new red one myself.

[kHT]

Pandora, let me try to play with a couple of ours as I had a request for a rooted plant and when I get it
all ready I'll post you some photos. I just got our three into the brug house and stripped so I can see the vines.
I have a fourth, the red one I'm planning on bringing inside and keep it growing with Low E windows and we
will see how she does. I'm only bring 6 plants inside this year, hopefully this will make the family happy that
they aren't living in a jungle.

[LucyGoose]

I brought in my pot, and all the leaves are turning yellow and dropping......if figured that dowuld happen.....but to keep it alive your saying to trim it back? I have done nothing and it still has blooms on it...no leaves, but blooms..... .....I have it in the living room with my passion flower pot..... ....I hope it doesn't die.

[kHT]

I'm so sorry Pandora, things have been really wild here for the past few weeks. When I brought the red one in it was just loaded with blooms and that was a
few weeks ago, she was put in the spare bedroom. Since then she has stop blooming and like Lucy's the leaves have all yellowed and started dropping. So earlier
this week I had time to cut the rest of the leaves off and she is now just bare stem with tiny leaves starting to show up. Since today is storming I'll try to get the
air layering photos for you. The three others were stripped before going into the Brug house where they have gone wild!! Still blooming and trying to grab everything
that they are growing next to. Hopefully with the cooler temps of the next few months they will slow down some, these will only get light from the shop light that is out
there, 5 footer. We run that 24 hours a day and have the heater set at 60 degrees. Not to get the air layering photos for you.

[kHT]

I was unable to air root the one in the house, so no photos to share. I have a couple in the brug house that are taking over the NW corner so I'll be cutting them back soon to get to the brugs back there. I'll try to root them like I do the brugs, small cuttings.

[LucyGoose]

Mine is in the cold basement, and it has these skinny, what I call, strings that grew with no leaves, over winter...it is in the big pot of dirt....I just brought it in and did nothing but water it here and there.....when I take it out in the spring, i will cut it back....not sure what I will have if it is alive or not, but I think it is alive.

[Jonijumpup]

I am new here, but just read thru the messages re: to Mandevillas, so thought I should leave a note. i imagine they would do better planted in the ground, but I have grown mine in pots that I could move near an arbor or trellis, then in the fall, today, I cut them back to a foot or less, and bring the pots into my garage. It gets pretty cold in there especially when the door is open while we shovel snow, then in the spring when it gets warm they usually go onto a flatbed cart with a bunch of other plants and are pushed out into the driveway for the day and back in at night.

There were some comments about Brugs here too. I have been playing with some for a few years. I usually take a few 2 inch cuttings, pot them up, and nurse them along under lights until spring time. I have done the same with larger cuttings, stick the branch into a pot and it will usually root, and it is not happy, but it survives thru the winter until I can plant it outdoors. Based on comments above I will try rooting some larger pieces in water before potting them up.

[kHT]

I have had no luck on water, air or just putting into dirt, but will try again this year, now that they are in the house.

Brugs, it really depends on the variety as to how to start. Most warm group Brugs will start in water, fuzzier leaves and the cold group should be started in
soil. Culebra is the rarest one and hates to have it's roots disturbed so that one can be tricky.