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I bought a small mandevilla and has grown alot, beautiful green leaves, very healthy ... but no blooms! Will it take a year or two? What kind of care does it need when I bring it inside for the winter?
Did you give it a high nitrogen plant food? This will cause alot of growth with no flowers. If so, leach the plant and hold off on feeding for a while. I would guess the problem has more to do with the light it is receiving. Mandevilla needs some direct sun each day to bloom well. Small plants are going to produce a few blooms at first. In time, the flowering should greatly increase. In the meantime, keep it watered well (on very hot days you may need to water twice) and in sufficient light. I use fish emulsion, but any plant food made for flowering plants will work well, but fert. at half strength every couple of weeks. You should see flowers within 2 weeks.
If you can accomdate the plant inside without cutting it back this fall, do so. If you don't have the room, cut it back by about 1/3 - 1/2. Keep it in a cool basement with some light (natural or fluorescent), stop feeding, water very sparingly (every 3 weeks) - just to keep it from completely drying out, and bring it outside in the spring. Cut it back at that time to about 18" from the soil. Begin feeding and watering normally. Next year it will grow quicker, bigger and flower much more. By the third year, it will be spectacular if it's needs are met! Seems the saying, "first year it sleeps, second year it creeps and third year it leaps" really applies to this plant.
