Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' is a hybrid of the pot plant Dipladenia sanderi (Mandevilla sanderi). This climbing plant, originally from the South American tropics, enchants with its unusual abundance of flowers. 'Sundaville red' tirelessly produces bright red, trumpet-shaped flowers. In summer, the non-frost-hardy plant feels very comfortable on the balcony or terrace, but can also be kept indoors all year round.
Location
The ideal place for the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' is warm and sunny, although you should shade the plant during midday during the particularly light-intensive summer months - it doesn't like too much sun either, so burns quickly develop on the plant form leaves. During the growing season, it is best to place 'Sundaville red' directly in front of a window, such as one that faces south or west. The location does not have to be in full sun, but it does have to be bright and warm. Temperatures between 20 and 25 °C are optimal - if it is cooler, the plant often stops flowering. Also make sure that the place you choose is not exactly drafty, but airy. Stagnant, warm air is one of the most common causes of spider mite infestation.
Ideal location conditions at a glance:
- bright and sunny
- not necessarily full sun
- shade in bright midday sun
- warm at temperatures between 20 and 25 °C
- airy but not drafty
- directly in front of a window if possible
The site conditions mentioned only apply to the growing season (between March and October), in winter the 'Sundaville red' definitely needs a rest period and therefore a cooler location.
Pouring
How much water the 'Sundaville red' actually needs depends on the time of year. During the summer months, when the sun is intense and it is warm or even hot, you should water the plant daily. To do this, it is best to place the pot on a saucer or in a planter into which you pour a little water for water in the morning - but the Dipladenia must not be left wet! Over the course of the day, the plant gets the water it needs through its roots, and a large part of it evaporates. If it is cooler in summer and in spring and autumn, you need to water much less frequently - on the one hand, the water requirement is not as high, and on the other hand, less moisture evaporates.
Tip:
You can use a simple plant moisture meter (that is inserted into the potting soil) to check whether 'Sundaville red' actually needs to be watered. The device reliably displays the moisture level of the substrate. The Dipladenia should not dry out, but should not be too moist to avoid waterlogging.
Fertilize
The long and lush flowering phase of Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' takes a lot of energy. For this reason, you should provide them with a good flowering plant fertilizer every one to two weeks between May and August. Liquid fertilizers that you simply administer together with the irrigation water are ideal. How often the plant actually needs to be fertilized depends on how often you have to water it - if the Dipladenia doesn't need water (for example because the summer is rather cool and therefore little water evaporates), then you don't have to water it that often either fertilize. However, in a warm summer, weekly fertilization is beneficial.
Tip:
The 'Sundaville red' blooms particularly profusely if you water it little to moderately in the summer months, but fertilize it weekly.
Substrate
If you want to buy ready-made potting soil, commercially available geranium soil is also very suitable for Dipladenia 'Sundaville red'. Otherwise, any humus-rich, loose pot or balcony plant soil serves the same purpose. If you use pre-fertilized soil, you do not need to fertilize for the first four to six weeks after potting - the nutrients already present in the substrate are completely sufficient for this first period.
Good drainage to prevent waterlogging is just as important as the right substrate. To do this, choose a plant pot with drainage holes in the bottom. As the bottom layer, place some pottery shards and/or some expanded clay in the pot - only then fill the substrate. The plant pot also stands on a saucer or a planter from which you can regularly remove excess water.
Repotting
Like any other potted plant, you also have to repot the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' regularly. You should carry out this measure approximately every two to three years - it is due when the first fine roots are already growing out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and the pot is rooted through. You don't necessarily have to put the plant in a new, larger pot. Whether this is actually necessary depends on the size of the Dipladenia and how severely you prune it.
If 'Sundaville red' is to grow, it needs a larger container when repotting. In this case, choose one that is one size larger than the previous one. Under no circumstances should the pot be significantly too large for the plant, otherwise it will put more of its energy into root growth and less into the formation of flowers. The best time to repot is spring, especially April.
Step-by-step instructions
– Repotting Dipladenia ‘Sundaville red’ –
- Get the plant out of the old pot
- If possible, do not damage / tear off roots
- Carefully loosen the root ball with your fingers
- shake out excess old soil lightly
- Check roots for diseases/injuries
- carefully cut back diseased/injured roots
- use sharp, clean scissors for this
- clean old pot / wash with hot water (if reused)
- or use new pot
- Fill drainage layer: approx. 10 percent of the pot volume
- Potter shards over drain holes, expanded clay
- Fill the substrate halfway
- Keep the plant with the root ball in the pot
- Fill in soil
- press the filled soil around the plant with your fingers
- Close any cavities: gently tap the pot on the table several times
- if necessary, top up with soil and press it down
- Water the plant
Since the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' is a climbing plant, you should also install a climbing aid or trellis. Various trellises or trellis towers are suitable for this and can easily be placed in the planter. Which material you choose is entirely up to your taste. Metal and plastic are particularly durable and easy to care for, but climbing aids made of wood or bamboo also serve their purpose.
Tip:
This climbing aid is particularly simple (but effective): Insert several thin bamboo sticks into the ground around the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' and connect the ends like a tent above the plant. You attach the tendrils to the individual struts using orchid clips so that the plant can then climb them independently.
Cutting
The best time to prune is when you want to repot the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red'. This measure is necessary anyway in the case of injured roots so that the remaining ones can continue to adequately supply the plant. However, do not cut any new shoots, because like so many summer bloomers, 'Sundaville red' only blooms on this year's shoots. However, older shoots can be shortened without any problems, although you should especially remove or cut back excessively long side shoots. The plant can also be cut back in height - if you don't do this, the Dipladenia can grow up to three meters high. If the plant is too big for the winter quarters, you can also cut it back in the fall, right before it goes dormant.
Tip:
Since the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' belongs to the dog's milk family, its milky sap is poisonous and can cause skin rashes as well as swollen and irritated mucous membranes in sensitive people (if the plant sap gets into the eyes, etc.). For this reason, you should always wear gloves when cutting the plant and avoid touching your face.
Propagate
Since the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' is a protected breed, it is actually not allowed to be propagated yourself. For your own use, however, you can propagate the plant using cuttings, for example to grow more specimens or because you cannot overwinter the large Dipladenia.
Cut and root cuttings
– Step-by-step instructions-
- best time: May or June
- Cut head cuttings: upper shoot tip with a pair of leaves
- Place cuttings individually in pots with potting soil
- alternative: mixture of sand and unfertilized potting soil
- Cut off the PET bottle and place it over the cutting
- Always keep the substrate slightly moist (not wet!)
- place in a warm and bright place (no direct sun!)
- ideal temperatures: between 23 and 26 °C
- ventilate daily
You can tell after a few weeks whether you have successfully rooted the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red': If the small cutting sprouts and forms new shoots and leaves, you can remove the protective plastic cover and move the plant to a larger one Replace the container with suitable potting soil.
Wintering
During the cold season, the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' definitely needs a rest period and must therefore not overwinter in the warm living room. The plant overwinteres between November and February/March in a bright and cool place, with temperatures between 10 and 15 °C being optimal. However, these conditions cannot always be met, so you can also keep the Dipladenia cooler over the winter at around five degrees Celsius. In this case, however, the plant will probably drop all of its leaves, but will sprout again in the spring. However, if you overwinter the plant in a warm apartment, the leaves will turn yellow and next year the flowers may fail due to the lack of a rest period. Care of Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' in winter:
- do not fertilize
- water little
- bright, cool location at 10 to 15 °C
In spring you should slowly bring the plant out of hibernation by gradually accustoming it to higher temperatures and increasing watering. The Dipladenia also has to adjust to the brighter location by the window again: initially only place it in its usual summer location for a few hours, preferably in the morning or afternoon. You should remove yellow leaves, dried shoots and horny shoots that have grown due to the lack of light during the winter months. You should also cut the plant back and repot it if necessary. The plant is fertilized again from May.
Diseases and pests
The leaves of Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' are covered with a waxy layer that is intended to protect the plant from pathogens such as fungi or bacteria. In fact, the plant is quite insensitive to various diseases, but can still - like any living being - be infected with pathogens or pests. If this happens, there are usually care errors behind it or the Dipladenia does not feel comfortable in its location. In addition to actually combating the disease or pest infestation, you should also look for a cause for the weakening - and thus arm the plant against new infection.
Spider mites
The leaf sap-sucking spider mites are one of the most common pests on houseplants and do not stop at the Dipladenia 'Sundaville red'. The tiny animals appear primarily in very warm locations with “stagnant air”. They are usually only discovered very late. Spider mites can be controlled with insecticides, but these toxic chemicals are unsuitable for use inside the home. Shower the infected Dipladenia 'Sundaville red' thoroughly, wipe the leaves and shoots with a damp cloth and cut back affected parts of the plant. Place the plant in a more suitable, airy location and ensure high humidity.
Aphids
Aphids can also be easily combated by spraying the affected plant several times with a warm shower jet. Non-toxic products based on oil or curd soap (soft soap) also help here. You can easily make the latter yourself: Dissolve a tablespoon of soft soap in a liter of warm water and wipe the leaves of the Dipladenia - especially the undersides! – several times at intervals of several days.
