Question
QUESTION: Hello and thank you ,

I have 2 Mandevillas which I purchased and planted in the ground several months ago. They were doing well, 1 of the plants developed brown spots that started at the bottom of the plant and the brown( dired out leaves)slowly worked their way up the plant until dead. I checked for any bugs but never found any. Three weeks after the first plant died , the second has started showing the same signs, it is in the ground about 60 feet away. It receives shade in the morning and at about noon or so it has mostly sun the rest of the day, I would like to keep this plant alive if passable..Any help would be appreciated

Thank you in advance

ANSWER: Hi Perry, I often get questions  that I need more info on, this is one of them, the problem may have been in the planting stage; follow up and tell me exactly how and in what you planted them, (soil and technique). The most common problem when plants decline after recent planting, is in the soil and/or how the plant was taken out of the container and placed in the ground. Nick

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QUESTION: Hello and thank you for responding,

Basically, The plants were in a 5 gallon plastic bucket, I dug the hole in the ground near the fence. The soil is mainly hard black/gray dirt/ sand. I put a layer of potting soil in the bottom of the hole and on the sides. I watered the hole and planted the root system up to where the roots stopped and the main stem of the plant merged.

Answer
It sounds like your planting technique was fine, so I'm thinking that they are having fungal problems (brown spots); go to either Wal Mart or Home Depot and pick up a broad spectrum fungicide (Daconil is a good one or Funginex) and spray the crown with it, per directions; clip off any infected leaves. Fungal problems usually arise when the plant enters the evening with wet leaves, the fungal spores incubate in the water on the leaves, hence the brown spots; I needed to make sure that you had planted them correctly before I addressed the fungal problem. This should take care of it, be careful when watering them, and try to avoid wetting the leaves in the late afternoon. Nick