I brought a potted mandavilla indoors 6in pot before frost etc eventually all the leaves dropped , watered during nov to present , having not seen any sign of life so unpotted it and roots look ok , what should I do next? put in water like a cutting ? repot in perlite /peatmoss etc help please
Thank you for your question for Toronto Master Gardeners. We often receive questions such as yours so here is a link to a previous answer: https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/overwinteringmandevillas If you enter your query word into the Search box under the Find It Here section on our home page you will find much more information.
So, you brought your Mandevilla vine indoors and it lost all its leaves. You are now wondering whether you can start fresh plants from cuttings.
You can definitely try to start new plants if the stem cuttings are green and clearly alive.
If the roots are the only parts still living, you could try growing some in water and some in the potting mix you described. We do not recommend the use of peat moss as it is taken from endangered environments.
Good luck with this. Next fall, bring your houseplants indoors long before you think it necessary. Mandevilla is a tender tropical that cannot tolerate temperatures lower than 45-50ºF or 7-10ºC.
For more information see this fact sheet from Clemson University in South Carolina, USA and one from the New York Botanical Garden. Please ignore references to peat moss: