Morning glories dying

[Hantzum]

So I have battled with this all summer and I actually had to tear all the morning glories out of my flower beds and let them start over which they did. I have been on top of them with soap and water malathenon, systemic insect spray and I just applied some magnesium today and they are still deteriating.
At first it was obvious they had spider mites. Sprayed soap and water and it killed them immeadity. I stayed on top of it every five days to control the mites. Well the life still looks like it is being sucked out of the plants. They are still producing flower blooms every morning but this is how they look. They get watered every couple of days so it’s not overwatering.
Btw I live in West Texas and have never had this issue with this plant till this year and I have had them in my flower beds for 13 seasons. Thx in advance.

 

[DirtMechanic]

That last one looks bad. So you dug them out and replanted them this summer? How did the roots do? How much and what are you feeding them? When you say magnesium, is that magnesium sulphate? Is watering every couple of days saying 3 times per week?

 

[Hantzum]

That last one looks bad. So you dug them out and replanted them this summer? How did the roots do? How much and what are you feeding them? When you say magnesium, is that magnesium sulphate? Is watering every couple of days saying 3 times per week?

I dug them out 100% with a tiller and let them grow back on their own. What your seeing is about 2 months of growth. Roots looked just fine. It almost looks like a disease or lack of something. As far as feeding they just get water. Yes three times a week however I don’t water when it rains. We have had about 12 inches of rain in the last 6-7 weeks. The first go around they looked the same but it was because of spider mites which I got rid of those with soap and water and yes I just sprayed some magnesium sulphite on the plants and in the soil just yesterday.

 

[DirtMechanic]

So you destroyed the fine root hairs of an annual plant by pulling them out, though the larger roots look good, and with a truncated damaged root you feed only water and added epsom salts and after 2 months they are not 100%. I can see some issues that would slow progress. And roughly 2 inches of water per week, on a damaged root that cannot breath as well as it used too due to the loss of the fine hairs that cannot be moved. All that has an impact. Now on top of that, the spider mite bites and pierces a plant, and that is a doorway for bacteria and virus entry. This is a tough situation. I would stop watering so much and fertilize out toward the drip line at a minimum. The possible virus or bacteria is another level though.