Dormancy for S. Flava

[Its_a_friday]

I just received 2 S. Flava, i searched on the forum but i still uncertain about dormancy. I'm unsure if my fridge is the best best for my Flava. The fridge is at 35 degrees with 50% humidity. I would put it outside but the weather keeps going anyway where from 50 to 15 degrees.What puzzles me is:
Is 35 degrees too cold for S. Flava?
Does the plant require any light during it's dormancy?
Can i let the soil dry out or do i keep it moist?

 

[Overmind1632]

Treat it the same as a VFT dormancy

 

[D_muscipula]

15 might be too cold if you could provide shelter from the wind a shed might be fine no 35F is not too cold thats a great temperature for that plant 35-40F is nice for dormancy.
from what I have heard they can handle 20F for a few days but I am not sure about 15 sorry I couldn't help more.

 

[agentrdy]

I have an S. flava outdoors in a bog pan which survived being frozen solid in 19 degree weather (zone 8, southeast), ~30% relative humidity, and extreme wind chill down into the single digits. However, this is after nearly a year of outdoor acclimation. Hopefully the plants you received were well grown, and in conditions as similar to yours as possible to reduce stress. They certainly have the potential to weather a lot of different conditions, but a plant is typically only as strong as the quality of care it receives. What should be of concern is lengthy temperature drops under freezing (for a week or more)(only if they are containerized; in a large bog setting cold can be handled much better by the plants), and if this happens try to find either warmer outdoor conditions, perhaps try a sunnier spot, several inches (3+) of mulch, or heat pad/submersible water heater, or move the plants inside until you can move them back out again. Even if your outdoor temp fluctuates between 15-50, photoperiod matters more to Sarracenia than temperature alone and even with GA temps being in the upper 60s right now for a few days, my S. flava hasn't broken dormancy. Even inside by a south-facing window maintains the winter photoperiod, so even if it's tens of degrees warmer by bringing them inside it shouldn't break dormancy. If temperature is of concern try to find a window that perhaps isn't insulated as well (or part of the house you don't heat that has a window) as it should be and lets in a cooling draft of air at night. I have a small leucophylla undergoing dormancy on a similar system inside of a water bottle on my windowsill.

Watering should be just enough to keep the media moist. When my bog pans begin getting dry at the surface, I figure that's a good enough time to give them a little bit more water. Just poke around with a finger a couple inches in. Too much water can cause rot/fungus, and as many Sarracenia have their leaves die back during dormancy, without leaves there isn't much photosynthesis, and thus not much need for light or water. They can't "pump out" the water at as fast a rate without leaves as they can with leaves. Phyllodia are a different story, and if your plants have them I'd recommend allowing them to have light, but still cut back on the watering to just keep the media moist.

hope this helps

 

[Clint]

I live in N. Ga and don't water my temperate plants at all in the winter. The media stays just barely damp all winter long from any rain they get naturally.

 

[scottychaos]

I just received 2 S. Flava, i searched on the forum but i still uncertain about dormancy. I'm unsure if my fridge is the best best for my Flava. The fridge is at 35 degrees with 50% humidity. I would put it outside but the weather keeps going anyway where from 50 to 15 degrees.What puzzles me is:
Is 35 degrees too cold for S. Flava?
Does the plant require any light during it's dormancy?
Can i let the soil dry out or do i keep it moist?

where do you live?

*scot mutters quietly to himself*

It would be SO handy if people would just fill in the "Location" info in their profiles
just a city and state is fine..
I have to ask this question all the time first..
"where do you live?".. before a reasonable answer can even be attempted..
people can answer questions much better if they know where you live..
especially useful for a CP forum and questions about dormancy...

Scot

 

[joossa]

I just received 2 S. Flava, i searched on the forum but i still uncertain about dormancy. I'm unsure if my fridge is the best best for my Flava. The fridge is at 35 degrees with 50% humidity. I would put it outside but the weather keeps going anyway where from 50 to 15 degrees.What puzzles me is:
Is 35 degrees too cold for S. Flava?
Does the plant require any light during it's dormancy?
Can i let the soil dry out or do i keep it moist?

IMHO, I believe the more vital question is, are your Flavas already dormant? The supplier you got them from might have already initiated dormancy, in which case it would be best to continue their dormancy.
However, if dormancy was never initiated by the supplier and you received them "non-dormant" then I don't see why you just can't skip dormancy this season, read up on all you can about dormancy and similar issues for the rest of the year, and then put them through dormancy next winter. By doing so, you will be more confident and probably more successful. Plus, the plants won't mind skipping dormancy this year.

Good luck!

 

[Its_a_friday]

where do you live?

*scot mutters quietly to himself*

It would be SO handy if people would just fill in the "Location" info in their profiles
just a city and state is fine..
I have to ask this question all the time first..
"where do you live?".. before a reasonable answer can even be attempted..
people can answer questions much better if they know where you live..
especially useful for a CP forum and questions about dormancy...

Scot

srry, still trying to get use to these forums

 

[scottychaos]

Ah! PA..ok then..
Most of PA is too cold to keep VFTs and Sarrs outside all winter..
but you probably already knew that!

So *next* winter you will probably have to find someplace specific for dormancy..
fridge, basement, garage..something like that..

but for now, as Joel said, the real question is: "is your plant dormant right now"?
dont know..

where did you get them?
what store?
did they have a little clear plastic cover on them?
can you take and post a picture?

what I would probably do is just leave it inside for the rest of the winter..
then in the spring, put it outdoors for the season..leave it outside until late October or early November (whenever it starts to fall below freezing at night on a regular basis)
then put it away for winter dormancy..
where? dont know yet..you have 8 months to figure that out!

35 degrees is not too cold..
actually 35 degrees is perfect for a winter dormancy..

but you probably dont want to put it in the fridge right now..
unless we can be sure it is dormant..

where did you get them?
what store?
did they have a little clear plastic cover on them?
can you take and post a picture?

can maybe help answer that..

Scot

 

[Its_a_friday]

they put a plastic cup over them when shipping

 

[scottychaos]

Friday,
well that plant looks quite healthy and robust!
but unfortunately its still hard to tell if its dormant or not..
especially with the pitcher tops cut off..

I got your email about where you got it..I emailed them and asked!
I just asked a general question about if I should order now or wait until April,
because im not sure if their Sarrs are dormant now or not!

I will let you know what they say..

Scot

 

[Alexis]

Looks dormant to me. There are no summer pitchers on there - the lopped off growth is a mix of phyllodia and skinny fall pitchers.

It needs to go somewhere cool. Air circulation is preferable, which is why the fridge isn't always ideal.

 

[thbjr]

On a plant with several phyllodia, can they be seperated at the rhizome into multipal plants? If so, how and what part of the anual cycle is best to do this?
Thanks.

 

[scottychaos]

Looks dormant to me. There are no summer pitchers on there - the lopped off growth is a mix of phyllodia and skinny fall pitchers.

It needs to go somewhere cool. Air circulation is preferable, which is why the fridge isn't always ideal.

hmmm..good catch on the pitcher "look"!
I didnt even notice that..because im not used to seeing phyllodia..
you are probably right..although it is hard to tell with only the bottem 1/3 of the pitchers showing..but from what you *can* see I agree..
im not used to seeing phyllodia! my sarrs almost never make them, because they get sent into dormany early (compared to the wild) and never make any phyllodia in the winter at all..

No, the Fridge is never ideal, but it works fine if its your only option.
I dont think air circulation is that big a deal..
my sarrs and vfts have had zero air circularion every winter for 15 years..they do fine.
I agree "no fridge and some air circulation" is better than "fridge and no air circulation",,
but there is also nothing really wrong with "fridge and no air circulation"..it works..
and for many people its the only option.

Friday,
I would not bother with the Fridge for the rest of this winter..
its not worth it and its too late (too late in the season, winter season)
If your Sarr really has been dormant for the last few months, its just comping out of dormancy a touch early this spring!
(its coming out of dormancy right now..simply because you bought it now..thats not a bad thing..although it would have been better to wait until April before buying the plant..but whats done is done..)

(just a FYI for anyone reading this..its NEVER a good idea to buy VFTs or Sarrs in the middle of winter! wait until spring..)

If you have a cool spot indoors, maybe a cool window, put it there..
failing that, just stick it in any bright window..it will start to come out of dormancy early (right now)..then in March or April put it outdoors for the season..only bring it indoors if its going to fall below freezing overnight..even its going to be in the mid-30's overnight, leave it outside!

then start reading up on dormancy!
you will need to devise a method for dormancy for next winter..

Scot

 

[Its_a_friday]

well, i'm sticking it back in the fridge this week, the temperature is below freezing, i'll put it back outside once it warms up above 45 degrees. Unfortunately i don't have a place in my house that is cold enough for dormancy except in the fridge.

 

[tommyr]

I keep mine in the fridge, it's 40 degrees F. Seem to do just fine. Same with my VFTs.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

I've had S. leucophylla and S. flava both, freeze through to -20F for about a week one time on my front porch as a hardiness experiment, both plants pulled through just fine and took off to great vigorous growth than the previous spring when they were allowed a mild dormancy. Right now my flavas, and multiple hybrids as well as VFT cultivars are all in the storm cellar hallway which leads to door that is unisulated from the outdoor temperatures, water at the bottom is slushy but the pot soil is crispy with ice crystals in it. And it is currently 20F outside, in the storm cellar it is probably a little warmer with heat from the house and being just a door seperated from the main basement which stays arouns 50F, it probably is fine for them. I actually had my big Sumatra flava want to start growing and sent up a flower bud 4 cm tall! I promptly moved all plants to the cold storm cellar.

A grower has to remember, water in the soil is good, a cold dry freeze is very bad, a healthy "wet" freeze is far better and much less damaging as the soil freezes together in a clump and does freeze into seperate entities and "break" the roots apart as is heaves and moves around. You want a "soil-sicle".