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Emergency Help Needed

I not so long ago aquired an venus fly trap and i heard that it needed to be in dormancy for a while but, i tried to put it into the refridgerator so it would go into dormancy but it wouldn't go so then i stupidly thought of putting it into the freezer for about a half and hour to achieve colder tempertures but i forgot it and left it overnight, when i remembered, it was frozen solid. i need to know if it is dead or not.
 
Don't thaw it out quickly - it will turn to mush.

Once it's thawed out you'll be able tell if it's dead or not. The rhizome will either be brown and soggy or solid an white.

Dormancy is 4 months of cool temperatures - not sure why you'd think half an hour in the freezer would do the same job?!
 
Why did you think it needed to be colder than the refrigerator?
actually..the fridge is a bit colder than necessary.
40-50 is a more ideal dormancy temp..
fridges are generally 34-39.
but we use the fridge because its convenient..even if it colder than needed.
you dont want BELOW freezing..the freezer is definitely a bad idea!

also..you cant just stick a plant in the fridge with no preparation..
your plant needs to be outdoors March-October so it goes dormant naturally..
then you put it in the fridge to maintain that dormancy..
the fridge does not cause or create the dormancy..it simply maintains dormancy once the plant is already dormant. the plant "becomes already dormant" outside of the fridge, by being grown outdoors all spring, summer and autumn, until October or November.

people hear "just stick it in the fridge"..but they seem to miss a lot of other important details about why and how to put it in the fridge..
im really curious where people hear "just stick it in the fridge" without any other details..
GTX, where did you hear that?
I would like to know..maybe we can help wipe out that kind of bad advice..

the odds are better its dead than its alive..but it could pull through!
VFTs can handle short freezing spells in their native habitat.

When did you get the plant?
where did you get it?
when did you first put it in the fridge?
and where do you live? you might not even need the fridge! ;)

Scot
 
Hehe, you know every time I see someone say/say myself "just stick it in the fridge" I always thought it was implied that you had to prep it first. Apparently not!

A little common sense could have gone a long way in this case. Luckily we have TC these days, and these are not "mistakes" but think of them rather as "learning experiences."
 
you've come to the right place!
Everyone kills their first VFT, me included. No shame in that. Yours might have a chance though. When I took mine in, it had frosted a few times outside already. Now it appears to be healthily dormant. So there's hope! If you live in a place that doesn't have super cold, snowy winters and it stays above freezing level outside usually, then you might as well just put it outside. The best temps are 40-50 degrees F. If you have a garage, basement, basement hatch, or any other place that stays above freezing but below room temp during winter, that should do it. As Scot said, its best to wait until they're already dormant naturally from being outside, but its a bit late for that..........

Use the search feature at the top of the screen, under the terraforums logo. It's like the "Google" of the CP world.
Hope this helps!
 
well, once it was defrosted, the plant whole plant(didn't check the rhizome) was brown, i just left it in the refridgerator after that. i didn't put the plants outdoors because i was afraid that i might forget to water them and they just dry up.

Recently, there was a big storm as well, first time seeing hurricane strength winds SF.
I gotten the plant from los angeles from a 99 cent store, it was during christmas break and yea, i had not heard anything else about how to dormantize the plants.
 
Assuming the plant is viable, I would forget about dormancy. Now is the time to begin the new growing season. Acclimate it to higher light levels and as soon as it is consistently above freezing, get it outside, first in bright shade and then in full sun.
 
unfortunetly my plant died, i checked it, i didnt see any white at all, is the rhizome under the soil or on top.
 
the rhizome is under the soil..but you shouldnt go digging for it now.
that would disturb the plant too much if it is still alive.

are any stems or leaves, above the soil, green anywhere?
can you see any green at all?
or is everything you can see black or brown?


Scot
 
  • #10
Recently, there was a big storm as well, first time seeing hurricane strength winds SF.

If you live in SF, why are you using the refrigerator at all?

If your plant lives, or you make another venture into VFT's heres what you do. Put the plant outside where it can get the most direct sunlight possible. 8 hours or more is best. Keep it watered and leave it alone. Save the refrigerator for beer and groceries.

Steve
 
  • #11
well, unfortunetly, i already dug into it, all of it was brown and no green or white, it was left frozen solid so its probably dead.
 
  • #12
I'd suggest ordering a new one from FlyTrapShop.com and starting over. Just do some reading around here and the next time you'll have a great success. :)
 
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