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FIVE months of dormancy!

Going for an all-time personal CP record this year..
My VFTs and Sarracenia will be in deep dormancy for a full 5 months this year!
Im a little nervous about it, but it will probably be fine..

This will be my 18th year of growing CP's! :-O
For the first 16 years, I would always put the plants away for their winter dormacy about the beginning of November..using the Fridge for many years, then my "basement stairwell" for the past 5 years..(details in my webpage, link below)

I would then take them out of dormancy in the middle of February..Valentines day..which gave the plants 3 and a half months of dormancy..which is "long enough" and about equilivant to what they would recieve in the wild in the South-East USA..

One problem though..in the middle of February in Western NY, Spring isnt even CLOSE to arriving..its still very much the dead of winter..So I would sit the plants in a window, indoors, for a month and half, until they could go outside again in April..it was an OK system, but I was never very happy with it, because the plants dont do well being indoors, they get that weak spindly growth from not having enough light, then there is always "the burn" when they can finally go outside into the full sun..

So last Spring I thought: what if I just keep them down in the stairwell longer? until they can simnply go outside for the season? why bother to bring them out in February?? So I tried it..I was able to bring them out in mid-March! which wasnt too bad..(it was an early spring)..But this year?? Definately not an early Spring! :(

We had a warm spell last week, and I took my plants out of dormancy about 10 days ago..they sat in the driveway for a few days, because it stayed above freezing overnight..then it got cooler..40 during the day..20's at night..So I had to move them into the garage at night..then it got MUCH colder! 30 during the day..teens, even 10 degrees at night..even in the garage, they froze!! :mad:

what a PITA...So yesterday I moved them all back into the stairwell!!
they wont be able to come back out for another week at least..maybe longer..

So..5 solid months of dormancy this winter!
Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb-March..
They got a mild freeze in the garage a few night ago..probably not a concern..
If I had known it was going to get this cold again, I wouldnt have bothered to even take them out..but what can you do..
March is winter, not Spring..I should know better..

If anyone is interested, I will post a record of how they do this spring after a 5-month dormancy..

Scot
 
NY Spring fever!

I'm glad I am not the only one toting Cp's around the house chasing the weather! I did this as well with my fig trees. Gets to be a real pain as they are in barrels!
I put my S. leucophylla's out and they were hit with one night a surprise Just-freezing temps. They look ok but only warm weather will tell.
Go from riding motorcycles on sunday...to plowing snow on Tuesday! :-D
 
I sent my temperate collection to the wholesale nursery in Early November and it will be early April when iretrieve them.
 
My record is 6.

---------- Post added at 10:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 AM ----------

Minus two lol.
 
I feel your pain Scotty! Here in the Hudson Valley of N.Y. I took started taking mine out of the fridge at the end of February and still have some in there that have to come out but I am OUT of room for places to put them! I grow LOTS of other "regular" plants as well so it's INSANE here shifting things around. PLUS I'm trying to start some veggies now on top of it all.

I'm freaking nuts!

Tom
 
If all goes well, this morning should be the LAST frost of winter! :)
We hit about 27 over night, light frost..but all the weather forecasts say ABOVE freezing for nightly lows into the forseeable future, so odds are good we just saw the last dip below freezing until October..
I hope so!

Plants go out onto the deck today..

Scot
 
That is good news to hear! Time to wheel out the barrels :)
 
with my weather forecast, im getting the plants outside this weekend. happy days are here at last
 
Although 3 years ago, we did have a frost around May 1st!
and a dip to 33 degrees one night in late May!
temp chart 2008-2009:

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/temp-chart.html

certaintly not unheard of..
but still, its definately warm enough, FINALLY! that they can go out on the deck for the season..
might still have to do one or two "moving into the garage for the night" episodes..but it looks like spring has finally beaten old man winter into submission..mostly..
we have turned the corner anyway! :)

Scot
 
  • #10
I feel for you guys... it would drive me crazy having to wait that long for Spring growth. I am a bit spoiled though... the typical cycle for me is to start seeing flower buds later January. As of right now I have at least one mature pitcher on every plant I have.
 
  • #11
Very interesting scot, do keep up updated on the progress of the plants.

I took my sarrs out in february and the S. x catesbaei flowered but hasn't made any pitchers. The S. flava made two beautiful pitchers but it seems it is now making phyllodia...
 
  • #12
I just hauled mine back today:

100_9785.jpg


...and most importantly, Leah lives!

100_9801.jpg
 
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