i live in zone 6 and i was wondering if it would be salf to keep my plants out said for winter i have purple pitcher plant sundew(igot at lows) and VFT
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i have a winter ?
- Thread starter romie12321
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NaRnAr
Ive got Crabs!
Im a zone 5, but I would think as long as your temperatures go below freezing (32 degreed F) you should bring them inside and put them in the fridge for a dormacy period as freezing will kill them.
I could be wrong, as Im new to the coming dormacy, but I think I remember reading that.
(Im not sure about your sundew, mine isnt a "termperate")
I could be wrong, as Im new to the coming dormacy, but I think I remember reading that.
(Im not sure about your sundew, mine isnt a "termperate")
Last edited:
yes, you have a winter. 
(you asked if you did or not..the answer is yes, you do.)
purple pitcher plant = probably safe to leave outdoors all winter, but could be risky depending on if its a northern or southern purpurea.
sundew = need more info..you need to know the specific species.
VFT = not safe to leave outdoors all winter, it will likely die.
and THANK you for providing location information!
makes replying so much easier!
I didnt need to ask where you live..(which I often do with questions like this..)
Scot
(you asked if you did or not..the answer is yes, you do.)
purple pitcher plant = probably safe to leave outdoors all winter, but could be risky depending on if its a northern or southern purpurea.
sundew = need more info..you need to know the specific species.
VFT = not safe to leave outdoors all winter, it will likely die.
and THANK you for providing location information!
makes replying so much easier!
I didnt need to ask where you live..(which I often do with questions like this..)
Scot
Hi Rom,
I have both S. purpurea (purple pitcher) and VFT's which I over winter outside in zone 6.
Dig a hole in the ground and place the pot in the hole - you should leave about 1/2" of pot above the soil line to avoid contamination.
Then cover the pots with leaves about 6" deep (this is called mulching)/
Last, place something over the leaves that breaths (like burlap) that you can anchor or stake down in some way to keep the leaves from blowing away.
I do this every winter with my outdoor bog, and I've had no casualties.
For the sundew, we need to know more....there are several varieties available at Lowes....maybe if you posted a pic it would help.
I have both S. purpurea (purple pitcher) and VFT's which I over winter outside in zone 6.
Dig a hole in the ground and place the pot in the hole - you should leave about 1/2" of pot above the soil line to avoid contamination.
Then cover the pots with leaves about 6" deep (this is called mulching)/
Last, place something over the leaves that breaths (like burlap) that you can anchor or stake down in some way to keep the leaves from blowing away.
I do this every winter with my outdoor bog, and I've had no casualties.
For the sundew, we need to know more....there are several varieties available at Lowes....maybe if you posted a pic it would help.
jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
Another alternative is a sunny window in your attic, if you have one available. I used to be able to tote my buckets of minibogs to the attic where it got cold but not frigid, drawing a little heat from the apartment. And in February, responding to the increasing photoperiod, one by one, the various species of temperate plants began waking up.
This whole dormancy thing is really confusing me.
I've heard it's mainly controlled by photoperiod, but then i read (and you guys have said) that you leave yours in a cold place. What would happen if you let them go dormant (with photoperiod) in a room that is around 65 degrees? Does it NEED to be near freezing?
Thanks for the help,
Aaron
edit-
*PS...i'm mainly worried about the following cps:
D. binata
D. filiformis
D. intermedia
D. rotundifolia
D. x obovata 'Ivan's Paddle'
Darlingtonia Californica
S. purpurea var. purpurea
I've heard it's mainly controlled by photoperiod, but then i read (and you guys have said) that you leave yours in a cold place. What would happen if you let them go dormant (with photoperiod) in a room that is around 65 degrees? Does it NEED to be near freezing?
Thanks for the help,
Aaron
edit-
*PS...i'm mainly worried about the following cps:
D. binata
D. filiformis
D. intermedia
D. rotundifolia
D. x obovata 'Ivan's Paddle'
Darlingtonia Californica
S. purpurea var. purpurea
I over winter a variety of Sarrs in Zone 6 CT, putting pots in a hole like others have described and piling leaves on them. I'll just add a couple points. First, be careful about the leaves you use. Oak leaves are great because they tend to curl a bit and form a fluffy blanket that allows air flow and even some light penetration. Those are all good things. Maple leaves tend to mat down and suffocate everything beneath them. The second thing is to be careful of snow. It can be a great insulator, but a problem can happen when warm days melt some of the snow. The water will percolate down and freeze. With more snow and more warm days, your plants eventually will be encased in a block of leafy ice. I lost a bunch of plants (only one CP) to that one winter. So now I put a lean-to over my plants to keep snow from piling up on them.
Aaron,
where do you live?
(the answers to your questions can be different..depending on where you live)
Scot
sorry, i used to have that posted on my avatar thing...
---Cedar Rapids, IA
it can get down to -10 F in the winter.
---Cedar Rapids, IA
it can get down to -10 F in the winter.
D. x 'Ivan's Paddle' does not require dormancy. You can grow it under lights all year round if you like at room temps. If not, treat it as D. rotundifolia or D. anglica and cut back on watering when it forms the winter bud. You should protect it from frost or temps below 40F as the D. anglica parent is the "Hawaii" tropical form.
See the cultivar description for more details.
Look up your Plant Hardiness Zone
See the cultivar description for more details.
Look up your Plant Hardiness Zone
So, the leaves dont leach nutrient's into the ground?
jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
Dormancy is a combination fo things. I can't put a percentage on it but photoperiod seems to be the most dominant variable. It also goes in one direction or the other. Temp seems to be the next important variable and that waffles in one direction or the other. Maybe that's why photoperiod is better guide for the plants. Lack of water and lack of food are also part of it. Temperate plants adapt to seasonal changes by going dormant when there is less light out, cold temps, and lack of water and food. By the same token, they make the best of things in the spring and summer. "Make hay when the sun shines", as it were. Even thoug theser are temperate plants, they grow in differing climates and locales. A D. intermedia (Cuba) can't take the cold as well as an S. purpurea, for instance. These plants can be stretched somewhat as to what they can tolerate, but some are better or worse than others.
I doubt it..not enough to be of concern..
Because at the climates where people are mulching their plants with leaves, its very cold all winter..(hence the need for the mulch in the first place)..the leaves dont really rot or break down much at all over the winter..its too cold.
if you left a layer of leaf mulch on your bog ALL year, that would be a different story!
the decomposing leaves would definately add nutrients..
but they dont break done much at all November-March in the North..
just remove the leaves in the spring, and all is good..
Scot
Aaron,
Looks like you are zone 5..close to zone 4..thats pretty cold, too cold to overwinter VFTs and Sarracenia outdoors..I wouldnt risk it.
Check out my Fridge method and USDA zones page:
http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html
thoughts on zones are at the bottom of the page.
Yes, reduced photoperiod and reduced temps are BOTH important..there has been some debate on which is MORE important, but IMO that debate is irrelevant...IMO BOTH are equally important, and both are very important, for a proper dormancy.
IMO, 65 degrees would be far too warm..the plants wont go truly dormant in those temps..they will still grow, even with reduced photoperiod..you need a winter temp of 35-50 degrees..I would shoot for 40 personally, I would consider 50 probably ok, but iffy, on the warm end of the scale..
This is why VFTs and Sarracenia cant really be grown indoors..they dont make good "windowsill" or terrarium plants..they need to be outdoors all season as photoperiod AND temps both gradually fall August-November..(photoperiod begins to reduce in JUNE!)
"going dormant" is a long slow process..it begins at the summer solstice in June when photoperiod begins to slowly decrease..it accelerates as temps gradually fall through the autumn, and by November the plants should be fully dormant..THAT is when they need to go in the frdge, or cool attic, or cool basement, if you live in a climate with severe winters..
(which you do)
a room meant for human habitation all winter, with heated air at 65-70 degrees, is just far too warm..
Sounds like nearly all your plants will need this kind of cool of dormancy..
sorry, but the windowsill isnt going to work..
Scot
For interests sake, check out Bancroft Ontario, whatever zone it's in, you can overwinter pretty much all Sarr species quite successfully along with D.filiformis ssp.filiformis so long as you have mulch. We actually used HOBO loggers up there to see what the temps were like and it flattened out at around - 0.1 Celcius
Canadian eh?
Canadian eh?
What is a "hobo logger" and how does it tell temperature?
(sounds like the setup to a bad joke!
and the temp was -0.1 Celsius where? underground? how far underground?
Scot
I think it's a brand name
The containers were buried maybe 1" below surface level, maybe 2 but no deeper.
It tells temperature somehow, has a thermometer- a buddy of mine is some kind of environmental engineer or something, has his own business doing different kinds of studies, he had some kickin around.
By contrast to a well snow-covered, mulched bog way up north, my uncovered bog in zone 7 (?? St.Catharines, Ontario maybe a 6b) got to almost -5 on the same loggers- we also compared snow cover and avg daily and nighttime temps in the "study"
The containers were buried maybe 1" below surface level, maybe 2 but no deeper.
It tells temperature somehow, has a thermometer- a buddy of mine is some kind of environmental engineer or something, has his own business doing different kinds of studies, he had some kickin around.
By contrast to a well snow-covered, mulched bog way up north, my uncovered bog in zone 7 (?? St.Catharines, Ontario maybe a 6b) got to almost -5 on the same loggers- we also compared snow cover and avg daily and nighttime temps in the "study"
Thanks a lot for the help everyone.
NaN, I can't believe I didn't see that link before. I love reading that interesting stuff.
jim, that's an interesting hypothesis you have. i'll have have to experiment with that, too (;.
scotty-very interesting procedure/ nice documentation. Looks like it worked out reallywell for you. I've heard of your method b4, but never saw its results.
Take care,
Aaron
NaN, I can't believe I didn't see that link before. I love reading that interesting stuff.
jim, that's an interesting hypothesis you have. i'll have have to experiment with that, too (;.
scotty-very interesting procedure/ nice documentation. Looks like it worked out reallywell for you. I've heard of your method b4, but never saw its results.
Take care,
Aaron