Winter Care for S. purpurea ssp. venosa

[mijako10]

I live in Minnesota and the website I ordered my s. purpurea ssp. venosa from (cobraplant.com) said that the plant could take temperatures only as low as 10° F.

I'll be keeping my purp on the outside patio and I know that temperatures here will go below zero. How do I keep my new plant warm enough?

 

[SnowyFalcon]

Actually, that Sarr *might* be able to take those temps. You could of course use a refridgerator for dormancy, but I would just mulch it by putting a foot or two of leaves/hay/mulch over it.

Where do you live?

SF

 

[mijako10]

That's what I thought of doing... fridge or mulch. Not sure, though.

I live about 25 miles south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

 

[mijako10]

^_^ I just recieved my purp not fifteen minutes ago! It was packed very well and it looks great. I potted it up in the soil mixture that was sent with it and put it in the refridgerator for now. I also got a free drosera filiformis for ordering in November. It's in a dormant bud.

 

[FlytrapGurl]

Hmm... Well, I've not much experience with the really cold states, as I'm a southerner, but I've got experience with this plant. My gut instinct goes with the mulching. It seems more safe, since the refrigerator process is a bit more complex. I would go with mulching. Like SF said, use mulch, hay or leaves. Or even pinestraw. If you use the mulch, be sure it is non-treated. There are a lot of pesticide-treated mulches out there, which will kill it. Make sure it is totally safe, untreated mulch. Do this later this month, whenever it gets below 10 degrees, and uncover it 'round about the beginning of spring, when it gets back to warmer temperatures. And start watering it normally again and giving it normal amounts of sunlight again.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
                                       FTG

 

[vft guy in SJ]

I dont recommend putting it directly into the fridge. Its very likely that your plant is fresh out of tissue culture and it may not be ready for dormancy yet. I suggest that you contact the source and ask them if it will be ready for dormancy this winter. Most temperate plants can survive without dormancy for at least the first year. Regardless of what the answer is dont put it in the fridge now, the sudden shock is likely to cause more harm than good.

Good luck
Steve

 

[homer]

Mulch would be good.  I assume you get days on end where the temp doesn't get above freezing, so in that case a venosa would appreciate a good mulch to cover it up. Where I live, I put the pot into the ground to insulate it more, that's it.  Then again it always gets above freezing during the day, so you have more to worry about.  That is where the mulch comes in

 

[goldtrap2690]

those plant from cobraplant.com are great are'nt they , when i ordered from them they gave me a free s. oreophila for my birthday but i wish i could've ordered now too to get more ree plants . anyways , from my own judgement i'd say that those plants are not fresh out of tc and should require dormany . since you mentioned it was subspecies venosa i'd say that you should use the mulching method .

 

[scottychaos]

I wouldnt rely on a website for "the truth"
"said that the plant could take temperatures only as low as 10° F."
so that means at 9° F the plant will die??
I think not!

a much more reliable indicator than cobraplant.com is nature itself!
think about where S. Purpurea lives in the wild, we have them growing here in western NY, and they grow into Canada!
I know for a fact it has fallen to zero, and below zero, many times in the last few million years that the plants have been growing around here..it falls to zero or lower every winter!
the plants always survive..

yes its not GREAT when temps get that low..and its risky, and your plants *might* die..
but, they CAN take it..

I would leave it outside under heavy mulch and a thick layer of snow..
if the air temps is zero, but the plants are buried deep under snow, it wont be that cold where the plants are! snow is a great insulator..
they should be fine..

Scot

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

If I remember right, S. purpurea ssp. venosa is the southern species and isn't as cold hardy as S. purpurea ssp. purpurea which is what you find growing in the northern states and Canada.  I would advise caution in putting your plants out in very cold weather.  I would wait 'till next year and try it with a spare plant first that has had a chance to thoroughly adapt to your weather.

BCK

 

[mijako10]

Thanks for everyone's advice!