Winter

[The Lorax]

Ok i am wondering i hear how you can over-winter cp's out side and ive been afraid to do so would it survive i live in north centrel wv near morgantown

 

[SubRosa]

In SE PA I have them in half barrels above ground. The spot is southern exposure and is surrounded on two sides by dark colored masonry and on the third by my house. No added protection for the winter. Sarrs, Dews, a VFT and assorted associate bog plants all made it through last winter, which was kind of cold as winters go around here.

 

[jimscott]

SE PA?! I used to live in Wyomissing! Anyways, a friend in Norristown kept his plants outside all year long, but also had to mulch them. I have also had them in the unheated attic, where it drew some heat from the apartment below, so as not to freeze them to death. Last year I had them in an unheated garage, in an 80qt cooler. They still froze but apparently not enough to kill them.

 

[SubRosa]

Norristown! I live just outside Norristown in East Norriton! My chosen spot is really a cheat of sorts. At the inside corner of my driveway and patio I have a zone 8 hardy cultivar of Rosemary that's 5 years old and has never been mulched. I'm getting ready to move it to a slightly less favorable spot to make room for a fig that isn't supposed to be hardy around here either.

 

[sss]

Yes they can survive, however it's always risky to leave them unprotected. I have been very successful the last two years by letting them freeze a few times and then bringing them into my unheated garage just to protect them from extremely cold temps below 25.

 

[jimscott]

I think the forum member's forum name is JBL. I've visited him once. He's visited me once. Another one is your area is elgecko (Steve Swartz). We've visited each other like 5X. He and JBL initiated a local CP group, called SEPACPS.

 

[scottychaos]

Some people can overwinter CP's outside, some cant..
it depends on where you live, and your climate.
Zone 6 and colder, you usually cant overwinter outdoors..
Zone 7 and warmer, you generally can..

(yes I know..in the north some people do successful overwinter VFT's and Sarracenia outdoors..
but they are the exception, not the rule..
you need a large in-ground bog, with HEAVY mulch..for the average hobbyist, growing plants in pots,
you cant overwinter them outdoors in Zone 6 or colder..)

In West Virginia, IMO its not workable..you probably cant successfully overwinter plants outdoors..
its simply too cold.

More info:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html

Scot

 

[SubRosa]

Some people can overwinter CP's outside, some cant..
it depends on where you live, and your climate.
Zone 6 and colder, you usually cant overwinter outdoors..
Zone 7 and warmer, you generally can..

(yes I know..in the north some people do successful overwinter VFT's and Sarracenia outdoors..
but they are the exception, not the rule..
you need a large in-ground bog, with HEAVY mulch..for the average hobbyist, growing plants in pots,
you cant overwinter them outdoors in Zone 6 or colder..)

In West Virginia, IMO its not workable..you probably cant successfully overwinter plants outdoors..
its simply too cold.

More info:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html

Scot

Given some of the places where purps and some Dews overwinter naturally, I would disagree. The selection of what will survive won't be as wide as in warmer regions, but it should be possible to keep some CPs.

 

[Wire Man]

S. purpurea will survive in WV without any problems.

 

[SubRosa]

I think the forum member's forum name is JBL. I've visited him once. He's visited me once. Another one is your area is elgecko (Steve Swartz). We've visited each other like 5X. He and JBL initiated a local CP group, called SEPACPS.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to keep an eye out for them. As a matter of fact if you can and are willing, I'd happily give you my contact info to forward to them. Pm me.

 

[The Lorax]

thanks for all the replys im just going to go for it next winter

 

[scottychaos]

Well, normally when we have these conversations it is a given that we are not referring to S. purpurea!
because everyone knows it doesn't apply.
but I guess I shouldn't assume everyone would know that..
So take my post above and append: "the above applies to VFT's and all Sarrs except for S. purpurea, and a few Drosera" to the end of it..
(I will try to remember to add that clarification in the future..)

thanks for all the replys im just going to go for it next winter

Dont..odds are very high you will regret it.
but let us know what specific plants you have, how they are growing now (in pots? in a bog?)
and what you intend to do with them for next winter..

Scot

 

[SubRosa]

Pardon my noobie ignorance, but there are Sarracenias which are generally not spoken of here? Please pardon any breach of this etiquette I may have committed, it was completely unintentional and a result of ignorance and not malice. Boy, it definitely takes a while to learn the ins and outs of this forum, I'll tell ya!

 

[The Lorax]

these are my plants but i know some wont make it. im not putting all these out
Sarracenia Purpurea
Sarracenia Rubra
sarracenia psittaccena

Drosera spatulata
Drosera Multifidia extrema ---- sorry i cant spell
Drosera regia
Drosera capensis "Alba"

primrose butterwart
the one withe the red flower not even going to attempt to spell it

and various Nepenthes hybrids i'll say those some other time

 

[SubRosa]

Have you ever checked your exact area on a USDA Agricultural Zone Map? You can do it by zip code http://www.garden.org/zipzone/. Apparently WV has a wide variation for such a small state, no doubt altitude related. I live on the edge of zone 6B getting into 7A in PA. Both of those zones are present in WV as well as colder ones. There are also other factors such as proximity to water, sun exposure and topography that can create microclimates within the zones. There are man made means of affecting microclimate greatly. For example placing plants tightly against a south facing foundation can functionally raise one a full zone or more in terms of what one can grow. My own area that I grow CPs in is just such a situation, with a twist in the form of a blacktop driveway intersecting a black slate patio which abuts said south facing foundation. I have a zone 8 hardy Rosemary bush going on 6 years old that has never received more than good thoughts in the way of winter protection at the exact inside corner. I'm putting a zone 8 fig next to it that I actually will protect, so it doesn't die back to the ground each year. 12' away along the foundation two half barrels sat above ground all winter with my CPs in them. We had a a pretty cold winter, but not much snow. Lots of freeze/thaw cycles, including a very rare for around here solid week with temps below freezing 24/7. Lows in the low single digits. All of my CPs made it, my Grass Pinks and Rose Pogonia were the only losses. Survivors included: Typical VFT, Droseras, all Sarracenias including a death box leucophylla.

 

[scottychaos]

When you say "these are my plants but i know some wont make it. im not putting all these out"
are you thinking that they are *more* likely to die if you put them outside? and less likely to die if you leave them inside?
if so, the opposite is true..
they are *much* more likely to return to good health if you put them outside, and much more likely
to languish and die if you leave them inside..

Im not quite sure what you meant by that though..which is why I ask..

Scot