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Hi all

Hi I am another newb to the world of CPs.

I started my collection with 2 Flytraps. I have only had them for a week now. So far so good, they seem to be recovering well from the shock of being shipped.

1 question i was hoping might get answered.

I live in wisconsin so temperatures are pretty chilly. I plan to keep them outdoors during the summer, what would be a safe average low temperature to make the move?

Oops make it 2 questions,

They are both "Red Dragons" however they have very little red coloring on them. I know that has to do with the amount Light they receive. Once they have proper conditions, how long will it take for the color to darken? Or will I have to wait for new growth for the red coloration to show?
 
i dont have any VFTs at the moment but to answer your second question, if they are in fact 'Red Dragons' their lack of red color would be due to not good enough light. VFTs like full sun. if you check out the Sarr forum you will see a pic of one of my Sarrs not quite opened pitcher. you can see the side that faces the window is a nice deep red, the opposite side that faces the inside of my kitchen is still pretty green.
 
Hello! I don't know the answers to your questions cause I am also a newbie.I just know that it does need lots of light to make it a nice red but I don't know how long it will take,but I just wanted to welcome you to the forum!You will have a great time.The people here are very nice and super helpful!Have fun!*Niki*(Trapper7)
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Hello Gawd...welcome to the forums.
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If your VFTs have been indoors in a warm environment, then I would acclimate them slowly to outdoors. They can take pretty chilly temps but normally, if the plants have been outdoors the whole time, then the temp change takes place gradually. So its not that they can't take the cold weather...you just don't want to shock them with a sudden evironmental change. Maybe put them outdoors in the sun for a while and bring them indoors at night if the temperatures are going drop below freezing.

Once you've had them outside, next winter will be easier as they adapt to the changing weather. I don't know how severe the cold gets where you are, but my VFTs have been frozen solid and they do fine. However I can't say if VFTs in your neck of the woods could stay out all winter.

Welcome to the fascinating world of CPs. But I'll warn you...its an addiction. And nobody here is gonna talk you out of it.
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Welcome to the forums dude (or dudet
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I believe PAK answered your first question and I will attempt to answer your second question. It depends on how much of what kind of light you give them. Strong direct sunlight will color them faster than say a set of growlights. The more light you give them the faster they color. It can usually take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It all hinges on the kind of plant(red dragons color beaustifully) and how much light they get. Mine get full sun in the summer and they color almost instantly from the time of conseption to the time of opening. Hope this helps you.
 
Thanx All.

PlantA - It gets pretty darn cold, well below freezing no wind chill included...
And Ok, as I thought, I'll wait another month to put them out.

And yer darn right it is addicting, I'm already looking for some dews to add to the collection.

Wesley - Kewl Thanx for the 411 - I was hoping it wouldn't take to long, once they are getting more direct light. Unfortinatly, my house is on a goofy angle, and the windows that would provide the best light are shaded by trees. I have however found a place in one room where they recieve about 1 hour of direct light in the morning and 2 1/2 - 3 hours in the afternoon, until temps warm up enough to get them out to the bog.
 
a total of 31/2 - 4 hrs is pretty weak. It can work but these plants prefer a lot more light. If it of course is all you can provide it will work, but not to the same degree. The plants will probably be a bit slower and coloration will probably not reach its peak. That's ok though, once it's warm enough to get them outside they'll take off.

As for it being well below zero, I'd suggest some hefty mulching in the winter, but since I'm NO expert on bogs you may want to seek another opinion.

Later Dude,
~Wes~
 
  • #10
Hey Gawd...in the next month or so we will be having an BENEFIT AUCTION to get donations to the North American Sarracenia Conservancy.  You might be able to pick up some 'dews there.

hehehehe...shameless plug for a good cause.  
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  • #11
Yes you will, I'm putting a couple of BEAUTIFUL dews up for auction.
 
  • #12
Hello and welcome!  I am so glad to see somebody who may be from my neck of the woods. I am down by the Illinois/Wisconsin border within a stone's throw of Pleasant Prairie Wisconsin.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Unfortinatly, my house is on a goofy angle, and the windows that would provide the best light are shaded by trees.

I am virtually in the same situation. Every eastern exposure window I have is shaded by trees all but for about one hour a day.  I purchased clamp fixtures at Home Depot and when they ran out I went over and bought more at Menards. I then bought Grow Bulbs and clamped them on the edge of the planters and on the backs of chairs I had placed my plants on and trained the light directly onto the plants. This is working very well for the majority of the plants I have which are all sort of receiving western exposure sunlight from windows in the front of my home.  One difference is that I am getting about 5 hours of sun a day in the afternoon through the windows in the front of the home that aren't shaded.

Best wishes to you!
 
  • #13
Thanx again everyone.

How soon is the auction going to happen.. Don't know if I have the patience to wait.
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As for the bog, I was going to leave every thing in pots and bring them indoors for the winter.

Laura, fairly close I grew up in Milwaukee, but live about 2 hours north west of there now.
 
  • #14
Oh oh oh!  You are only about 3 hours away from me!  Yay, somebody in the next state! If you ever have any plans to go to Gurnee Mills or Six Flags Great America, let me know as I live a hop skip and a jump from there.

There are many species that can be overwintered up in our neck of the woods with nice layers of mulch and many without. Check out the native range of Drosera rotundifolia, Sarracenia purpurea, Pinguicula vulgaris, and there are several aquatic Utricularia.
 
  • #15
Welcome to the forums! Embrace the Insanity!!
 
  • #16
Tee he, he/she is already embroiled in the insanity in another thread. He/She is my kinda guy/gal. I just love outspoken proponents of native flora and fauna.
 
  • #17
Oh no, Flytrapgirl is back
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  • #18
*JAWS music plays*
 
  • #19
Ok So I bought some lights today... Couldn't wait for the weather to warm up before I see more red on my VFTs.

And I am going to school for an associates in natural resource management, so I gotta speak up a bit for the native flora and fauna. My end plan is to get my own company started doing shore line restorations for all these suburban lakes around me, seeing a manicured lawn straight up to a lakes edge just bugs me...

And My name is Dave - Hopefully that clear up the He/She thing..
 
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