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several questions about the care of vft

I have 3 different vft---- common green, red dragon, and a combination of the two. ---------- I had them for close to 3 years now and I live in eastern Pennsylvania so they don't get outside. it is just starting to get warm here. what temperature do they like, and is it possible to keep them outside?? What temps will the survive?? -------------------------------------------- (I Don't Have a green thumb!) ------------------------------------------------- Also I have just started to read about a dormant period?????? I have then next to a window with gets a draft. and they looked like they were not doing as well they slowed down did eat lost a couple of leaves, and was not growing I was worried about so I moved them away from the window. (probley only 2-3weeks)------------------------------------ what do they look like when they are dormant???? since it just started to get warm here and the extra flies are coming out of the attic can I wait until next winter make them go dormant? also I'm just about to transplant them.. please advise me what I should do.?!? I don't think they have had a dormant period since I got them.--------------------------------------------.

how much is normal for them to grow in a year?????
Sally D???
 
VFTs love to be outside. Any temp above freezing is fine. Its a little late to be worrying about dormancy this season, but the good news is you have a whole 6 months or so to study up on the subject. I suggest you start your research here: http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html I found that site invaluable when I first started growing my VFT's (before I knew about this forum).

Good Luck,
Steve

Edit: I dont have a pic of one going down for dormancy, but here is a shot taken today of a plant comming back. As you can see.. dormant leaves tend to be very wide and lay almost flat to the media. Summer leaves grow tall and thin and reach for the sunlight.

Edit 2: Sally, if those are your plants in the pic on your profile, they look like they REALLY want to get into some good full sunlight. Do you know when that pic was taken? If its current (within the last few days/week or so) then I would say they didn't get dormancy this year. I don't believe that its going to hurt them this season but I would definately give them dormancy this fall. If you grow them outside this summer, they will naturally go dormant all on their own as the days grow shorter in the fall.


 
Sounds like a textbook description of a dormant VFT prior to you moving them. Eastern Pennsylvania would put you in Zone 5 or 6 compared to the Zone 7 or 8 of the native VFT range.

Protect them from the cold in winter but otherwise grow them outdoors in full sun. Don't worry about dormancy this past winter. They may have actually have been dormant the past few winters without you realizing it. Just let them soak up full sun this growing season and let them have dormancy this coming winter and they should be nice and healthy.
 
picture in profile

the picture were taken today. I moved them out of their window to take the pictures.. soooo they don't look so good?? They could use some help........ what can I do to make them stronger. I put them out side for the first time since they came to live with me :boogie: I hope they don't get blown over. I stuck them in the sun and they look like they are going to moan when its time to come in (just like to kids):blush: since we still tend to get frost I should be bring them in at night right ??? I think I'm in the middle of zone 5 & 6. can I plant the outside and just leave they there? I would really miss having they inside with me. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
If you're still getting frost it might be better to wait a few more weeks until the frost season is past or at least keep an eye on the weather forecasts and bring them in if there is a frost warning.

Otherwise the plants look okay. Not a lot of color but at least there are the broad autumn/winter leaves which indicate they are getting enough light not to be etoliated.
 
soooo they don't look so good??

they look a lot better than mine. i made a mistake by bringing them outside a week after i got my new vfts from the nursery. i got too excited with the spring weather - it was hitting 60s first week of april. the next week, it snowed 6 inches. so now, my vfts are all shrively and black.

they will still survive right? its really sunny out now. should i just give them time?

hmm...i wonder how JMurphy's plants are.
 
VFTs like warm temperatures from the high 60s into the low 90s. They love sun and don't like cold drafts.

Remember to keep in a tray of rain or distilled water at all times and don't worry about insects. Outside they will catch their own, but VFTs don't need insects to do well. They are merely 'fertiliser' to the plant.

If you can't do outdoors, they do well on a warm and sunny windowsill.

Dormancy is fairly easy, but that's something for November!

In the meantime, have a look at http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html
 
Hello, welcome to TF! Why did you think they couldn't survive outside? You can't plant them in the ground outside, they need bogs, not good soil. If you put them in any potting soil or give them any fertilizer (to the roots, though, I heard of a scarce few professionals who do) they will die, they need peat moss/perlite or sphagnum moss, tap water isn't too good to water them with either, unless you got luckier, cleaner water.

A good reference for help is www.Sarracenia.com/faq.html , go to the Flytraps section.
 
Until recently, I also had been residing in Eastern PA, near Reading, in Wyomissing, if you've ever heard of them.

I bought and kept some VFT's and kept them at work, with their pots in an old, large plastic pretzel container, by a window sill. They grew quite well, in spite of only getting what light that shone through the window. Their traps doubled and then I put them through dormancy. After dormancy, I put them outside, where some of them promptly flowered. The only trouble I had and have been having has been protecting them from kids and critters.

Here's a pic of VFT's in dormancy:

IMG_0166.jpg


Basically, dormant leaves are short, wide, and rest on the soil. In growing season, they will be thinner, longer, and upright.

As VFTguy..... indicated, they are light lovers and do best when outside, which would be for 8 months of the year, unless mulched. I have been keeping mine in buckets, as a minibog, and for dormancy, I tote the buckets to the attic and place at a window sill. They break dormancy, naturally, responding to the change in daylength and temperature.
 
  • #10
Otherwise the plants look okay. Not a lot of color but at least there are the broad autumn/winter leaves which indicate they are getting enough light not to be etoliated.


What pic are you looking at? Mine, or the one on her profile? I don't see too many leaves on her plants that look like winter leaves to me. I see a LOT of long drooping leaves that look like light hungry summer leaves to me.
 
  • #11
I just re-read your post and see you've had them for 3 years! Just give them sun and warmth and hope they got enough of a dormancy from low light over winter.
 
  • #13
Why did you think they couldn't survive outside?

I thought it would be to much of a tempature change. plus though them being in pots would tend to make the soil to hot for them to survive. just never thought They could stay outside I bought them to help control my fly promble I tend to have inside. hoping to keep them inside never intended to keep them out. not I just want want is best for them.
 
  • #14
is there a way I can link a pitcure of them?
 
  • #15
Until recently, I also had been residing in Eastern PA, near Reading, in Wyomissing, if you've ever heard of them. are right next door okay alittle far then that but pretty close
 
  • #16
You know there is an edit button.
 
  • #17
Etiolated = Reaching towards the light.
 
  • #18
Until recently, I also had been residing in Eastern PA, near Reading, in Wyomissing, if you've ever heard of them. are right next door okay alittle far then that but pretty close

We lived in the Cambridge Commons apartments, on Old Mill Road, near Reading Blvd.

With posting pictures, do you have a hosting site, like Photobucket? Or you can use the one provided by this discussion forum. Basically, you upload to a hosting site and then download, with the help of the icon above the message box, to bring the picture to the forum. Probably a better approach is to determine aat which point along the path you are stuck. You could also Email me pictures and I can host them to my account and bring them to the forum, if you's like.
 
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