VFT how low can you go...

[Noddy]

Hi everyone.... Over the years I have managed to shelter my plants from the cold, however I have read that they do not like fumes from candles and I lost a few last year, and I had a paraffin heater going, since then I have read they can with stand down to -15 and be ok, I know we all would like them to be at 0 to 5. Not that it's going to get that cold here.

What's the lowest temp that you have had your VFT down to?
Should paraffin have had an effect.

Thanks Noddy

 

[mylesG]

my VFTs have seen temps of about 0 to -5 degrees Fahrenheit but they were mulched heavily wiht pine needles for protection

 

[Noddy]

I am growing Spag on top of some media now, so I guess this going to help protecting them, as it does aid in growth...

 

[DJ57]

In my bog garden in the Pacific Northwest, they have survived temps down into the teens (fahrenheit) for short periods of a few days at most with no protection. We regularly get temps in the low 30's to just below freezing over winter, but it usually warms up to above freezing during the day.

 

[scottychaos]

Noddy,
being in Southern England, you are fine..
you are downright tropical compared to the northern USA and Canada..
you should be fine with some light mulch..and you might not even need that.

I assume you are talking Celsius temps?
for those of us in the USA, here is the conversion:

"I have read they can with stand down to -15C (+5F) and be ok, I know we all would like them to be at 0C (32F) to 5C (41F) Not that it's going to get that cold here."

Zero Celsius and warmer is nice and toasty warm, as far as VFTs are concerned..
you have nothing to worry about..

Check out the USDA zone maps here:
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html

You dont even need the candles..
seriously, your winters are really really warm..no worries.
you are actually the same USDA zone as the VFT's native habitat!
zone 8..
and if you are close to the coast, you could even be zone 9, which is warmer yet..
you live in an ideal VFT and Sarracenia habitat..just leave your plants outside 24/7/365 and you are golden..

Scot

 

[Noddy]

Hi scottychaos

I understand what your saying however I have lost them outside on there own but they are not so bad in a green house, now it that due to frost? As in the wild there's a lot of thermal mass below them rather than in a pot. I did place mine in a box one year but the sweated to much...
So has anyone used a crazy idea for keeping them out side... other than that of a green house to prevent this from happening? Also do they harden up over time?

 

[scottychaos]

Noddy,
if you lost them, it probably wasn't due to the cold..more likely that it was something else..
perhaps too wet, perhaps fungus, perhaps weak plants..could have been many things, but it probably wasn't the cold..
you have no issues with cold temps..none at all.
depending where you are in SE England, you are zone 8 or 9..
which is as warm as , *or warmer* than the native range of VFT's..

http://www.forestseedlingnetwork.com/media/15881/usda_hardiness_zones.jpg

http://davisla.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/uk-usda-climate-zone.jpg

http://fi.somethingawful.com/is/img52/7474/mapdi013ib.gif

Do you have something you can mulch the plants with? pine needles perhaps?
I would take the pots out of water trays for the winter, bury them in mulch, with perhaps 2" to 4" on top, for larger "coarse" needles..enough to cover them,
but not so much that air and water flow is impeded..you want them to be able to "breathe" and not suffocate....then just leave them alone..
Do you get enough rain in the winter that the pots wouldn't dry out?

Scot

 

[Noddy]

HI Scot
I lost a large plant one year, however I have since had them in the green house with little issues, now I will have hundreds of pots, I potted 45 plants up today, and there's more to go, so I was wondering does the age of the plant matter, or just that they are not in the frost? as a simple low cover could prevent this!. I aim to rack the green house later so I can get more in during the winter time, but have them out side during the summer... I have at least another 80 plant pots to sort out in the next day of so then I need some more pot's. So my thought is on this really, your thought is if it's not strong enough it's going to die anyway... correct.

 

[Gigantea]

Maybe 20-30's here at the lowest. Dormancy for VFTs is smooth and easy.

 

[Noddy]

Maybe 20-30's here at the lowest. Dormancy for VFTs is smooth and easy.

Hi so your running at

30s [°F] degrees Fahrenheit = -1.11 [°C] degrees Celsius
20s [°F] degrees Fahrenheit = -6.67 [°F] degrees Celsius

Are any of the baby one's affected?