My First Dormancy Attempt

[Woodnative]

Mannex-
I think your garage would be fine (no light in the fridge after the door is closed either). My garage does not have enough light for normal plant growth. There is a small window which allows me to see, but as far as a plant is concerned it is dark. They do fine. Like I said, I leave them outside until a hard freeze threatens and then bring them in the garage for the winter.
Generally, don't cut anything off that is still green. I cut my plants back now (Feb or March), just removing brown sections and dead leaves etc. They will begin growing in April.
Interesting thing about the dark, cool garage. I also keep a couple "tropicals" in there that would normally want full sun, like a potted lemon tree. My house has limited sunny windows. Warmth plus darkness is bad, as they try to actively grow but don't have enough sun to do so. The lemon generally lost nearly all it's leaves by Spring (but would recover over summer). The last two years I have also kept it in the dark garage. Because it is cool, it has stayed green and healthy.

 

[scupbucket]

I've used the garage method this winter as well and so far all my sarras and cobras are doing great. However, make sure you elevate your plants if you live in or near a wooded area. I lost all my VFTs, including some very rare (and expensive) clones to mice this winter. They got all of them in one night. Little b*stards. Mouse traps still work very well though. >;-D

 

[scottychaos]

Fact
plants kept in the refrigrator all winter do fine with no light.
because if its COLD enough, (35-40F) the plants are in a deep dormancy and need no light. they are not growing. they should only be slightly damp, wrapped tightly in plastic, so no water escapes.
and they should be kept outdoors all season so that they begin to go dormant naturally all autumn outdoors. then, when they go into the fridge in early November, they are already naturally dormant.
under these conditions, the "fridge method" works fine..
but all those conditions must be met.

FACT
Plants kept fully submerged all winter, under water, in cool temps,
do fine. Mold doesnt grow under water.

Speculation, but probably true.
Plants put into the fridge too wet will die.

Speculation, but probably true.
Plants put straight into the fridge *without* being slowly acclimated to a natural reduction of photoperiod and temps first, will probably die.
Plants should be outdoors from late summer through all of autumn, becore they go into the fridge.

outdoors the entire growing season. (April - October in the Northern US) is MUCH better than indoors.

Scot

Scot

 

[JMurphy97]

I had some VFT outside from Augest to a week before thanksgiving when the windchill out down to 6F and I put them in the fridge and they died. Maybe because they were frozen then their little 3in pot and I tried to thaw them out and then put them in the fridge? I put them pot and all in and they were sitting in a water tray. So the questions is should they not be in a water tray or is it ok?

 

[Mannex17]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think this fall I'll keep them outside a little longer, to ensure that they've gone into dormancy, and then just put their pots in the garage. I doubt my mom would be too happy about plants taking up her fridge space.

 

[Alvin Meister]

Quote[/b] ]Maybe because they were frozen then their little 3in pot and I tried to thaw them out

Mistake number 1!

Quote[/b] ]I put them pot and all in and they were sitting in a water tray. So the questions is should they not be in a water tray

Mistake number 2!

Keep them out of water during dormancy as it will encourage rot. Cold will prevent the soil drying out and keep it damp.
I tried to thaw out some plants years ago as well - they soon turned into piles of mush.

 

[JMurphy97]

Yea mine were brown and mushy. So if they are cold they won't dry out? Whcih means you pretty much don't have to water them at all right?

 

[glider14]

thats EXACTLY how mine looked when i brought it out...and it grew mold. it was in a fridge and i didnt water it the whole time. when i did bring it out i cut off a new growth point and it was tough(the rizome) so i thought it was still alive. it also had manyGREENsprigs. the mold i think it succumbed to was damp off like. my next sarr i get im going to try growing it outside and in the winter mulch it up. wish me luck!

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

I am so glad I live in an area where these things can be left outside for dormancy. No water just when it happens to rain. I don't think I lost anything yet. Everything looks as thought it will come back. Even the Altas that were just rizomes when I got them look ok and possibly come up. They even were out a couple of nights when it froze. No mulch just the pots sitting on an over turned tray on the ground. My VFTs are starting to grow already. I have no flowers yet, but thats ok plants are alive. I think.

 

[JMurphy97]

Gosh! Lucky!

 

[scottychaos]

Quote[/b] (JMurphy97 @ Feb. 24 2006,7:45)]Yea mine were brown and mushy. So if they are cold they won't dry out? Whcih means you pretty much don't have to water them at all right?

oh! I forgot a step!
plants in the fridge should be wrapped tightly in plastic!
so no water escapes all winter.
they need no watering at all for the three months they are in the fridge. they remain "not too wet, not too dry" all winter.

Here is my "year in the life" thread..this is how I do my fridge dormancy..I lost a lot of my pics when the petflytrap personal spaces had to be deleted..I will try to restore more of them..

Year in the Life of my CPs

Scot

 

[Mannex17]

Very informative thread. Thanks for the link.