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Dormancy

NeciFiX

Kung Fu Fighting!
I've amassed a few Sarracenia and plan on getting more, but, there is one thing that torments me

Dormancy.

I am quite good when it comes to maintaining specific water levels. I guess I'm just lucky there. I plan to keep them outside in my z5 climate until it gets TOO cold, then I plan to put them on an open windowsill or the attic during winter, or, at the very least, the refrigerator.

Is there anything else towards it? I don't want to dedicate money and plants to Sarras and then have them most or all be dead! I've heard some real horror stories with Dionaea dying during dormancy (not any about Sarras I can remember though), but, even so, I do have quite a few Dionaea as well!

I started buying RIGHT as dormancy should have been coming to an end in February, (I started in the beginning - middle of January). So, I haven't encountered any dormancy yet (I DID get a Darlingtonia, several Dionaea and one or two Sarras that were in dormancy, and just sat there for awhile but soon emerged)
 
Sounds about right to me. Just remember to water less during the dormancy period, as well. What is the temperature in your attic over the winter?

xvart.
 
I don't know about you guys up there but in GA all I do is forget about them. I don't even water really. I think all I do is trim them up to look nicer and spray with a fungicide.


Mulch them or put them in the fridge.
 
No idea what the temp is. It's much hotter up there in the winter, and much colder than in the house in the winter. Not sure on the EXACT temps. If it's TOO cold, I'll resort to a cold windowsill.
 
I am probably zone 6 in NJ, but the same basic idea applies. I have my plants in large, undrained pots. The pots stay outside here about April through November or so. The plants naturally enter dormancy with shorter days and cooler weather in fall. I leave them outside through the first several frosts. The top of the pot sometimes gets ice on it. However, I bring them into my garage before it gets REALLY cold (like low 20s or teens F). I don't let the entire pot freeze solid. For me, the pots go into my garage, which is attached, but unheated. At that point, they do fine without sun all winter. They get cold in there, sometimes almost reaching the freezing point, but not too cold. They go outside again here in early April, where they still receive some light frosts for a month or so but exit dormancy normally. One thing to consider about the attic, if the sun beats down on your roof all day, it may get really warm/hot in the day, and really cold at night. This constant, extreme change may not be good. Otherwise, you should do very well with them.
 
I'm in zone 6 and I tried overwintering in my attic, way too cold. I lost almost all of them. So this fall I'll take them out of their pots, clean them off, wrap LFS around them, mist then bag them and place in the fridge for the winter. ALL my VFTs survived in the fridge.
 
Alright, thanks for all your help! :)
 
I'm in zone 6 and I tried overwintering in my attic, way too cold. I lost almost all of them. So this fall I'll take them out of their pots, clean them off, wrap LFS around them, mist then bag them and place in the fridge for the winter. ALL my VFTs survived in the fridge.

And you probably got that idea from me! We're on opposite sides of New York State and where I am (Buffalo area), it is colder. Maybe it was the difference in our respective attics. I've never put a thermometer in the attic, but even when the oustide temps were in the single digits for the lows and ten's as highs, nothing ever froze. In short, I get through dormancy just fine.... it's putting them outside, open to the critters, that does them in. I lost all my VFT's, most of the sundews, and half of the Sarracenias after dormancy, outside.
 
And you probably got that idea from me! We're on opposite sides of New York State and where I am (Buffalo area), it is colder. Maybe it was the difference in our respective attics. I've never put a thermometer in the attic, but even when the oustide temps were in the single digits for the lows and ten's as highs, nothing ever froze. In short, I get through dormancy just fine.... it's putting them outside, open to the critters, that does them in. I lost all my VFT's, most of the sundews, and half of the Sarracenias after dormancy, outside.


You're right Jim, I did get the idea from you! My attic got below freezing many times over the winter, I had a digital thermometer up there feeding me temp. data.

Maybe try elevating the plants up on tables or some other platform. I got woodchucks and so far they don't bother my Sarrs even though I have them elevated about 2 feet.

Tom
 
  • #10
Maybe try elevating the plants up on tables or some other platform. I got woodchucks and so far they don't bother my Sarrs even though I have them elevated about 2 feet.


"How many Sarrs could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could.........." Oh nevermind........ :p
 
  • #11
"How many Sarrs could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could.........." Oh nevermind........ :p


LOL! I hope never to find out!

Tom
 
  • #12
*watches a beaver*
 
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