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Does S. Purpurea survive total freezing

pedersonplants

pedersonplants

The Obsessive Gardener
Hi:

I am looking to buy a few S. purpurea. Do these plants survive total freezing in a situation where the bog might be frozen for a while, then unfreeze, then refreeze all winter long?

If so, how do they survive or do they have some sort of antifreeze?
 
there are two main types of the plant, ssp venosa and ssp purpurea. venosa is the southern variety and so it may have more of a dislike. However, purpurea grows all the way to Canada as I understand it, so Lansing should be no problem
 
Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa is NOT good for our climate.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea is good for us! It can survive down to -40F.
 
Yes, S.purpurea ssp. purpurea is dead hardy, you will have no problems in Michigan as the plants range extends quite a bit further north from there. The cold tolerance of Sarrs seem to be vastly under-rate, most likely on the side of caution, but from necessity I have overwintered everything but S.purpurea venosa and S.psittacina here in SW Ontario, Canada with no problems. Hybrids seem even tougher

A few folks did an experiment with "hobo loggers", temperatue loggers basically, submerged in our outdoor set-ups this past winter. Despite being the most southern location, I seem to have had the lowest core temp, it went for roughly 2 months at -4.5 C and everything survived in excellent condition. I got caught "mulch-less" by the sudden temperatue down-turn in mid January, but the copious snowfall made good insulation. Another person who lives in a MUCH colder area got the mulch in on time, and despite temps below -30 at times his setup stayed at - 0.5 C the whole winter. Hope this helps a bit, we found the data pretty fascinating :D
 
my purp purp is frozen solid almost all winter here in Maine.
I wish all my temperate plants could handle that.
 
Thank God I am not in zone 5 I am in zone 7 so i think my bog garden will be good in the winter.
 
All my Sarrs are frozen solid during the winter. But I pile lots of oak leaves over them so that once they've frozen, they stay frozen until they thaw in the spring. I think repeated freezing and thawing is more damaging than sustained cold. But I'm talking about Zone 6 cold. I also put a lean-to over the leaf pile so snow doesn't pile up on it. As snow melts on a warm day, the water percolates down and refreezes, where it can create a suffocating layer of leafy ice. I lost some plants that way a few years ago. I don't think I actually lost any Sarrs, but they all suffered badly.
 
Wow. It doesn't sound like these would survive in a container bog garden at all. i have no garage to move it to and no way to protect it from continuous freeze/thaw cycles.

I do believe I'll stay with the refrigerator technique.

Thanks everyone for your input.
 
pedersonplants said:
Wow. It doesn't sound like these would survive in a container bog garden at all. i have no garage to move it to and no way to protect it from continuous freeze/thaw cycles.

I do believe I'll stay with the refrigerator technique.

Thanks everyone for your input.
Click to expand...

That's how I do it, the fridge!

Tom
 
  • #11
And I tote my poratble minibogs to attic for the winter. I have really good success with that approach. It's putting them back outside, in the spring that takes its toll on them!
 
  • #12
If you have an area where you can dig a hole large enough to fit the container, you should be able to overwinter them outside. Tell us more about the container and your land situation and maybe someone will have an idea that can help you keep your fridge free of CPs next winter.
 
  • #13
I live in a townehouse. The hole would have to be dug in the corner where the brick townehouse wall meets the cement porch. I am not even sure I could dig it deep enough because we have so much hardpan clay soil right under a foot or less of top soil.

The foam chest is one from Omaha Steaks ( they send their meet with a huge chunk of dry ice in these chests with thicker walls than the ice chests you can buy.

This area is on the north west side of my front porch. There are NO other protected options.

Now if I owned this townehouse with a piece of land around it, I would just construct a cold frame and a nice greenhouse for those that want a warmer winter. I just get laughed at when I tell the property manager I want a greenhouse.

This is a townehouse coop. Have been here for 21 years this September. Moved in when my son was 4 1/2 years old. He now owns the one he was raised in.

My one bedroom, no basement, monthly charges just went from $344/month to $354/month thanks to everything going up. I quit looking for anything cheaper that was one one floor. I couldn't even rent an apartment over someone's garage for this price. The two bedrooms went to $405; they have two floors and a complete basement.

Thanks to my housing costs (includes everything EXCEPT electricity, telephone service and, of course, internet service. LOL), I can afford my gardening habit even though I live on a combination of retirement plus disability from my last full-time job.
 
  • #14
pedersonplants said:
Hi:

I am looking to buy a few S. purpurea. Do these plants survive total freezing in a situation where the bog might be frozen for a while, then unfreeze, then refreeze all winter long?

If so, how do they survive or do they have some sort of antifreeze?
Click to expand...

Even the hardiest type of purps can only survive one freeze. Ours was doin great until the second...
 
  • #15
Mine grow in above ground pots. They stay outside unless the temps go down to 20 or less. Then they go into an unheated garage. Northern purps would be the only ones, IMHO, that would be a sure bet to survive a strong freeze. They grow in some of the worst winter areas, such as the great lakes, Canada, and the like. Temps can get below zero and stay there a long time. The upper few inches of the soil will freeze hard. That would freeze the growing points and rhizomes. As a former Clevelander, I like to think I know a little something about winter. :-D
 
  • #16
Even the hardiest type of purps can only survive one freeze. Ours was doin great until the second...
Click to expand...

That would mean the entire population of purpureas in the wild would be wiped out since every winter sees periods of deep freeze and then thawing!
 
  • #17
*Big sigh of relief from all the purpurea growing in Canada north of latitude 50 in zones 0b and 1a*
 
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