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I live in Nebraska where the winters are horrendous and no carnivorous plant would survive. We're talking deep freeze for weeks.

I've been raising VFTs and Sarracenia for a couple years now and the hibernation method I use for them has been successful: starting around late October I place them into a refrigerator that I has a couple suspended grow lights inside (I have a fridge dedicated to them). I watch for fungus, etc. with reduced watering and humidity. I let them sleep for a couple months and then when temperatures are above freezing outside here, I set them back outside again. They've seemed to enjoy it, and I've had some ravenous plants come back in the spring.

The problem is this is the first year I've started raising a lot of sundews, and they're doing amazing. The binata that I have are animals and have quickly become my favorite Sundew species. I know they need hibernation, but I'm worried the methods that work for the North American guys might not work so well here. I have really got a lot of joy from these (not-so) little guys and really want to treat them well this winter.

May I have some advice on how to best hibernate them? Do they just need a cool window sill with regular watering? Would the refrigerator method be overkill for them (or kill them?).

Thanks!
 
actually the binata complex does not require a dormancy, but will go into dormancy if the conditions are cold enough. in fact, one species: multifida extrema does not go dormant at all and will die down to the roots if exposed to cold conditions. growing them indoors with adequate light will allow them to persist without any problems
 
A sunny window sill will work just fine for them. They may go dormant anyway on the window sill with shorter photoperiod and cooler temps, but will sprout again in the spring. If you can put them under lights on a 12-plus-hour cycle, they should stay growing all winter. As amphirion said, they do not require a dormancy.
 
Jon is right, the binata complex plants do not require dormancy however I keep some mine outside year round in USDA zone 5. I live in Boston where it is frozen solid from November to March. I grow both D. b.binata and D.b.dichotoma 'Giant' in my outside bog garden with absolutely no protection. Both of these species can survive winters as harsh as USDA zone 4.
 
Wow! What an incredibly healthy newsgroup! Thanks guys.

I actually have multifida extrema (it's turning into a bush) and knew enough not to think about hibernating him. So I guess I won't worry about placing the rest of my binata into the refrigerator then; this winter I'll just drop the photoperiod on the terrarium they're in - that should be enough from the sounds of it, right? (I have my Droseras in a 40 gallon long tank, raised to about 4-5 inches from four T-8 lights).

Cthulhu138, your situation intrigues me. I have never had any luck keeping any carnivore outside - they've always died on me. What sort of prep work do you do to your bog garden to prevent freezing? Last winter we had -5 F nights for almost two weeks in a row - I'm amazed you could keep carnivores alive in that...(I'm absolutely not doubting you, I just have had bad experiences personally)
 
I have the same insanely cold winters with temps below 0 degrees. I don't do anything to protect the bogs except shovel the snow from the steps and sidewalk over the 2 in the front of the house.

Here's what it looked like in March after all the snow melted :
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/?action=view&current=3-20-12001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/3-20-12001.jpg" border="0" alt="March 2012"></a>

And, in May :
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/?action=view&current=5-13-12022.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/5-13-12022.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

And June:
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/?action=view&current=deadhamata013.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/deadhamata013.jpg" border="0" alt="June 14th 2012"></a>
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/?action=view&current=7-2-12035.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Bog%20Garden/7-2-12035.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Here's dichotoma out there:
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/?action=view&current=015.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/015.jpg" border="0" alt="Drosera binata dichotoma 'Giant'"></a>
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/?action=view&current=016.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/016.jpg" border="0" alt="Drosera binata dichotoma 'Giant'"></a>
<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/?action=view&current=5-21-12016.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Drosera/5-21-12016.jpg" border="0" alt="Drosera binata dichotoma - Giant"></a>


I'll have to take some late autumn and winter pics this year.
 
...well, I'm darned impressed! I'm going to have to start trying this out then.

My collection is starting to grow quite rapidly due to seed and other means of propagation, so I'll have to give this a whirl next year and see what sort of results I get. Eventually I fear it's going to get to the point where I'm not going to be able to house them in terrariums, so being outside will be their only option. I'll start experimenting with a few hardy species (I see you have a sarracenia purpurea in there) and try my luck.

Out of curiosity, how hot does it get there? Like our winters, our summers can be intense - 110 degree days of punishing sunlight aren't uncommon here. The sarrs seem to just shrug off those days so long as there's plenty of water to go around (I have a rain barrel)....I don't have much experience keeping the sundews outside.
 
Our summers are like Brazil, horribly hot and humid.
 
while we're on the subject, what does it take to get tracyii to go fully dormant?
 
  • #10
I have a pot of D. binata that I have had almost 20 years now..
it might not technically require dormancy, but I always let it go dormant anyway, just because its easier..
I put it in the winter dormancy spot with all my VFT's and Sarrs every winter..it always comes back fine in the Spring! :)

I've been raising VFTs and Sarracenia for a couple years now and the hibernation method I use for them has been successful: starting around late October I place them into a refrigerator that I has a couple suspended grow lights inside

No need for the light..just a waste of energy..
the plants aren't growing at 35 degrees F, they are fully dormant, they need no light..
my plants are in pitch darkness for 4 months every winter..(again, almost 20 years doing it this way! ;)
they do great...I say "ditch the light", there is no need for it..

Scot
 
  • #11
while we're on the subject, what does it take to get tracyii to go fully dormant?

D.f.tracyii won't go fully dormant and can't freeze solid so, don't leave it in the bog for the winter.
 
  • #12
I also grow my sarrs, VFTs, D. capensis, and dichotoma 'Giant' outside in a bog year-round without mulching. Our winters are not as severe as yours, but if you get good snow cover that insulates the plants. The mass of the bog protects the roots of the sarrs, dews, and VFTs. Any dichotoma or capensis I have left unprotected outside through winter in pots 4" or smaller have not made it as their roots freeze in the pots, but nestled in straw they do fine in the pots.
 
  • #13
Scotty,

Can you quickly describe for me the setup you have for your vfts, etc? Is it a refrigerator too, or is it something more grand?

I might just reduce the photoperiod on the terrarium for the sundews this winter. I have them in a corner of the house that gets chilly in the winter anyway, so I imagine this will be good enough...but I'm interested in learning about your hibernation setup for my other plants....

Excellent newsgroup...love this place....
 
  • #14
...and thanks all for your fast and extremely well educated responses. I found a carnivorous plant home :)
 
  • #15
Scotty,

Can you quickly describe for me the setup you have for your vfts, etc? Is it a refrigerator too, or is it something more grand?

Here you go! two pages, four years apart..
I was using "the fridge method" in 2004 when I made this page:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page2.html

Then in 2008, I was still technically using "the fridge method", but had replaced the actual fridge with a cool basement stair-well,
the rest of the technique is the same however:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/CP/page5c.html

This is how im still doing it now..

Scot
 
  • #16
Brilliant! Excellent posts. Thanks!
 
  • #17
I have a pot of D. binata that I have had almost 20 years now..
it might not technically require dormancy, but I always let it go dormant anyway, just because its easier..
I put it in the winter dormancy spot with all my VFT's and Sarrs every winter..it always comes back fine in the Spring! :)



No need for the light..just a waste of energy..
the plants aren't growing at 35 degrees F, they are fully dormant, they need no light..
my plants are in pitch darkness for 4 months every winter..(again, almost 20 years doing it this way! ;)
they do great...I say "ditch the light", there is no need for it..

Scot
.
When we had the infamous 'October Storm" a few years ago the D. binata I had died, surficially. I really thought they died. They just died from above the surface but cam back and have been coming back every year since. They have been in my Sarracenia pots and survived freezes and dormancies it co-worker garages, etc...
 
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