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is it dormancy time yet?

cuz my flytrap is growing new traps and turning reddish
 
sounds like your VFT wasnt in the proper conditions to "initiate" the dormancy period
 
well wats the proper conditions?
isnt it ok to leave your vft out all year?
 
It's not unusual for flytraps to grow new leaves throughout the fall in warmer climates. Your plant will probably slow down soon if it's outdoors - it just takes longer for the plant to figure it out in places where the seasonal changes are more subtle. My traps kept growing new leaves clear up through the first frost.
~Joe
 
^Adding to what Joe mentioned:
You live in Oxnard, right by the coast, so temps there are warmer than they are inland (like where I live). This is why your plant is still growing new traps at a regualr rate. So, initiating dormancy won't probably start until December for you (when temps and photoperiod are at their lowest) which is still fine as long as they get a minimum of about 3 months dormancy. Remember, we're in good 'ole sunny California!

The two main requirements to initiate dormancy are a shortened photoperiod and lower temps. These two factors are experianced by VFT's in the wild and allow a plant to go into dormancy.
Shorter photoperiod: due to the days being shorter in the northern hemisphere and the light (radiation energy) from the sun decreasing because the perpendicular rays hitting the earth are below the equator.
Lower temps: obviously due to the seasonal change.

Once in dormancy, your plant will still grow, but at a much slower rate. How is the growth rate of your plant now??
 
You can help cue dormancy by cutting back on water. Keep your plants in a wet tray, but keep the water level as low as you can without letting it go dry for long.
~Joe
 
wat if i just keep watering the tray to the fullest when it all water in the tray is gone?
i do not know wat my vft growth rate is, all i know is that its still alive
i might post a pic when i get the chance
 
Let me restate the grwoth rate question:
Is your plant still growing as fast as it did in the summer? If so, dormancy has probably not been triggered. Have you moved the plant to a more shaded area? This also might help initiate dormancy.
 
  • #10
no its not growin as fast as it used to n the summer but its still growing
my vft probably gets a few hours sunlight cuz my area has a lot shade adn i dont wanna leave it at my neighbors
 
  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]no its not growin as fast as it used to n the summer but its still growing
my vft probably gets a few hours sunlight cuz my area has a lot shade adn i dont wanna leave it at my neighbors
Ok, no problem. Like Joe said:
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]It's not unusual for flytraps to grow new leaves throughout the fall in warmer climates. Your plant will probably slow down soon if it's outdoors
So, it's probably entering dormancy. I wouldn't worry too much.

Good luck!
 
  • #12
Here in eastern New Mexico, U.S, my Venus Flytraps are all entering dormancy now. A few weeks ago their growth began to slow a lot. Now I have them all on the floor in the "sun room/greenhouse" (a walled-in backyard patio) next to a floor-to-ceiling window, where the cold night air can wash over them and encourage them to sleep.

I don't water them frequently during dormancy--just enough for them to not dry out completely, but I do water them thoroughly when I water, then wait perhaps a week or two before watering them again. None of them stand in a tray of water.

Even though they are dormant, they still grow a little: smaller leaves, growing much more slowly, but still alive and photosynthesizing in the reduced winter sunlight.
smile.gif
 
  • #13
I thought my VFT was going dormant, since the nights here in LA started hitting the low 50's. Then we get a few weeks of warm weather pushing the 80's during the day. Now the crazy thing is putting up a flower stalk which could explain why the trap production was slowing down.

My other trap was very very sick. It had a smaller co-joint plant budding off the rhizome. That one turned black and died and starting getting fuzzy with mold/fungus. I tried treating the fuzz with H202 and ground cinnamon but the big plant kept getting worse looking. First the leaves would turn yellow around the edges and then the traps would turn black and eventually the whole leaf. This started happening to the new leaves too, with the trap bud kind of shrivelling up before even opening.

Figuring the plant was going to die no matter what I did I dug it up, carefully washed off the soil, peeled off the rotting parts of the rhizome/bulb (where the other plant was connected). What was left was still a nice white color and firm to the touch. I trimmed off most of the leaves, sprinkled it liberally with ground cinnamon, wrapped it in a moist paper towel, sealed in a baggy (dated) and threw it into the vegetable drawer of the fridge. It's doubtful if it will survive, much less miraculously recover in the spring.
 
  • #14
he lives in Oxnard, CA....california or canada??
Alex
 
  • #15
Oxnard is in California, just up the coast a ways from me. Maybe a 45 - 60 minute drive.
 
  • #16
its raining here n oxnard and surprisingly mines still alive from the rain beatdowns
 
  • #17
As long as you drain out the pot(s) and tray(s) once they get filled up from the rain, your VFT's won't have a probelem. Just make sure they don't stay submerged in the water for too long. "Rain beatdowns" don't kill VFT's, drownings do.
jestera.gif
 
  • #18
what is the lowest temperature VFT can survive?
 
  • #19
When dormant they should be able to survive down to 20 F (-7 C) or so.
 
  • #20
nad if the temperatura fells below -7C to put in a fridge?
 
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