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AHH! winter is coming!

??? well. last year i bought a VFT and it it was almost winter and it was a really really small plant. and i read in winter it should be outside so i put it in a differ pot outside and after winter it never grew back.

now i bought another one. now that i have learned more about it its been growing better. and its still a small plant. and winter is comming in a few months. and i dont want it to die, and i dont want it covered in snow so should i out it on a chilly window sill?



and another thing. when the new traps grow how long should it take for the leaves to open. i havnt gotten a open trap yet. when i bought it it had one open trap that doesnt close and it died. since then i never had a open one.
 
Maybe a few days... be patient.

Yeah, Chicago is WAY too cold to overwinter a Venus Flytrap, so yes a chilly windowsill should work. However, Dionaea in the summer are pretty suitable for most warm-summer climates :). I live in Wisconsin, so I would know how cold it is around these parts!
 
Review for us how you are growing the plant.

Is it indoors or outdoors? What kind of light and how many hours of light does it get? How are you watering the plant and what kind of water are you using?

How long have you had the plant? Did you buy the plant in a store or online (out of respect for Andrew please do not name online store)? How large was the plant when you bought it?
 
In a climate that far north, you may wish to use refrigerator dormancy.

Around mid-november, once the plant has begun to enter winter growth (normally achieved in response to reduced photoperiod), remove the plant from its pot, making sure you keep some soil around the roots to minimize disruption to them. Wrap the root/soil ball in some paper towel soaked with distilled water, apply some fungicide, and place the plant in a ziplock baggie in the fridge. Check periodically for mold growth, and replant around early march.
 
Review for us how you are growing the plant.

Is it indoors or outdoors? What kind of light and how many hours of light does it get? How are you watering the plant and what kind of water are you using?

How long have you had the plant? Did you buy the plant in a store or online (out of respect for Andrew please do not name online store)? How large was the plant when you bought it?

well it was indoors for a while i just decided to put it outside a week ago. it most likely gets atleast 6-7 hours of light? i water it at least everyday if not every other to keep soil wet. i use filtered water.

i have had the plant for about a good month now. i bought it at a science store. it really wasnt a big plant it had at most3 or four leaves or stalk things lol. it really wasnt a healthy plant. but i think its growing much better her than at the store.
 
is fungicide something i can like buy at k-mart? does it cost much?
 
If by filtered water you mean filtered by Reverse Osmosis it sounds like you are doing things right. Just give it time to start growing. Let's see how it grows the rest of the summer and early fall.
 
you can usually find fungicide in spray form in the garden section of any big box store, especially Lowe's/Home Depot. It shouldn't cost you more than about $6, and that should last you quite awhile if you're only caring for a few plants.
 
i was reading other borads and i saw this:

2) Leave the plant in the pot. This is pretty much the same as above. You will need to clip some leaves probably, and you'll definitely, more than ever, need the fungicide. Dunk the entire pot, including plant in the fungicide solution and let it drain well. You’re going to eat up more fungicide per plant this way, but if you’re really scared to un-pot them, then I guess it's your only option.

heres the link: http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88227


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with my understanding i just have to pour some fungicide all over the pot and plant. is that safe?

and if i do i still have to put it in a bag? and if i do all that do i need to water it or give it light or can i just leave it in the fridge for 3 months.

sorry with all my questions im just confused
 
  • #10
Another option: you can just spray it with fungicide and place mulch on it during the winter (Bark or Pine Needles). You must water it occasionally through the mulch so it does not dry out. When spring rolls around just remove the mulch and repot. I think its easier than putting it in the fridge because it gets a deeper dormancy due to colder temperatures and it grows better next season. That's what I do anyhow, following directions from an e-book that I got from online. My plants are great!
 
  • #11
Oh, and put black plastic over the mulch if you have a chance of an ice storm. If it works for me, it should work for you, I am in Saint Louis, and we are in the same Zone for coldness. (Zone 5)
 
  • #12
Usually new VFTs, no matter where you pick 'em up, are freshly out of tissue culture. You can skip the first year of dormancy in that case but after that you need to give its proper dormancy. Probably the fact that it was a small fresh-TC plant and went right into a chill was more than it could take.

I have some new VFTs but they have been outdoors long enough and they are large enough to take the upcoming winter even though most of them are "fresh TC" plants.
 
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