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Do you think this will be cool enough for VFT winter?

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I live in Palm Springs, CA and I was wondering if you thought it gets cold enough for me to winter my VFT outside.

Average highs and lows in F:

Oct 91/61
Nov 78/50
Dec 70/43
Jan 70/44
Feb 75/46
Mar 51/81


I hope that this will work. Thanks for your help. :-D
 
well..it is a bit on the warm side, compared to their native climate..
but since those lows are average lows, it can actually be colder than that!
in december, January and February you have nights in the 35-50 range probably..
should be cool enough!

I would go for it..
probably not worth trying the "fridge method" or anything like that..

Scot
 
And declining photoperiod makes a significant impact. The southern Californians do get their VFT's to rest for the winter...
 
Great news! I really didn't want to fridge it. I read on ICPS that humidity is not as big a factor in the winter since they are not as active. That is why I thought I could put it outside for the winter.

Unfortunately I have to grow them inside for the summer. Temps get up to 125F and around 15% humidity. Not to mention the sunlight is around 20,000 fc in mid-day.

By the way, what would be too much light for a VFT? The sunlight is very intense here since it is a desert.
 
i dont think there's such thing as too much light for VFT.
if its like the desert, then water it more often.
 
I will start in shade and move towards the light. I severely burned a high light orchid in the winter sun 2 years ago. It was only in the light for 45 minutes and nearly turned the whole thing black. I have measured the foot candles at noon to be around 20,000. This is very intense and why I was wondering.

Thanks for all the input.
 
It's only too much if it is all of a sudden.
 
I think I gave my VFTs a little too much light this summer. It may not be that it was too much light, but that it was just too intense for them. There was a week or so this summer where the temps got up to near 100F. Combine that intense heat with the low humidity and the fact that the elevation here is 5300ft (which makes the sun even more intense), they actually got a little burned on their extremities. Specifically, their cilia (or teeth) on their traps shriveled up a bit. Perhaps it was more related to the heat and low humidity than it was the sun, but I think the sun was the deciding factor. Of course, you don't have the elevation factor there in Palm Springs. In any case, it may not be a bad idea to provide shade for your VFT during the hottest part of the day in the arid summer heat.
 
i think you're confusing light with temperature.
 
  • #10
Joel (joossa) is one to talk to since he grows his VFTs in the Palmdale/Lancaster desert area.
 
  • #11
I agree with Scott and Jim. Your lows are warmer than the ideal, but the decrease in temps and decrease in light will probably throw it into its sleep. Also, maybe keeping it in partial shade may also help.

Desert growing is a bit tough, but doable. The main difference between your area and my area is that we get considerably colder temps in the winter (nightly frosts over and over), so providing dormancy for me is easier. Of course, Palm Springs gets much hotter in the summer than the high desert.

Good luck!! :)
 
  • #12
Thanks again everyone. I think I am going to wait until the temps stay below 90F and put it outside for the winter.
 
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