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first year of dormacy

fre8train

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So what I am supposed to do is take all of my vft and remove them from the dirt, then place them in a sealed ziplock with some moist spagnum; then when valentines day comes around I get them out and replant. and I dont mess with them untill then.

If so how do I remove the plant from the lfs

what temp should I set the vegtable drawrer to or should I use the meat drawr. thanks
 
Fre8train,
Your profile says you are in southern Cali, why dont you just put the plants outside and let nature do its own thing?

Steve
 
I will put them outside today. Do they need to be in the partial shade if it is winter that is what they are used to living under a skylight
 
fre8train,
Re-introduce them to Mother Nature slowly. They have to not only get adjusted to the difference in light levels, but wind and the other elements as well.

smile.gif

BCK
 
I'm also a dormancy first timer. Being in a dorm as made me unable to expose my plants to the outside, but I've reduced photoperiod to 8-7 hours a day. I plan to put them outside once I go home on the 15th. Would they be okay being put outside this suddenly? I could acclimate them over the course of the month I'll be home, but I'm worried about temp. shock from bringing them in and outside. Any tips? They'll be put outside on the back porch of parents' house in Roanoke, VA.
 
Cynic,
I think the shock of moving plants in and out of the house can't be much worse than that of whacking the leaves off and placing it in a ziplock bag in the fridge, which is what some people do.  I think that as long as the temp difference isn't too great, ie 80°f inside and 40°f outside, then they should be OK.  A month should work just fine, depending on how cold it gets there and they should do OK outside most of the time. The temps for Roanoke, VA, look like they can get about 10° to 20° colder than their normal range.  If you have some way of covering them (old sheets, towels, or blankets) to protect them on the days where it drops below the upper 20s for more than a couple days, that will help or bring them in and set them in a cool place in the house.  I place mine just inside my back door where they get a cold draft from the air cooling on the glass of the french doors.  Is it possible to put them in a small cold frame?  If you could, then on really cold days you could cover it with an old sheet or two and place a small 40W bulb inside to provide warmth.

smile.gif

BCK
 
My best option would probably be wrapping the pots in an old blanket. I'd fridge them, but I don't trust my parents with fungicide, or to be vigilant in checking for mold. I'd much rather have them go dormant in richmond, but I have absolutely no way of putting them outside (what with the university's paranoia of jumpers in an 18-story dorm).

I know I've probably put up a thousand different posts, but I'm just nervous about my first dormancy. Hopefully next year will provide me with better housing conditions more conducive to CPing.

BTW, how long would cps need to be exposed to room temp to inudce waking up? IS it more light or temp based? How long could the CPs be kept indoors on a cold night/day w/o them waking up prematurely? And what about watering?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Cynic81 @ Dec. 07 2003,8:58)]........I know I've probably put up a thousand different posts, but I'm just nervous about my first dormancy. Hopefully next year will provide me with better housing conditions more conducive to CPing.

BTW, how long would cps need to be exposed to room temp to inudce waking up? IS it more light or temp based? How long could the CPs be kept indoors on a cold night/day w/o them waking up prematurely? And what about watering?
If it helps any, just remember that VFTs have been doing dormancy for a long time
tounge.gif
wink.gif
. For the most part they have it down pat.

I brought mine in last year when we had a cold snap that lasted for a week and then I kept waiting for a really nice day to put them back outside. Two and a half weeks later they were looking like it was spring outside. It would have helped if I had been bright enough to move them over by the back door where it's cooler. Oh well, live and learn. As for watering them, I feel the soil and if it's moist I wait. If it is feeling dry I water them enough to get the soil wet again. They don't need near as much watering in the winter as in the summer.

As for dormancy being triggered by light or temp, my feeling is it's a bit of both. I think that reduced hours of light tell the plant that winter is coming and to get ready. The cold temps slow down the growth. I'll have to see if I can find the topic on the CPUK forum from a while back that discussed this and post the link later this evening.

smile.gif

BCK
 
so, would it be best to physically wrap the pots in the blanket, or just cover them, like over the plants? Or should I only do that when it snows/ices/whatevers?
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Cynic81 @ Dec. 12 2003,12:10)]so, would it be best to physically wrap the pots in the blanket, or just cover them, like over the plants? Or should I only do that when it snows/ices/whatevers?
I would cover them with a blanket or other insulating material on the really cold days/nights to help protect them from frost and freezing.  Not sure about ice, but snow doesn't bother them as much as long periods of freezing temps.  Especially plants in small pots.  People that have their plants in an outdoor bog or large pots have less loss due to long periods of freezing than those of us that have ours in a couple of 3" or 4" pots.

smile.gif

BCK
 
  • #11
I may take a large container of some sort, place the pots in it, and fill it with some spare potting soil or mulch. I know there's some extra soil in the garage. Or owuld compost work better (heat from decomposition)?
 
  • #12
What are the temps in your garage during the winter and is there a place in it that gets some sunlight?  I'm thinking you might be able to keep them in the garage if it's not too cold and has some sunlight during the winter.  You can also use it on the extra cold days to protect your plants.  Possibly by covering them with a light bulb under the cover for warmth.  Just be careful that the bulb will not catch fire to whatever the cover is.


[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I may take a large container of some sort, place the pots in it, and fill it with some spare potting soil or mulch. I know there's some extra soil in the garage. Or would compost work better (heat from decomposition)?
Just having the extra soil would help by buffering the plants from rapid changes in soil temp.  If you use compost you will need to make sure that nutrients from the compost don't leach into the CP pots and that the compost doesn't get into the CP pots.

smile.gif

BCK
 
  • #13
Garage is in no way an option. No windows, and I need my lightbulb for my Binatas, Capensis, and Utric (which are coming back with me to Richmond in January). I'll just get a cheap box or something and fill it w/ sphagnum from Lowes, and place the pots in that. Of course, I think my parents have a few spare styrofoam coolers lying around...

Near the sliding glass door in the kitchen is probably best. Gets light, is a bit cooler than room temp, and convenient to the back deck.

Let me just thank you now for all the help so far. And sorry for hijacking the thread
biggrin.gif
I hope this is helping you fre8train.
 
  • #14
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BigCarnivourKid @ Dec. 07 2003,10:09)]Cynic,
I think the shock of moving plants in and out of the house can't be much worse than that of whacking the leaves off and placing it in a ziplock bag in the fridge, which is what some people do.  
Actually, thats NOT the way most people do the fridge method! (or at least..they shouldnt be doing it that way!)
for anywhere where the winters are too harsh and cold, the trick is to leave your plants outdoors ALL season, right up through October and into November! give them a solid month or two of cooling temps and cold crisp autumn weather..
then, by November when the temps begin to turn TOO cold the plants are already naturally dormant on their own!
*then* they get their leaves cut off and put in the fridge!
and they are already fast asleep at that point..
and since they are already fully dormant, cutting off all the leaves does them no harm at all..
then the fridge maintains a cold temp just *above* freezing, which is far warmer and less harsh than the outdoor temps and snow and ice..
So the fridge isnt used to *induce* dormancy..it should be used to *maintain* dormancy once the plants have already gone dormant naturally outdoors!

just wanted to clear that up..
yes, taking a growing plant that was used to 70-80 degrees, and is still in full growth-mode, and suddenly sticking it in the fridge would be bad!
which is why IMO its bad to grow VFTs and Sarracenia indoors, if you can avoid it..nature is far better at inducing and keeping dormancy..
only use the fridge if your winter conditions are much colder or much warmer than the Carolinas..but AFTER thay are already dormant!

Scot
 
  • #15
[b said:
Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ Dec. 16 2003,06:34)]Actually, thats NOT the way most people do the fridge method! (or at least..they shouldnt be doing it that way!)
Sorry Scot,
Did not mean to imply that was how most people did the fridge method (I did say some
rock.gif
). My method is the pretty much the same as yours. The biggest difference is that I only cut off dead leaves never the green ones. My variation has worked fine for me for years.
 
  • #16
what are the cold tolerances for these guys? Because overnight temps over here are routinely dipping into the upper 20's. I may just acclimate them over january and stick them in the fridge when I leave. Unfortunately my parents have been less than willing to provide the maintenance effort needed for outdoor dormancy.
sad.gif
Not that I blame them ,but it still stinks.
 
  • #17
Could I get a little help here?
 
  • #20
Use a clone dome to put a greenhouse effect on the plant while it adjusts to the new climate.
 
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