They really ought to have shown some new growth by now. I'd keep waiting, but also think about getting more plants. I live in Buffalo (but was raised in Huntington) and I keep my dormancy plants in minibog buckets, in the attic, by a window. They start emerging from dormancy in late February, responding to the increased photoperiod and temps.

Lets Go Mets!

Hello banjoman,

Venus Flytraps spring out of dormancy rather quickly from my experience and my Sarracenia rubra is sending up multiple growth points now. Sarracenias tend to be the sleepier plants and come out of dormancy later. You can check the roots and rhizomes if you want. The Sarracenias should have thick creamy white roots if they are alive.

In any event, winters can freeze dry plants in pots so periolaris's advice of bringing them in and placing them in a cold room by a window in the house is good. Keep them about 40 degrees Fahrenhiet to maintain a safe cold environment without freeze drying them. In the wild, they can survive temperatures much lower than that, but they are insulated by being in the ground. Freezing weather of about 30 degrees or so can be survived by them when they are in pots, but generally only for a couple days at a time.

Thanks to both of you for your advice. Last winter, I put them in the garage by a window, and they came out of it nicely in the Spring.

You are probably right that the deep ice freezes in the exposed air outside might have dried them out. I'll give them another month, and keep up my hope especially for the Sarrs.

It's too bad, some of them were really nice plants.

Jon

Have you check the color of the growing tip or crown? If its green or somewhat reddish. It's still alive but if its black or dark brown, its most likely that the rhizome is dead. Hope that's not the case. Good luck!

Mine go in the fride in the fall, both my VFTs and Sarrs. I know you're a bit warmer down in LI but it as you know can still freeze there!

Most of my Sarrs were in the attic this year and didn't make it. Lesson learned.

Tom

Hi, this is the first time i've put my VFT into dormancy, and i've decided to employ the method of putting the entire plant, pot, soil and all into the fridge. i have my doubts and i'm in need of information about photoperiods??? and any other precautions i need to take.

purple - I trust you are living in the southern hemisphere and experiencing late fall?

yes, I live in Australia (Sydney)

aThere are a variety of approaches to doing dormancy. Some people take the plant out of the pot and apply a fungicide to it, and then place in a baggie, in the fridge. Some just put the plant directly in the fridge. My first year I went through a circuitous path that started out with placing the pots in between storm and inner kitchen windows. But it wasn't cold enough. Then I out the plants in a screened porch, where they froze one night. Then I put them in the butter keeper of the fridge, as is, and watered only to keep barely moist. Then I brought them to the lab in which I worked and had them in a sample fridge for the duration of the winter. In early spring I put them on a window sill that was drafty and to my surprise, they were still alive. Lastly, I put them outside and a month later I was getting flower stalks.

But nowadays I have VFT's, Sarracenias, and temperate sundews in buckets, as minibogs, and I tote the buckets to our cold attic. They are placed at a window sill and watered sparinly. They get through the winter just fine and wake up on their own, responding to increased photoperiod and slightly warming temps. It's getting them outside and keeping them protected from critters that's the challenging part.

Also, slowly getting them into dormancy without killing them with a total dark, cold environment all at once is something that needs to be done. With lower photoperiods and cooler weather, they should go dormant naturally, then place them where you want to winter them. Inside, you will need to lower the photoperiod artificially if you have them in florescent light. Just keep lowering the light by an hour per week until it is down to 8 hours and the plants will get ready for dormancy. The first light freeze can be simulated with an ice chest and some frozen bottles of water around the pots. Just remember, slow steps in changing the environment for plants is best.

My sarrs have been dropping one by one. The rhizomes are white and look fine so I give them time and then I check back and they're brown and dead. Is there something that can be done between the two phases to keep them alive? Other plants are doing fine right next to them.