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darkdes

first winter worries

darkdes
17 years ago

well my beutifull outdoor cps are not-so beutiful now that winter dormancy seems to have set in lightly. I say lightly cause while temps have gotten down to 35 and the photoperiod is shorter we have yet to experiance a frost. Now this is going to be the coldest winter my area has seen in a long time and was wondering if i should put all my plants that are in individual pots in one big warm pot to help them make it through. Sound reasonable or would that be unneccesary?

Comments (4)

  • petiolaris
    17 years ago

    Where are you located? You sound as though you live in the north somewhere. How are they being kept right now? Are they in individul pots, open tray method? There are a variety of ways to handle it. Some people live in warm enough climates that they can just leave them outside, with no extra help, all year long. Some live in the north and heavily mulch with peat and/or pine needles. Some take their plants and place them in the fridge for the winter, sometimes as is, or in baggies, with a fungicide.

    What I have done is grow them in buckets in minibogs and then tote the buckets to the attic, placed at a SW window sill. It's cold enough but not too cold and the photoperiod keeps them dormant until late winter. Then they begin to wake up. I water sparingly and just wait it out before putting them back outside again.

    {{gwi:547797}}

  • darkdes
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I live in columbus GA. The past winters have been fairlywarm keeping above the low 30s on average but it is supposed to be a cold one. I know for a fact that My S leuco, S purp, and S x michelliana along with my Florida giant dewthread drosera are all dormant and Drosera binata dichitoma is showing significant slowed growth. But my vft's and other sarrs are still producing growth. I know dormancy is triggered by Low light and frost rather than temps. The main one im concerned for is the Binata. Its my only non U.S. native plant that goes dormant and i suspect it cant bear the same frosty conditions sarrs expect.

  • petiolaris
    17 years ago

    Okay, I see. Your definitely south enouth enough for the VFT's & Sarracenias to remain outside all year long. Do you have any SE ->SW window sills that are unheated? Do you have anything in the attic or basement? I kept my straight up D. binata in with Sarracenias and other temperate sundews in the minibog, in the attic for the winter, where it must have gotten close to freezing. They died back so as to disappear completely from the suface... and then began reappearing in late February. I just don't know about the tolerance of a dichotoma.

  • FlytrpL8E
    17 years ago

    Same for the D. dichotoma giant and small red form, which are jest different forms of binata. They go dormant but will come back next year.Marston dragon and multifeda extreema are more torpicaland need to be brought inside.

    Lois