Need Sarrencia Winter Care Advise
Postby BornABruin � Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:30 pm

I'm heading in to winter for the first time with my Sarrencias. I have a S. Flava, S. Leucophylla, and a couple of S. Purpeas all in 8 inch pots. I live in the high desert north of Los Angeles so the low night temperatures will normally range between 28 and 40 degrees F. Daytime temps can be all over the map depending on the weather --I usually expect a few days each winter where the highs will reach the 80's in January or Feburary (causing my fruit plums and pluot trees to bloom too early, but that's a different story). Where the summer gives the plants six to eight hours of sun on my patio, they are now down to about four hours of direct sun each day because of the long shadows from the house. The older pitchers are dying back just a bit on the Flava and Leucophylla. The Purpeas look like they usually do. I'm having the first temps below 32 tonight (down to 31) So I have some questions:

1) Am I correct in assuming that the reduction in sun is not a problem as that might help them go dormant?

2) The temps are supposed to go down to 31 tonight. Is that OK for the S. Flava and S. Leuophylla, or do they need to be moved into the garage or at least under cover? If not, at what temperatures (if any) do I need to move them under cover?

3) With all of the plants, do I need to worry about the water they sit in or the water in the potting medium freezing?

4) I'm assuming that the Purpeas are much more hardy (after all the natural range of S. Purpeas is the north up thru Canada) so I'm assuming they can just be left for the winter no matter what the temperature.