Winter Dormancy for Temperate Plants in Cold Climates

Sarracenia, Venus flytraps, and temperate Drosera require a cold winter dormancy. While they’re all cold hardy for a brief freeze, how much cold can they take? How do you provide dormancy for them if you live somewhere very cold, for example, in an area with regular winter snow? Damon will walk you through several options in this video. For more information or to order plants go to our website www.californiacarnivores.com
#carnivorousplant #plant #botany #horticulture #pitcherplant #sarracenia #houseplant #plantcare

[@Tommyr]

Hi Damon and gang! I have to do fridge dormancy where I am in zone 6., what I do is in mid - October once the plants are well into the start of dormancy I drain off excess water from the pots, hit them with a SULFUR based fungicide and place in zip lock bags and pop them in the fridge for 3 - 3 1/2 months. I occasionally check them (once a month) for fungus and hit with the fungicide if needed. Late winter around February 1st I take them out and clean them up, repot any that need it, hit them with SULFUR based fungicide again and place in a south and west window and some under florescent and white 'daylight' LED lights until night time temps. regularly stay above freezing then slowly acclimate them to full outdoor Sun. I've been using this method for 14 years with no losses.

[@gothivore277]

What particular brand of fungicide do you use? I always lose at least one of the more delicate sundews to mold during dormancy every year

[@Tommyr]

@@gothivore277 Mine is from Bonide. Mixed at 1/4 to 1/2 strength.

[@SchneidersG]

I love your authenticity ❤

[@chevyfish4028]

It is great to see it demonstrated so we know exactly how it is done. I've never done the fridge method because it is cold enough in my nonheated entryway. This info is good to know for future reference. 🌱

[@cjtuba1]

Great to see you guys posting videos regularly.. Great to see.. All my best. Chris, Staffordshire, UK..

[@California_Carnivores]

Thank you!

[@cjtuba1]

How about a video covering the biggest Sarracenia Species like S.Asbo, Leviathan, Monster etc..

[@duncanpage1556]

Great vid! Thanks from Alberta Can.

[@Wulfenite295]

Hi Damon and California carnivores I live in Colorado and my garage isn’t insulated so I have to do the fridge method and have found that your videos are very helpful when it comes to questions I have about carnivores plants keep up the awesome job and make more awesome videos.

[@California_Carnivores]

I’m so glad they’ve been helpful!

[@stephengordon6505]

Hi Tolan, I live in Northern Colorado and I’m new to carnivores plants. When do they start to come out of winter dormancy in Colorado? Have you had success growing inside and outside? Thanks.

[@drnilraps5007]

Merry Christmas and stay safe................🎅

[@BenBen5501]

I live a few miles east of you in the Sacramento area (Elk Grove). It's a relief I won't have to do all of that and I realized that early in the video, but I watched it all just the same. It was informative and you made it interesting and entertaining and I kept waiting to see where that cat would pop up next. Is there more than one the same color?....cause it got around pretty quick just strolling about 😄.

[@California_Carnivores]

Thats Toby and he just enjoys walking around with us 😊

[@cp70375]

I live in Quebec city where the temperature often reaches -22F, I haven't monitored the temperature in my garage but I am pretty sure it's always freezing temperature in there. Could I make a small fridge just for them with a light in it so I don't need to bare root them or will I have to repot them every year?

[@stephaniew78]

Good info for this first time carnivorous plant mama! I’ve been fretting our upcoming winter and how to keep them alive. Also, what’s y’all’s cat’s name? I must know after seeing its cameo in the greenhouse ❤

[@California_Carnivores]

Winter can definitely be a scary time! I’m glad this was helpful! Thats Toby! He was the best greenhouse cat ever! He lived to be 21 years old and passed away last year.

[@stephaniew78]

@@California_Carnivores One more thing. After seeing they will be fine outside for a bit longer, my sundew isn’t as dewy since the temps are getting cooler. It also at looks like it’s drying a little. Is that a sign it’s going dormant?

[@California_Carnivores]

@@stephaniew78 if it’s a temperate sundew, that’s totally normal! It will be slowly dying back to a hibernaculum in the soil as well!

[@emilyoOo0]

Is it ok to use tap water when rinsing roots clean? I know to use distilled when watering and to soak moss, but wondering about just the rinsing step? Thanks!

[@California_Carnivores]

It’s okay to use tap when cleaning off the roots!

[@monke1919]

It can get as low as 5° Fahrenheit in late winter. Do you think that they would make it if I put blue tarp over them?

[@California_Carnivores]

I would mulch them in heavily

[@pequodexpress]

If I'm in a warm climate all year long, is the fridge my only option?

[@California_Carnivores]

It usually is the only option in a warm climate

[@funkblack]

Im really scared to put my plants to sleep. I live in Eastern Europe and I keep my VFT and Sarracenia inside at 69 F, at the moment there is 33 outside during the night and 46 during the day. Should I just put them outside? Won't they die of temperature shock?

[@California_Carnivores]

You can do the fridge dormancy method if you are really concerned! When the temperatures at night are low, the plants will be fine as long as it warms up again during the day, usually into the 50’s F but anything over 20-30 during the day is sufficient. Your temps should be fine for growing them outside but I can understand your worry! If you do the fridge method, they just stop growing and it’s a little less scary 😊

[@caramba10]

"We don't have a lot of experience with snow here". Climate change says 'hi' :)

[@California_Carnivores]

Climate change is definitely making it hotter where we are; we’re all complaining about this winter because it’s cold but really, we’re thrilled to see a more typical winter with rain and cold temps!

[@Jesus-eg3yb]

I’m in San Bernardino, CA. My larger VFT’s are not producing winter shorter to ground traps. They are actually still shooting tall traps. Growing slower but definitely still growing new traps. Is that normal? Shouldn’t they be fully dormant now?

[@California_Carnivores]

Are they outside and in full sun? Usually exposure to the shorter photo periods and cold nights (50-60F) should be enough to tell them to go dormant. Some cultivars will still be growing or have traps so some will look more dormant than others.

[@Jesus-eg3yb]

@@California_Carnivores Yes, they are outside and most definitely getting much less sun. Absolutely cold here as well. Some of the smaller ones absolutely stopped growing and I can tell those are dormant, but my larger ones are still shooting up new growth.

[@California_Carnivores]

@@Jesus-eg3yb They should be okay, even if they’re putting up some new growth. Sometimes they just have a different plan! 😂

[@salvatorelivreri]

If I have been keeping them in my garage (zone 8a-7b) for a month and they only have been getting 2-3 hours of indirect light when the door is open, if I move them outside and they start getting 8 hours of light (2 hours early morning direct light), will they wake up out of dormancy?

[@California_Carnivores]

They can tell the time of year by the photo periods so it’s unlikely that they would break dormancy if you moved them outside. In your growing zone they may get too much cold during dormancy and freeze. If you want to put them outside be sure to mulch them in very heavily on the tops and sides of the pots.

[@salvatorelivreri]

@@California_Carnivores would it be bad to let them stay in the garage with reduced light (2-3 hrs indirect)?

[@California_Carnivores]

@@salvatorelivreri You can leave them in the garage until night time temperatures are a little warmer consistently (over 32F)

[@inco-gneito7543]

So I have seen many videos on how to get carnivorous plants to go into dormancy and I think I have done it successfully. However, I can not find one video on the KZbin or on the DuckDuckGo about how to get them out of dormancy safely. Like how often and when should I start to increase the photo period, when should I repot them in new media, when and how fast to raise the temperature, can they go from under artificial light into natural sunlight with no problem, or do they need eased into the transition? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[@California_Carnivores]

These are great questions! You can bring them out of dormancy either a minimum of six weeks after they’ve been in dormancy or when your night time temperatures are over 32F. You can repot at this time as well. It’s always easiest on the plant if you repot when the rhizomes are dormant. Transitioning them from dormancy to “real life” shouldn’t be too shocking as they aren’t actively growing during dormancy. If your temps and photoperiods outside are naturally very warm and long, you can start with full morning sun and protection from afternoon sun for a two weeks to a month and then move them to more sun. If your temps and sun are still cool and short, they won’t need much transitioning at all. Let me know if that makes sense or if you still have questions!

[@inco-gneito7543]

@@California_Carnivores I live in in PA and the temps are rather cold right now and still will be for a while it looks. I checked the sunrise and sunset times and it seems like every two weeks there is 15 mins more of daylight so I guess I'll set my timers with what that photo period is in my area. I would assume this is the best way to gradually extend the light cycles. I have had them in the basement keeping them between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit since late November is when I believe I put them there. So about beginning to mid March I would assume is when I should start gradually increasing the temps if it's not warming up outside yet. I have a grow tent and lights that I can put them in until they can go outside. I just don't want them to be dormant too long and die off. Another question I had was, when re potting, can I reuse the sphagnum moss again next year if clean it with distilled water and let it completely dry for the entire year? That stuff isn't cheap these days. Thank you for the response and help.

[@inco-gneito7543]

@@California_Carnivores I also forgot to ask, you said that it is best to repot when the rhizomes are dormant. So would repotting them right now be better than waiting for when they "hopefully" start to wake up? If repotting them now, should I also separate the rhizomes at this time and should I continue watering them every two weeks with cooler water as well till they start to wake up? Thanks again.

[@California_Carnivores]

@@inco-gneito7543 I would recommend sanitizing it if you are going to reuse it. We do not recommend reusing soil media but if you are using long fibered sphagnum you can cook it in the oven or put in the microwave to kill an spores or seeds.

[@California_Carnivores]

@@inco-gneito7543 It is! They’ll be easiest to pot up when they’re dormant. When they are actively growing, you are going to have a little shock when you repot so it’s best to do it when they are sleeping for winter