FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi. I’ve read a bunch of threads on dormancy and what to do but I’m still very nervous I don’t know how I should go about doing it. I have 3 typical flytraps and 2 sarrecenias. I live in ohio and the winters are very weird and the temps aren’t always consistent. Usually in the winter we may get lows of -5 F and highs of 40 F and I’ve read not to let the plants freeze and thaw. My plants are outside at the moment and I’m gonna let them stay out till 3 majors frosts occur just to make sure they are dormant. What should I do!?!? I don’t have a growlight nor the place in my room to put them at the moment!! They 2 sarrecenia and 1 of the flytraps are in a huge pot that’s about a foot tall and almost a foot wide. And the other flytraps are in a pot that’s about 6 inches tall and 4-5 wide. Help please!

What are the Sarrs? Do you have access to an unheated garage? A chilly basement? An unheated or barely heated room in your house? A refrigerator?

My plan is a "dormancy box", basically a clear storage container (insulated with bubble wrap) in the garage, heated by some reptile heating cables which prevent it from freezing below 30*F. You can turn it off on the warmer days of course. Also, I plant to put some grow lights above on the lid to help them photosynthesize if they are able to. It's essentially a mini-greenhouse kept between 30-50 F all winter which I believe is the ideal dormancy range for the VFTs and Sarrs

Huntsmanshorn wrote:What are the Sarrs? Do you have access to an unheated garage? A chilly basement? An unheated or barely heated room in your house? A refrigerator?

My 1 Sarr is a hybrid purpurea and the other is a hybrid but I have no clue what it is. I do have access to a garage that’s unheated for the most part except for parties when it is heated... and a fridge but I couldn’t fit any of the pots in the fridge

SundewWolf wrote:My plan is a "dormancy box", basically a clear storage container (insulated with bubble wrap) in the garage, heated by some reptile heating cables which prevent it from freezing below 30*F. You can turn it off on the warmer days of course. Also, I plant to put some grow lights above on the lid to help them photosynthesize if they are able to. It's essentially a mini-greenhouse kept between 30-50 F all winter which I believe is the ideal dormancy range for the VFTs and Sarrs

Would I be able to put this on my front porch where it gets natural light yet is still covered by a wall on one side and a roof? That’s super clever!

Lukebart02 wrote:

SundewWolf wrote:My plan is a "dormancy box", basically a clear storage container (insulated with bubble wrap) in the garage, heated by some reptile heating cables which prevent it from freezing below 30*F. You can turn it off on the warmer days of course. Also, I plant to put some grow lights above on the lid to help them photosynthesize if they are able to. It's essentially a mini-greenhouse kept between 30-50 F all winter which I believe is the ideal dormancy range for the VFTs and Sarrs

Would I be able to put this on my front porch where it gets natural light yet is still covered by a wall on one side and a roof? That’s super clever!

Possibly, maybe with some extra insulation though. I have only ever tried it in a garage, which prevents windchill from cooling it down too much.

If they are in pots or little plant containers just leave em out side and just bring them into the garage on days it get below 20f, till they can go back outside! Just get a 50 or 60watt equivalent led around 5k spectrum per plant on a timer for their lighting! I would keep it on about only 8hrs max!


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Volmen wrote:If they are in pots or little plant containers just leave em out side and just bring them into the garage on days it get below 20f, till they can go back outside!

30*F or lower they start freezing solid and I had problems with lots of tissue damage from that before. I would not let them get below 40*F.

SundewWolf wrote:

Volmen wrote:If they are in pots or little plant containers just leave em out side and just bring them into the garage on days it get below 20f, till they can go back outside!

30*F or lower they start freezing solid and I had problems with lots of tissue damage from that before. I would not let them get below 40*F.

They are native to that temp, their native hardiness zone is 8b-9a! A lot of winters all their vegetation does/mostly die back above ground! But ya bringing em in before freezing will save their hibernation vegetation above ground from getting damaged!


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Just about all the top growth dies off throughout winter in my pots from constantly freezing.

No big deal.

Fieldofscreams wrote:Just about all the top growth dies off throughout winter in my pots from constantly freezing.

No big deal.

But does yours freeze and then thaw at all?
I’m very worried about that

Volmen wrote:If they are in pots or little plant containers just leave em out side and just bring them into the garage on days it get below 20f, till they can go back outside! Just get a 50 or 60watt equivalent led around 5k spectrum per plant on a timer for their lighting! I would keep it on about only 8hrs max!


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I may be overthinking this and making it more difficult on myself. I’m just very nervous about them freezing and thawing because Ohio’s weather is not very stable. So I just don’t fully know what I’m gonna do since I have some options but none seem full proof. Thanks for the information though!

Personally I wouldn’t worry since nature isn’t forgiving, the freeze and thaw quite a bit some years in those hardiness zones, but if your worried just leave em in the garage with a little bit of light till spring and they will be fine


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I put mine in my insulated garage under a marshydro300. It still gets cold enough in there that the vegetation and top of the media freezes and thaws many times which obviously kills off the top growth. The pots do not freeze solid.

However in the spring they have frozen solid many times outside. Had no losses.

Fieldofscreams wrote:I put mine in my insulated garage under a marshydro300. It still gets cold enough in there that the vegetation and top of the media freezes and thaws many times which obviously kills off the top growth. The pots do not freeze solid.

However in the spring they have frozen solid many times outside. Had no losses.

Ok thanks do much for the info. It eases my nerves a lot! Thanks again!