FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Ok, so you have just bought your first VFT or Sarr or temperate plant. It's doing great and all but then, the winter months come. One problem though, you live in the tropics.So now you think about how to do your dormancy. So you ask your mom if you can use the fridge to do dormancy, and she says NO. Oh Noes! What are you going to do now!? Fear not, here is a very easy dormancy method:

Things you'll need:
A shady spot (See down below)

So how do I do this?
This is pretty straightforward. Actually, I probably don't even need to tell you. Just read the following short article and you will probably understand.

Dormancy is an annual part of a plant's life cycle. It helps them go through the winter. Plants do dormancy by being less productive, e.g. growing less leaves, and in VFT's case, slower trapping speed. The slower growth and trapping speed use less energy, so the plant can conserve energy and store it in it's rhizome. Dormancy is triggered when winter conditions are brought up to the plant; shorter photoperiod, less rain, and lower temperatures.

So, you understand?

TL;DR
Basically you should put your plants in a place which is somewhat cooler, has a shorter daylight time, and keep the plant a bit dry.

So when is dormancy?
Dormancy starts from winter to spring Just kidding. Plants should be put to dormancy from November to Mid-January to February. This is 2.5-3 months, which is good enough. You should still water your plants, though, just not as much, keep them moist, not wet. The average daylight time for New York is 15 hours at summer and 9 hours in winter (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php)

Beginner temperate plants?
Try these, they're small so dormancy places will be plenty:
-Dionaea Muscipula
-Drosera Rotundifolia
-Pinguicula Primulifolia
-Drosera Intermedia
-Sarracenia psittacina (Get the typical)
-Sarracenia purpurea