FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Do you use the refrigerator method? I have an unheated south facing porch in the place that I currently live that works out nicely for wintering Venus Fly Traps. I put them in there in the late fall when temperatures start getting down to freezing at night (usually mid to late October). They stay there all winter with temperatures between 35 and 65 degrees F. They start coming out of dormancy around mid-February when the days start lengthening. Works out great!

Macca wrote:Hi Matt, nice site you've got here by the way.

Thanks Macca! I sure hope that it takes off as a community. That would really make me happy. There are a few people who post actively in the forum, but it's not quite as large as some of the other CP forums yet. I'd also like to see people start using the Blogging feature. That would be neat.

Macca wrote:So anyway Matt do you find your plants exhibit the sighns for dormancy in your hot desert climate just fine without subjecting them to drawn out teachniques like placing the plants in the fridge everynight for a month

I actually live in Zone 5, so although the summer time is somewhat desert like, the winter is quite cold and snowy with extended freezes, so I can't leave my VFTs outside. I can however leave them on an unheated south-facing porch that is usually between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit where they get quite a bit of sun, but of course due to the shortened days, remain dormant until the days start lengthening in February.

Thanks for chiming in with your experiences with dormancy!

Macca wrote:I'm over cps for the moment anyway too much bother i find, see you around sometime.

No way! I don't think I'll ever consider them too much trouble. I think that they are so magnificent and actually quite easy to grow.

It's true that some cultivars are quite slow growing and not very robust (like 'Wacky Traps'), but there are many that are very robust, hardy, and easy to propagate. Perhaps you should stick to those.

Yep, you're lucky lily to live somewhere that you can leave your plant outside all year.

lemonlily wrote:do the leaves close before the turn black?

Not always.

EXD wrote:Hi Matt, may I ask, will this method work with temperatures (day and night) ranging from 55 to 70 degrees fahrenheit? Just leaving it out on a balcony?

Yes, that sounds ideal actually!