FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I see that 32-55 is recommended alot, but I'm wondering how cold is too cold for those few inevitable colder than normal nights?

Too cold is 'slightly below freezing' - the moment the liquid inside the plant starts to crystallize. You need to find a way to ensure your plants don't stay in such temperature for long enough to cause damage.

Your concern should be it getting cold enough to freeze the soil. Frost on the plants won't bother them too much.

It can easily get into the upper 20's during the night where I am and it's never killed any of my CP's. As long as it doesn't stay below freezing for more than several hours you should be fine.

Small plants because their roots are still shallow and plants in small pots are the most susceptible to freezing. If it's only occasionally that it get's that cold at night and you're concerned just throw a sheet over the plants.

rellenburg wrote:I see that 32-55 is recommended alot, but I'm wondering how cold is too cold for those few inevitable colder than normal nights?

I left a few dozen flytraps outside all during the winter months last year. They were in extremely large pots which never froze solid, but there were temperatures down into the teens (Fahrenheit). All of them came back this year, including the teeny tiny ones. I was quite surprised by this considering that the top layer of soil was definitely frozen on the coldest days.

I think that the size of the pot has a great deal of influence on how cold you can allow the flytraps to get. If they're in small pots, I wouldn't allow it to get more than a few degrees below freezing; perhaps as low as 25 so long as it warmed up during the day above freezing. But if they're in very large pots, they can stand much colder temperatures. And if they're in the ground (a bog garden) and covered with mulch, they can stand temperatures well below zero.

Thanks, I'm just trying to decide if buying an unheated greenhouse will be sufficient in upstate SC zone 7. If not I'll have to do something else. I don't want to have to repot into larger pots just for the winter. With the temps Matt just posted I should be fine, but I don't know.

Matt wrote:I left a few dozen flytraps outside all during the winter months last year. They were in extremely large pots which never froze solid, but there were temperatures down into the teens (Fahrenheit).

Just curious, how big are we talking here?

xr280xr wrote:Just curious, how big are we talking here?

Huge. They are half wine barrels.

Oh I remember you mentioning those now. Good insulation too. I wanted to put some grapes I'm growing in those but they're a little pricey!

rellenburg wrote:Thanks, I'm just trying to decide if buying an unheated greenhouse will be sufficient in upstate SC zone 7. If not I'll have to do something else. I don't want to have to repot into larger pots just for the winter. With the temps Matt just posted I should be fine, but I don't know.

If you're worried about the cold in an unheated greenhouse in SC, then I am in big trouble with my CPs... They are in an unheated shed (insulated thought), and I live near Boston!