FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

For those of us who live in a climate where it is too warm (or too cold sometimes ) to give our VFTs their rightful dormancy, there is an easy solution.

For starters, without a dormancy, a VFT won't live very long. Think of it like a job: You work some days, and then you get a break. VFTs want a break after an entire season of growing too. If you worked 7 days a week for 8 hours, soon you wouldn't be feeling too good either.

Some of us live in the tropics, where it never goes below 70 degrees (F). Some of us live inside an ice cube already, where temperatures never go above 20 degrees (F). For these situations, a refrigerator dormancy is the answer.

When it is the time to put your VFT into dormancy (around November), take it out of its watering tray and let the excess water drain for 12 hours. Repeat this step for any additional flytraps you have to put into dormancy. Check your refrigerator to make sure it is between 35-55 degrees (F). 40 degrees (F) is perfect for VFT dormancy. Place them in Ziplock bags ans seal them, leaving some air inside.

Then find a spot to put them in your refrigerator and BINGO! You have just done refrigerator dormancy. During their time in the refrigerator, condensation may develop inside the ziplock bag. Do not fear, this is normal.

Check on them once a month and remove any dead leaves/mold. Around March, take them out of the refrigerator and resume growing your VFTs the way you do during the growing season.

Sounds like I wrote it. It's exactly what I do.

Well... There basically only is one way to do things in the CP world.

One way to feed them.

One way to give them sun.

One type of water they need.

And so on...