FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey everyone,

I'm relatively new to growing vft and other cp. I ordered a b-52 which should be arriving tomorrow and I have a few questions. I have been reading up on vft care and more specifically the dormancy period. I live in southern Michigan (zone 6a I believe) and get lots of snow each year as well as subzero temperatures.

1. What month should I induce the dormancy indoors (snow probably isn't good) and what is a good light I can purchase to use during dormancy? Also would my garage (30°F or lower in winter) or basement (around 60-65°F during winter) be better?

2. It's super hot here right now (85-90+°F) so how much time outdoors is appropriate to start?

3. Does anyone know of a good large pot to grow multiple vft in?

Thanks for all the help
-Tom

I live in zone 6b so the temperature in my climate is similar to yours. I would adjust it to outdoor sun and once it starts going dormant naturally in the fall then put it in an in heated garage, as long as it is not freezing and thawing a lot then it’ll be good. For adjusting it outdoors it’s more about the amount of light not temperature. If you ordered it from FTS then you’re good to put it outside right away, I believe Matt grows his vfts in direct sunlight. If not then start by putting it out for 30 minutes and increase it by 5 minutes a day until you get to an hour, after that increase it by 10 minutes a day until you get to 2 1/2 hours then increase it by 15 minutes a day until you get to 3 1/2 hours after that increase it by 30 minutes a day until you get to 5 hours. Once you get to 5 hours you’re good to leave it outside full time. This is a pretty slow way of doing it but I don’t like my plants getting hurt.

Awesome! Thanks for the help. Do you recommend any certain light for when I put my vft in the garage?

If it is dormant, the light won't matter. I've put them in the garage with just the ambient light from 1 western window.