FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

My VFTs are getting ready for dormancy and I'm going to take them to my garage at a east facing window. To prevent the roots and plant from freezing and then dying, should I insulate them and if so, what can I use?

Panman wrote: ↑Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:06 am You shouldn't need to. They will be fine in a garage.

Alright, good to know. Thank u!

There are some that claim that cold temperatures are not needed by vfts for dormancy just long, dark nights. I haven't had a chance to test that myself but it might be worth exploring.

davinstewart wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 12:40 pm There are some that claim that cold temperatures are not needed by vfts for dormancy just long, dark nights. I haven't had a chance to test that myself but it might be worth exploring.

IMHO cold temps ARE needed. It gets cold where they are from. They expect it.

I haven't tested it.

I have kept mine in a cold basement with a window and little water- they lived.
I have kept mine in an unheated room with an window attached to my house- they got overwatered and all rotted.
It has been suggested in my zone (6b) to insulate them with pine needles and leave them outside. I am too much of a chicken to try this.

As long as they don't freeze and thaw many times over the winter they should be fine. Keep them chilly with some light and very light watering just to keep them from drying out.

This is what has worked for me. Overwatering was my downfall.

Panman wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2021 1:14 pm Last year I thought I'd be fancy and put them in a shed instead of the garage. Because if the small size and that it isn't attached to the house, the temperatures fluctuate wildly. Also there was no light at all in the shed. My sarrs didn't seem to care but it definitely hurt the flytraps.

Hey Pan, since we're both in Georgia in a 7b zone, figured I'd ask, what should I do with my sarracenia and VFTs for dormancy, in your experience? Just leave 'em outside with a little bit of water in a tray? I do have an attached garage to my house, but it's got cars parked in it and the only windows are the ones on the garage doors, facing north, so not a lot of light.

Panman wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 7:48 pm Don't leave them in a tray of water. That will cause them to rot. What are they planted in? My bogs stay out year round. I haven't gotten dialed into the best way to do small pots. 1 gallon pots clustered together do fine if protected by leaves or pine straw.

Got it, I'll make sure not to keep them in water then! Do I just top water them whenever they start drying up during winter?

The sarracenia are in the original 2.5 inch plastic pots they came in from Pikes, all LFSM.

I have a small B52 I got late that's in a small 2.5 inch square plastic pot that it came planted in, LFSM. Not sure if I should take this one inside and put it under a grow light or something during winter. It's not like seedling tiny, but it's definitely a young plant.

The rest of my VFTs are planted in 4.5 inch plastic pots, peat moss/perlite for the medium, with a layer of LFM on top to keep the peat moss from splashing when it rains.

I was planning on leaving them all outside, then move them into the garage if it ever started to freeze or snow, you think that's the way to do it? Or better to just move them all into the garage to be safe? It's a non heated garage connected to my house.

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