FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

[Matt]

Everything I read suggested removing them from their pots and putting them in a cool dark place which is what I tried. When I removed them and brought them in they looked good, but after replanting in peat moss and perlite (neither having miracle-gro and the likes in them) and placing the plants in a window, I still lost them.

I would not recommend removing plants from their pots for dormancy. The idea is to disturb them as little as possible during their dormant period and try to give them conditions similar to what they'd experience in their natural habitat. Cool night time temperatures and moderate day time highs will do the trick. Whatever you can do to provide those kind of temperatures is best. A cool windowsill, and unheated porch, a heated greenhouse, outside when it's warm inside when it's too cold all should work well. But the most important thing is to provide a photo period that is in sync with the sun. Supplementing their light during dormancy will prevent them from going dormant.

[Steve_D]

I still lost them

How did you lose the plants? Did they dry up? Did they turn black and rot? White or gray mold? Spindly leaves and not enough food reserve left in the rhizome? No roots, or rotten roots?

Everything I read suggested removing them from their pots and putting them in a cool dark place

Although Venus Flytraps can many times survive such treatment, especially if a fungicide is used, it is far from ideal and there are usually better options available. Unfortunately there is a lot of bad advice about Venus Flytraps on the Internet. Fortunately, you have found this place (the FlytrapCare Forum) where there is lots and lots of good advice and help.

It is no better for Venus Flytraps to be removed from their pots for dormancy than it would be for them to be dug from the ground in their natural habitat. Conditions for dormancy: cool? yes, but not freezing; dark? no, because they are still active and growing (just not as much as during the summer) and they still use sunlight to make food for themselves through photosynthesis; wrapping them up or putting them in an enclosed space to keep them damp? No, generally not a good idea, as enclosed spaces and moisture tend to encourage fungal growth, and fungi that prefer cool and damp conditions are frequently more destructive than those that prefer warm and moist conditions.

It might have been better to simply place your potted Venus Flytrap on a cold windowsill inside your house, where it received sunlight but was also cooled by the cold air falling from the inside surface of the window during cold weather, and trying not to keep it too wet, instead allowing it to dry until just moist before watering thoroughly again and letting it dry out (mostly) again.

At any rate, welcome to the Forum! Lots of people in many places on Earth, of all experience levels, are here to help, comment and share experiences.

[Krisshawnee]

I would not recommend removing plants from their pots for dormancy. The idea is to disturb them as little as possible during their dormant period and try to give them conditions similar to what they'd experience in their natural habitat.

This was my initial thought as I figured, during dormancy, it was like a 'sleeping period' so to speak, however, given I don't live where I can't put them outside and the only 'unheated' porch/buildings here they would still freeze in, I thought it had to be colder than my windowsill. Upon reading things here, I really think they would've been just fine in my window... It makes me wish I would've found this site much sooner. x.x

How did you lose the plants? Did they dry up? Did they turn black and rot? White or gray mold? Spindly leaves and not enough food reserve left in the rhizome? No roots, or rotten roots?

I'm not sure what it was really. They almost looked like they dryed up although I did keep them damp (not wet but damp). I don't recall any rotting, it wasn't like they were squishy or anything. I don't recall mold being on them. The leaves had all died off when it first started going dormant (the rhizome was still in good condition when I first TRIED to put them into dormancy as I'd read.). It's possible that there wasn't enough food reserve left? There were roots when I first planted it after taking it from dormancy but there wasn't much of anything (except the dried up/shriveled, rhizome) when I accepted it was gone.

Fortunately, you have found this place (the FlytrapCare Forum) where there is lots and lots of good advice and help.

Exactly. I'm thrilled that I found this place. So welcoming and helpful! Which is why I'm hopeful that I can get them to survive this time around.

It might have been better to simply place your potted Venus Flytrap on a cold windowsill inside your house

I'm really really hoping that that will work. It gets really cold here during the winters at times so most 'unheated' places are going to freeze for a long period of time. Still, the windowsill should stay fairly cool and since it would be getting the actual light from the sun, I wouldn't need to try to offput that so that's definitely what I plan to go for.