FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hey friends!

So where I live it generally takes awhile to get cold consistently, usually about mid or late November. Even then, it doesn't always stay under 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's the end of October, I've let my VFTs outside more and 3 out of the 5 have killed off like 1 or 2 leaves each in the past couple of weeks. Which it's nice to know they're hardy, but I feel like they should be going more dormant by now.

Should I wait it out until mid-November, or should I just stick them in the fridge while spraying some fungicide on them?

To add, they do sort of seem to be slowing down in growth.

This is weird. I just responded to your post but my reply is nowhere to be seen. Weird!

Here we go again...
I'd tell ya what to do but I'd just be guessing or making it up. I'm at the line of demarcation between USDA 8a and 8b. BUT...there's a difference between my zone 8a/8b here in south Alabama and, say, the same USDA zones in Oregon. But, that's another can of worms. Your weather sounds very much like my own. I'm just gonna let the traps do what they will do. Mine are all first-year Walmart rescues so they can forego dormancy this year if needed and by next year maybe I'll know more about what I'm doing. BUT, they seem to be acknowledging the photoperiod getting shorter as they're growing much flatter to the growing surface. Best wishes and be sure to let us know what you end up doing! Oh, and welcome to the forum!!!

I would leave them outside and let nature take its course, fridge dormancy isn't required.

Cheers
Steve

Photoperiod.

These plants are capable of not only recognizing temperature, but length of day. This is why they've successfully made a foothold in Northern Florida.

Just as an update, the plants have, uh, kind of slowed down on growth. I guess? The FTS Maroon Monster is still chugging along, growing new traps. In fairness the coldest it's gotten here at night is like mid-high 40s and that was maybe just 2 maybe 3 nights since I've originally posted. Daytime it's about low-mid 60s to low 70s.

Here in south Alabama zone 8a/b we're heading back into the low-80's and upper 50's/lower-60's at night. I've been thinking about moving everything but the older traps back outside and throwing the older traps in the refrigerator.

I've got two questions:

1. Will suddenly going completely dark affect the plants negatively.
2. Can I put the entire pots in the refrigerator?

I've just been reading the dormancy article here on blytracare.com: https://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-dormancy/

It sounds like I could get by just leaving the plants outside, even if it's warm weather, and rely on the photoperiod to move the plants into dormancy. The article states that using the refrigerator below 40F will put the plants in a type of suspended animation and they will survive the darkness. But, it goes on to say that the flytraps still want as much light as they can get and that they still grow or store energy for future (springtime?) growth even while in dormancy.

We don't really have extended freezes down here. Our freezes are usually freeze at night, maybe into the mid-20's, then the temps get well above freezing the next day. Seldom are we below freezing for more than 12 hours...and seldom do we have back-to-back freezing nights.

So, if the shortened photoperiod will indeed put them into as much dormancy as they need I'm all for getting them out of the trailer and back out in the open air. That way I won't have to worry with bagging, mold, and running the fridge at the trailer ($$$). (Though the fridge *could* hold refreshments, too!<grin>). That woulds till leave the issue of stratifying the sarrs and sundew seeds...but that can be done possibly in the garage fridge.

So...should I depend on the photoperiod and let the plants figure it all out? Sure would beat sticking them in the fridge!!!

alecStewart1 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 6:03 pm Just as an update, the plants have, uh, kind of slowed down on growth. I guess?

I live in eastern North Carolina (zone 7b), just west of the flytrap's native range. My plants stay outside year-round, and they slowly crank out new leaves with short petioles all winter long. Your plants should get the memo that dormancy has arrived in the next month.

Your plants should get the memo that dormancy has arrived in the next month.

Alright. It should start getting more chill outside in the coming month anyway. The new growths they're getting aren't as big as the other leaves they have, so that's something of note. They're also not growing a ton of them at once, like they were in the summer (and that was indoors, because summers here get up to 100 degree Fahrenheit or more).

Update:

Getting colder down here. It got under 40 degree Fahrenheit one night. The littlest one, not even the size of a dime yet, will stay indoors and I'll let go into dormancy for next year.