Question
"Hello my name is Gabriel =)

I live in Puerto Rico and i have a dionaea which i have to put into hibernation because here no snow, it's always hot and i need to save my plant is my responsibility if i dont i would probably cry a lot.

Chris was very helpful. But i would like a second opinion.

*I've seen videos on youtube where they put the plant in the fridge, that would help?

Chris says: Some people use refrigerators, but I do not trust that method as refrigerators do not provide any light and can dry out anything left inside. Venus Flytraps need moisture and some light as well as air movement so that they have a more "natural" environment to work with. A good compromise is an ice chest with cold packs or frozen water bottles. I use the ice chest in winter and just place the entire pot inside with ice or cold packs around the pot all night. In daytime, I open the chest and replace the ice to keep the temperature low and just leave the ice chest open all day in a place with some indirect light for a few hours. This requires more work, but it has kept my one Venus Flytrap alive for over 7 years and it has by now been divided into over 30 separate plants (with some seeds thrown in for good measure). A good time to begin dormancy would be in October to November. Take the plant out of cold conditions after February and place it in progressively longer lit days each week until it is back in full sun conditions all day.

Me: Sounds like a plan !!

What do you think?

My concern is.... if i grab the plant where it usually lives in a warm place like a tropical, and put on ice the sudden change can kill her ? How i can slowly bring slowly to a climate change so the plant dont get a shock..i guess...

Should buy a thermometer?

Thanks"

Answer
Hello Gabriel,

For the dormancy, the dionaea do not require any light, the photo period is 0.
Anyway, all the leaves will dieback to the rhizome.
If the leaves remains green, you need cooler temps. Each spring, the plant will come out of dormancy with heat, light, and water.

In dormancy, the dionaea need very little soil humidity, but high RH%.

In costa rica, your winters are softs, like 10-11C i think? With theses temps, your venus will slowly enter into dormancy, and when its almost dormant, put your pots into a black bag, sealed. Add water (a few drops) to the soil, and this humidity will stay in the sealed bag all winter long, until feb/mar.
Open the bag each 4-5 weeks, look if everything is ok, and add a few more drop of water before sealing it again. Sometimes you will see some white clouds on the soil, its harmless to the plant, and you can remove it with your finger. This will complety disapear when you will add water next spring.

By the way, the best way to dry a plant, is adding icepaks next to the plant!

Hope this will help you!