Question
QUESTION: Hello I currently have a Sarracenia Don's Flava that I purchased from you guys back in September and I have a question regarding its dormancy. I have talked to Jacob on facebook about bringing it out of the refrigerator and putting it outside in my zone 5 conditions. He said I could bring it out but I was wondering since hear in Colorado Springs we have had some night time temperatures in the single digits this week end and when the temperature drops that low at night and rises in the 30's should I continue bringing it inside at night or would it be fine outside. Thank you for you time.
         Sincerely,
         Jordan

ANSWER: Hi Jordan,

That's going to be too cold.  If you have some kind of coldframe you could move it into that, otherwise I would wait about another month.  When your daytime temperatures are staying above freezing, and nights are only in the upper 20's and 30's, then the plant can safely be outside.  Our plants here in Oregon are just starting to show signs of coming out of dormancy, but we have a longer growing season than you do in Colorado Springs.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Jeff but I forgot to mention that all week and into next week the temperatures in my region are going to rise in the 60's and drop into upper 20's at night. Apparently early this week end was going to look very cold. What do you guys still think about bringing it outside?

Answer
Hi Jordan,

To give you some perspective on what our plants experience, we will get drops in our area into the upper 20's all the way until early April, but frosts get uncommon after about April 15th.  We will usually see flowers stalks beginning with pitchers to follow toward the middle of April with flowers opening mid to late May, and pitchers opening around Memorial Day.  I mention this just to give you what is a common time frame for Sarracenia flava for growth.  We've had late season frosts in early May, and plants get damaged from it.  They recover, but you usually have to cut off those leaves and allow new ones to grow.

For your area 60's during the day are great, but your will need a plan for protection at night.  Try to think of this the same way vegetable gardeners do.  You can push the envelope and put the tomatoes out early, but you better be ready with cloches or a cold frame for sneaky late frosts, or lots of heartache is coming your way.  Your plant having been in the fridge for the winter has been in the 30'sF.  It hasn't had to deal with much more cold than that.  Your temperatures are still fluctuating with big swings.  If you think it will be below 25F you would need to protect it.  Teens and colder would probably kill it in a pot unless it was more acclimated.

The bottom line with all this is, you can put it out, but you need to watch your temperatures carefully for the next month or two.  The plant will need covering if it's below 25 (especially in a dry climate), or you would need to bring it into a sheltered area like a garage or shed for the night.  I looked at your forecast, and the daytime temperatures look fine.  If you're not sure you'll be that cautious about remembering about the plant at night, best leave it in the refrigerator until April 1rst.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com