Question
Bog Without Cover
I was wondering when I should take the cover off of my bog garden, our low temperatures are supposed to be above freezing by the end of this week, but the plants could still get a hard frost. I live in zone 5a, Barrington IL, and am growing most of the American Carnivorous Plants in my bog. Thanks
AnswerHi Peter,
There really isn't any hard and fast rule when to remove the mulch. (I'm assuming that you used mulch and not just a simple plastic sheet to cover your plants.) The general idea is to remove the mulch when you have a stretch of frost-free nights. For you, this might be sometime in April.
Based on what you have, the first plant that would be the first to show new growth is the flytrap, and possibly the Darlingtonia. Typically we see them emerge from dormancy in May. However, the risk of frost in your region still remains until the end of May. Your plants are well adapted to frost, but you may lose the new growth, and that's part of the risk. The plants won't die. It'll just set them back a bit. You can protect the new growth by covering the plants with a sheet of plywood. When the frosty weather has passed, remove the plywood.
(I recommend plywood in your particular situation since your soil level is sunk down a couple inches. The air space will help moderate the temperature and hopefully preserve any new growth. If you don't have plywood, you can use a sheet of black plastic.)
Also make sure to spray your plants with another application of sulfur fungicide. For more information about winter care, watch Volume 1 of the Grow Carnivorous Plants DVD series.
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
