Question
I have been enjoying my Sarracenia six inch pot with 12 inch pitchers in a southern,sunny Berkeley,California window growing strong to date. I need a dormancy period but, is it too late to start now.  We still have a month of cold February ahead.  Should I put them outside in the cold shade or refrigerate them in the dark for how long?

Answer
Hi Dave,

I wouldn't worry about it now.  Sarracenia won't die (unlike Venus flytraps) from lack of dormancy.  They tend to have internal clocks that make them stop growing for a month or two, even if they are not cold.  We have friends in Hawaii that can attest to this.  Dormancy is also triggered by photoperiod.  If you try and put the plant outdoors now, a frost could kill it since it's not had time to adapt to cold.  If you think you won't get any freezing weather, it will be ok.

Good Growing!

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