Question
Hi, I have a few Judith Hindles, Daina's Delights, Yellow Trumpets, Dente Flytraps, and Sweet Mountain Pitcher plants. I am located in Northern New Jersey, so I moved my plants to my garage for the winter. I covered it with a wicker basket and keep the soil moist with pond water. The soil is a peat mixture from cobraplant. But I noticed that the pitchers are still very green and fleshy and only a very few browned. There are even a few mini pitchers at the base of the plants. I know that dormancy is vital for a healthy growing season and was wondering if my plants are not yet in dormancy (But they were left out in the cold until after Thanksgiving and the growth seemed to have stopped then.) Are the pitchers supposed to be so fleshy and green in dormancy? My garage is not heated, but the temperatures have been in the 40's lately. Thank you.  

Answer
Hi David,

Despite still having some green on them, they are very much dormant.  Since it's dark in the garage, and your temperatures are in the 40's they won't be doing any active growing in those conditions. Several Sarracenia varieties don't loose their leaves entirely.  It varies from S. purpurea and psittacina that are almost evergreen to S. oreophila and S. flava that die back to just their phyllodia.  With hybrids you have lots of variability.  Since you have them in the garage, just be sure to watch for mold.  Spray with a sulfur based fungicide.

Good Growing!

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