Question
Hello Joe,
About a two and a half weeks ago, I purchased a Venus Flytrap from Lowe's and so far it's doing pretty well and is recovering from its transplantation shock with new spring growth. Here's a pic.<a href="http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee112/faraphx234/?action=view¤t=Picture.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee112/faraphx234/Picture.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Just wondering would they do alright in the nearly 4-5 months of constant 100 degree highs here? Plus, the winter highs tend to go down to the low 70's and high to mid 60's, going down to the high 50's occasionally with overnight lows averaging around the mid-high 40's, sometimes going into the high 30's. Would this be sufficient enough for the plant to go dormant? There are obvious photo-period decreases so for now I'm optimistic about it.

Answer
Hi Demetri,

Based on growers' reports, flytraps tend to wither away when the temperature goes above 100癋 for long stretches of time.  It seems 110癋 is their maximum tolerance.  So you may need to grow your plant indoors during the hottest parts of summer.  Bring the plant back outdoors when the daytime temperature is below 100癋.  

Your climate is also cool enough for a brief winter dormancy.  Growers have been able to keep their plants outdoors for the winter just fine.

There are a bit more you could do to grow carnivorous plants outdoors in the desert, but it's a bit too extensive to go through in this format.  We cover this information in our DVD and in our ebook:

http://www.cobraplant.com/DVD
http://www.cobraplant.com/ebook

Good growing!
Jacob Farin