Question
Recently bought 3 sarracenia, Scarlet Belle, Dana's Delight Hybrid & Yellow Trumpet at Portland Saturday Market. Thought I was told there to plant outside and keep boggy. Just found brochure says keep outside in pot. These little guys are in 3" pots and soil as purchased. I am worried the roots will freeze. Think the gentleman said to transplant in spring. So have conflicting information unless I misremember. It will get down to 15F or some years 0F or below. Have them sitting in pyrex bread pan with two inches of water, but as winter progresses the water will freeze solid. Should they be mulched? Right now they are sitting close to the window where they get 4 or more hours of sunlight and cool down to low 60's or high 50's at night.

Thanks for any advice.

Answer
Hi Christina,

Based on what you've mentioned about your low temperatures, I assume you're not in the Portland area.  It would be helpful to know where you live so that I can provide more specific recommendations.  For instance, I'm not sure if the low temperatures are temporary, as it is here in the Portland area, or sustained throughout winter.

If you live in zone 7 or colder, you will need to provide some sort of winter protection.  Of course, the colder your environment and the longer the freezing temperatures last, the more protection you'll need to provide.  Keep in mind that the goal of winter protection isn't to prevent the soil or roots from freezing.  Even in the wild, these plants will experience frozen soil.  Instead, the goal of winter protection is to prevent repeated thawing and freezing.  

However, you mentioned something very important in your description.  You mentioned that your plants in a window.  Ideally the plants should be grown outdoors where they can get 6 or more hours of direct sunlight.  Four to six hours are acceptable, but your plants may not have the type of growth they would get in more sunlight.  This can affect how your plants will sustain itself through winter dormancy.  Plants use sunlight to create sugars for energy production.  Some of the sugars are stored away as starches to be used later, as during winter dormancy.  

The other issue is that your plants are not becoming acclimated to cold weather.  By keeping your plants outdoors, they will naturally acclimate to the cold temperatures as fall progresses.  Many first-time growers make the mistake of keeping their US-native plants indoors through fall and try to figure out how to put them outdoors for winter.  This doesn't work as it will literally shock the plants to death.  They must experience the frost gradually and naturally.  

Since you already have your plants indoors, you'll need to keep them indoors for the duration of winter.  It's too late in the season to acclimate them to outdoor growing.  Keep them in a brightly lit south window.  Also keep the soil moist at all times, and never allow it to dry out.  While growing indoors, your plants may be susceptible to fungal infection or mold.  Spray your plants with a sulfur-based fungicide as a preventative measure or at the first signs of mold or fungus on the soil.

In spring, when the risk of frost is over, you can acclimate your plant for outdoor growing.  This would also be a good time to repot your plants in larger pots.

For more information about growing any of the US-native carnivorous plants, visit our care sheet section at:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

If you need further assistance, I invite you to submit a follow-up question.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin