Question
QUESTION: species: Cobra plant, saraccenia purperea pitcher and VFT

I need to know where you live.
A I live in Kansas (I have bought from you guys before)

Q:  How cold can it potentially get?
A:below freezing several times a year and in several spurts. Right now it is 40-50's .

Q How did you set up the plants that were in the basement?

A: I left in basement in their pots and water trays in a big plastic like tub. I  watered them . Maybe I did not water them enough last winter. I did not put mulch down on them.

QWhat were the temperatures in there: Downstairs it is about 60 degrees or lower.

I sure would like them to survive outside. The zone (Kansas) needs mulch. Are pine needles the best as they seem to be for my area? Should I leave them outside like many do with pine needles or put them downstairs like last year where they died? How to I make sure they will get enough water in my basement or outside? what is the best methods for each or my situation?

PS looking forward to the mac version  of CD


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Hello! The expert can't answer your question.

Your Question was:

My Cobra, VFT and Saracennia Purp have done fabulously this spring / summer. We've already had a freeze or two but the temperature zooms back up to 40 and 50's lately. I have read the different methods for hibernation on your cd. However last year , I left different VFT and Saracennia downstairs in basement and they died. I want these nice plants to come back . Should I do a mulch and keep them outdoors and water them or take them inside?

Because Hi Eric,



I need to know where you live.  How cold can it potentially get?  How did you set up the plants that were in the basement?  What were the temperatures in there?



Good Growing!



Jeff Dallas

Sarracenia Northwest

http://www.cobraplant.com

Expert: Sarracenia Northwest

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ANSWER: Hi Eric,

Given that your plants didn't survive the basement, I'd say that your basement was too warm for winter dormancy.  Ideally, the temperatures should be 45癋 or lower.  Plants will continue to grow if the temperature is consistently above 55癋.  So in the warm environment, your plants were growing and didn't have enough light to sustain their growth.  

If you have your plants outdoors, continue keeping them outside.  It's likely they are already dormant, which means you can go ahead and mulch them with pine needles, bark or aspen bedding.  

Before adding mulch, cut off the leaves on your taller plants.  Spray your plants with a fungicide (sulfur-based) and place aobut 6-8 inches of mulch over your plants.  You will still need to check your plants to make sure the soil is evenly moist.

Now this method will only work if you left your plants outdoors.  Some growers make the mistake of bringing their plants indoors when the first frost hits.  This unfortunately prevents the plant from going dormant.  Plants will go dormant in response to frost.  Without it, they think it's still summer and will continue to grow.

So if you did this mistake, you will need to over winter your plants indoors in a brightly lit south window.  Because they will continue to grow in a warm environment, they will also need lots of sunlight.  In spring, acclimate your plants for outdoor growing once again.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: That is good to know inded. So you think my downstairs is not cold enough. ahhh. Also I just checked , they don't have bark around her , Aspen or pine needles. I could try the method using perlite all over them but that gets messy.

I did not get your answer in time and we had a good freeze so I took them into the basement for a night. So they are probably still in the same condition. I don't want them to freeze or get frost or wind burn.
Since I don't have mulch options (I don't have any of the 3 you mentioned_  as you say is better and the weather goes down here  low but zooms up sometimes here near Kansas City,possibly the next option which you nicely stated is putting indoors on the south shelf in living room . That way I can monitor the water they still need, and also add fungicide every two weeks.   If that is not the way to go , let me know but I think depending on what you said, on the window sill they can sit

Answer
Hi Eric,

At this point go ahead and put them in the window.  Get them close to the glass so they will be cool.  Keep them watered, but no more than 1" or less in their water trays.  You want them moist, but not real wet during the winter.  It's perfectly ok for the tray to go dry for a day or two.  Use the fungicide spray and clip off any dead leaves.  Come springtime, you can put them back outside.  They may experience some leaf-burn when you put them back outside, but that's normal after being indoors.  When they put on new growth it will be normal again.

Good Growing!

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