Venus Flytraps - How to give your VFT a Winter Dormancy (Northern Winter Dormancy Box)
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Venus flytraps require dormancy - a winter rest period where they are kept between 30-50*F. This container set up in an unheated garage will provide that, plus some extra light. In cold northern climates they will have problems surviving the winter with no extra protection, fridge method is terrible, and so is keeping them inside, so this is the best solution short of a greenhouse.
Reptile heating cable: www.amazon.com...
Great idea. But I think I'll go with a glass tank. This set up would keep me up at night worrying about a fire.
Great video. Is it a concern because of the heat element on the bottom in the plastic for a fire hazard? Or does it not get hot enough to be a concern?
Kimber Preabt this specific heating cable does not get hot enough to cause any issues....normally. If you cross the cables the intersection can get very hot, but at worst it should just ruin the cable.
Thanks ☺️
Liguus thanks for all the info it has really helped my VFTs flourish which is a complete 180 from all the times I killed them off many years ago in public school. I’m hoping to get them through my first try at this dormancy thing so I’m looking at making a greenhouse in a box as per your design but have a couple of questions. I’m in Canada a couple hours east of Toronto so more to the north than Chicago. Here we routinely get temps down to -20C (-4F). Do you think I’ll need a higher wattage reptile heater than then the 50 watt one you have? Also do you water your VFTs much if at all during the winter? Do you have any issues with mice trying to chew there way into the plastic box to get to the warmth? Asking the last one as I do trap the occasional mouse in my garage. Cheers, thanks in advance for any assistance.
The same reptile heater should be fine, although the stringer one may work better. It all depends on how much additional insulation you add to the box . I water them when they start to dry out. Its much less often during the winter, maybe once or twice a week when kept around 45F, depending on how dry it got in the box due to the heat cables. I haven't had any mice try to get into the containers and i do have them in my garage sometimes as well.
If you can find a plug-in thermostat then it may work better for you, being able to make sure the container doesn't get above 45.
Awesome thanks. I think I’m going to try to spray foam the outside of the container, the inside bottom and the outside of the lid as well. May put a sheet of metal on top of the foam Inside the container which should store some heat. Yes I’m going to try using a thermostat and experiment to find the ideal setting to keep it in that 30-40F range. If it works I’ll shoot you a pic of my contraption. 😂
I've not kept fish in ages but if they still use aquarium heaters you can put one of them in a jar of water and set that into the container. The thermostat can be set so the heater only runs when it needs to.
Hello
I just purchased 3 Venus fly traps. I see contradicting info on internet and among the growers.
1. Do they stay in tray with distilled water all the time
2. When dormant, do you just water periodically or in tray with distilled water and
Bonnie Eden they do not need to be sitting in water if you keep up with the watering. As long as the sphagnum is moist they are fine, they do not need to be soaking wet all the time. I don’t have mine sitting in water at any point through the year.
When dormant I recommend watering them periodically from the top. Similar to the previous answer, as long as they are moist they are fine. In the winter when it’s colder their water consumption goes down so you do not have to water as frequently. Some use the tray method underneath to make sure they never dry out (you don’t have to keep as much of an eye on them if they are sitting in water and in no danger of drying out), but in fall/winter the risk is so low, you would have to ignore them for weeks outside before they dry to any dangerous levels if you live in a colder region which gets frequent autumn rains.
i probably will put them in my Bedroom which is pretty cold in the winter and put a grow light led over them thats on a timer to switch on an off automatically
I live in the central highlands of Mexico at a bit over 1800 m ASL. Because of the elevation, it may be considered warm temperate or subtropical (dry season vs. rainy season). The thing is that winters are warm and sunny. I'm opting to grow them indoors in a windowsill with artificial lights. My house is unheated, so there's never frost inside and the daylight temps don't go as high as they do outside (about 25°C), but almost.
Having said that, could I simply hibernate them inside with less light, or would I need the fridge? I have neither a heater nor an AC in my house...
I prefer to keep mine cold, just above freezing, however other sources will say a decrease in daylight hours is fine (there are growers out in Florida who have them outside year round in warmer temperatures). They important thing to keep in mind is that even though the hours may be reduced, the intensity of the light should stay roughly the same. If you supplement the window with growlights that are good quality (I think the ICPS states that a 12w LED light is good enough for 20cm of grow area for flytraps) then you should be fine.
@@TheBonsaiJungle, yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks!
Would my cellar be okay for their dormant state? How cold must they be for their dormancy?
Bonnie Eden 30-45*F
Liguus I took out the water in the bowl that I put the pot in. I hope I didn’t rot the roots by placing them in standing water. They are outside all the time now. I live in upstate New York. Weather can get to 0 and with wind chills below that. I have a shed no garage but no electricity in there.
Do you sell any of these plants?
Bonnie Eden I put extra plants on eBay although not with any consistency.
Bonnie Eden the shed should be fine. As you can probably tell I like to control the micro climate as meticulously as I can but many people just insulate the plants well with old boxes, blankets, burlap, etc.
I live in Iowa and I dont have a garage and it get below -10 Got any other ideas 😊
Hello, there is a light brown-white spider in the soil of my vft plant. It have been living with my plant for months and my plant still looks healthy. But I'm still not sure. Do you have any information about that spider?
I wouldn't be able to ID the species without a good photo of it, but it won't harm a plant in any way. At most it will just steal potential bugs from the venus flytrap.
Liguus Wow :) thanks for information🌺
What about a small greenhouse with a heat mat
Hi Liguus, I have a quick question for you if I may. I completed my dormancy box exactly as you have laid out here, thank you very much!
My question is about applying fungicide. As I check on my dormant CP's I am weekly or so having to fight off a little bit of white hairy fungus on my D.Filiformis, VFT's and slightly on my S.Purpurea. when I blast them with the fungicide (Safer's - sulphur based fungicide) it seems to go away for about a week and come back. Should I keep applying it to fight it back? Increase air flow? Both? If I increase air flow that might drop the temps but I also worry about chemicals in the spray concentrating in the soil medium. Thanks for your advice!
You have the resistance to pop these bobble wrapped
Kinda hot. The heating cable too!
Looks like a fire hazard to me be careful.
I started growing my plants from seeds just now and it’s almost October! Do I still put them into winter dormancy even though they’ll only be like a month when winter comes?
I live in Sweden. Plant's are in containers. They freeze solid and then thaw. Then freeze solid again. Killed so many VFT's. Brown mush by spring. This box is exactly what I need. Thanks so much for this concept. Do you think this idea would work if the box was outdoors and not in a garage?
Kyle Hanes it should not be too much of a problem with no garage. My garage is unheated so it just acts as a barrier for wind. You could probably just put a tarp/hay/mulch around this container outside for extra insulation.
@@TheBonsaiJungle ok thank you!
For VFTs, in mid to late October (N.Y.) I drain off excess water from the pots, hit them with a sulphur based fungicide and place in zip lock bags and pop them in the fridge for 3-4 months. I occasionally check them (once a month) for fungus and hit with the fungicide if needed. Late winter around February/March I take them out hit them with sulphur based fungicide again and place in a south and west window until night time temps. regularly stay above freezing then slowly acclimate them to full outdoor Sun. I've been using this method for over 10 years with no losses.
Tommyr the fridge may be ok but the only time I ever tried it was with my first flytrap 6-ish years ago. It rotted, but this was probably due to other factors since I was a complete beginner....but still...I personally would hate repotting every flytrap every winter to store the bare rhizomes, and before the DiseaseEX I was not interested in trying to find out which fungicide to buy and how to apply it. I also figured with them being outside year round acclimation would be easier than the other methods since they are almost the same temp as it is outside except for the dead of winter.
Yeah the fridge method is kind of a pain in the butt unless you only have a few plants. If you have thousands of traps growing in northern climates , the only easy option is garage dormancy.
Does vft needs dormancy in tropical countries?
Hasley Rodrey Juico the usual answer is yes, and putting it in the refrigerator is recommended. However, recently the ICPS published a guide claiming they can skip dormancy with high light, so as long as they are in full sun all the time you may possibly be able to get away with not giving them a dormancy.
@@TheBonsaiJungle thank you so much
I have a question: do you making any micro halls in your plastic box ( on the top of it ) for to make plant breathing some how?
Tanita Ta nope. I don’t put any holes at all, although sometimes while it’s still not freezing I cover it only with a blanket and not with the plastic lid. The lid is not completely air-tight anyways (there’s nothing like a rubber gasket. If you filled with water and flipped it upside down water would definitely leak out) so there is enough room for air exchange. Also: in winter the photosynthetic rate drops severely, so the VFTs are not pulling as much CO2 out of the air anyways.
I have a question. I live in Sweden. We get -25 Celsius in the winter. Occassionally. Instead of a clear plastic tub could I use a drink cooler and put a clear plexiglass lid on it for light? My dormancy tub will be on a balcony and will need increased protection from the wind. So same exact setup as you, only with a insulated drink cooler and the lid
has a square hole cut and plexiglass installed. Your thoughts?
Hey liguus! I’m getting a Venus flytrap soon and am preparing to get ready for dormancy when time. The reptile cable, would it be fine if it was brand new?
Triston Lane yes, brand new cables are fine.
Liguus thank you so much you are so awesoem
Hey Liguus, curious as to how your watering these in there? Are you placing water In the pan and letting them soak for a bit, or do you pour into the medium? Mine have gotten just a bit dry, and could benefit from a little water. Thank you
Water Prop Babe I check them every few days and pour water over them as usual if I notice the top drying out. I have the heating cables on the exterior now so I let everything drain into the bottom of the storage container.
No kidding? Ok, Do you still tape them on the bottom or have you placed them at another location on the container? Was this to prevent a hazardous situation with the cables and water?...this was my first time having to water in the sterilite container, and I ended up taking my VFT’s out to water b/c of the cables (I was nervous of getting them wet)
Water Prop Babe yeah the cables say to not get them wet. Since my collection expanded the entire container gets filled with pots so I don’t have a tray that would fill out the bottom perfectly and not waster room on the sides. Also since I’ve started to shelter them in a “plastic tent” with a space heater I rely less on these heating cables. They pretty much only get turned on for super cold weather.
I have heard of people putting them in the fridge and it seems to work good
Yes it does works perfect. Just watch for mold (take care of it if you see it or prep before dormancy) and make sure the water doesnt dry out. Other than that your good.
Do you ever water them in winter ?
Yes, but very infrequently. I check them every two days but usually only need to water slightly with my 1 gallon sprayer once every two weeks.
Hi again Liguus, so once there fully dormant, do I not use my grow light anymore? They just sit in the “greenhouse” until it’s time for them to come out of dormancy? Thanks
When they are fully dormant they don't need light. Mine have been sitting back in this container in complete darkness in the garage for the past two weeks and will remain like that until March.
Liguus
Nice, thank you! Also, thank you for your informative videos as well! Your UA-cam has been one of my go to sources for the care of my VFT! I was really stumped on what I was going to do this winter, until I came across this video! 👍🏼👍🏼
Why not just put them in the fridge?
Kelli because I don’t have a forged that large, I can extend the growing season this way, and the temperature change is more gradually which prevents shock
Smart
Will this trick work with temperate sundews???
Melissa Rivadeneira yes. If you watch my other winter time videos I store my sundews right along side my sarracenia in those gray or green plastic tubs. I’ve got intermedia, rotundifolia, filliformis, and I’m screwing around with linearis as well.
way to much trouble, I'm just gonna throw my whole pot in frig till snow stays melted ...
I live in zone 8 (tx) so we have short winters what's the shortest time of dormancy for VFT? I do have them inside already on a good sunny window.
Thanks for this video. I had a few venus flytraps years ago when I was a kid. I am 56 now so you know it was a long time ago. I always wanted to get one again so maybe next spring I pick up some. I am in Minnesota so not a lot of weather difference from you. I winter my cacti in the basement with a good temp of in the 40s. Thinking venus flytraps will do good down there for the winter. Thanks again for your videos.
numberonesongs4444 yeah that is much easier. The only reason I don’t put mine in the basement is because it’s a split level house and the basement is 70-72F no problem.
i leave mines outside by the window whole winter but i wrap it in plastic bag. with temperatures below 0°C some days even lower .. even to -10°C have it for few years now. and it is incredible that they survive it. ofc i dont water it so plants can't be traped in ice.
I've had mine freeze solid few times and they survived (although the plant was all dead except for the rhizome), so I am too scared to risk below 0*C temp now all winter with higher priced cultivars.
Oh, also, the red cultivars seem to be more sensitive to freezing temperatures as well, at least as far as I have experienced.
Do you have a video about using peat moss?
I haven't made any video specifically on peat moss. What were you wondering about?
Nice tray-toss technique @ 3:33!
Thanks Liguus - The snake tank heater is a great idea
They stopped carrying it in stores. I think because the Infrared light bulbs are better for reptiles instead of heating the entire container so they can choose to bask, but this cable is very good for my uses. They should rebrand it as plant heating cable lol.
If you live in zone 7 or higher, you can grow them outside. I have a greenhouse so it’s easy for me but the duration of light is the main trigger for plants going dormant. The temperature is the second trigger for dormancy. My greenhouse temperature doesn’t go below 50 degrees and the sarracenias, sundews, and VFT still goes dormant every year.
They definitely can be outside in some places, but I would still add some extra protection just to be safe. In places like KY and TN I still see them at least insulate with mulch or burlap to prevent windchill. I also tried short-photoperiod "dormancy" indoors and it didn't work, after 4 years the plants get screwed up and the sarracenia would just die before the end of winter. In January they would start pushing flower stalks. It only makes them go half-dormant from what I have seen, and extremely eager to break dormancy and push new growth. 50's pretty good for dormancy given that it's stable, but if it's rising to the 60's and 70's it's not a true rest. Photoperiod doesn't matter when the high temp encourages growth, so I will never accept dormancy that isn't between 30-50 low/high
.
Yeap, most states don’t go as high as 60 to 70 for winter. This is why you can’t grow temperate plants in Hawaii. My point is in the most parts of US, the duration of light is the main trigger for dormancy. The second is temperature. Most of the time, my greenhouse temperature is higher than 55 degrees in the winter because of the highland Nepenthes I am growling.
They both are important though. I have seen the photoperiod stressed as the main factor for dormancy but this seems encourage people to keep VFT's inside their house all year and that isn't good in the long run.
We put up a building last year with an attached garage. The whole building, including the garage, has in floor radiant heat and great insulation, and it costs very little to keep the garage at 45°F in the winter. I put my clivias there for the winter last year (the flower stalks won't elongate properly without a winter dormancy), and now I'm starting to grow vft's again, having just bought 2, so maybe I'll try putting them out there for their dormancy, too!
Thank you! Perfect timing, ill be bringing mine in tomorrow. Its getting cold over here in MA
This guy reminds me of markiplier
Liguus! This is perfectly timed! I also have the same challenges so thank you very much for this advice! What do you do from an anti-fungal perspective? Do you use regular sulphur or anything else in specific? Thanks for your help!
Sean Pereira I didn’t really ever use anything at all, but this time since I have that DiseaseEX (azoxystrobin) from the last video I hit them with one last round in November to kill off any fungus that might be lurking in the soil.
@@TheBonsaiJungle Thank you! What Wattage of reptile heating cable did you use?
the ones I have are 50 watt
Liguus, wondering what you use to sense temperature in the box that turns on the reptile heating cable? Trying to find a device that does that, what is it called?
Sean Pereira they sell thermostats for the reptile hobby which work to regulate the temperature. I don’t bother with it since I’m cheap, I just plug it in when it’s below freezing. It may get warmer during the day but this cable is not strong enough to raise the temperature more than about 10 degrees F from whatever it is outside, so there is never any risk of my plants getting to 70 or 80 .
Glad I ran into your channel. I'm a proud father of my first Venus fly trap, and I trust that your teachings will make me an expert at this. Although I'm on the north side of Chicago so wish me luck lol
Good job bro. I would suggest to you or your subs who have lower pots, that the 56 qt. under bed sterilite containers work awesomely for what your trying to do. You can stack multiple units and give yourself more room, instead of all the wasted space in the taller ones. These work extremely well when its time to move outdoors also, only need one hole about 2 inches from the bottom on the side for excess rainwater to drain. Picture tons of these and your in my world lol. Keep up the good work man.
Thanks, I bought a taller storage box because I planned to put sarracenia in there along with them (even with all the pitchers cut they are still tall due to the larger pots), but my VFT's alone filled this box out. I will have to buy a second one anyways so I can either put the sarracenia collection in this one, or swap the vet to a smaller one and use this box from the videos for the sarrs. I guess i will be making one more trip to the hardware store...and also this reminds me I need to order at least two more boxes of that heating cable for the other containers...
hey dude,, could ya do a tour video showing all yr carnivorous plants you grow indoors and the setup they’re in? i think it’d be a great video
cowboy bill I’ve been wanting to get around to a winter update video...but I still am waiting to get heating cables for one of the storage boxes...also my dawn redwood and bald cypress acted weird again this year and held on to green leaves until it was below freezing and it all got freeze dried (which doesn’t really seem to affect them, just an ugly way for them to go deciduous). Indoors it’s also kind of a mess, I have to order new pots and redo the tropical sundew shelf.
Liguus ah well i think at least the heliamphora terrarium would definitely be worth making an update video on.
just want to mention that you are making magnificant job taking cace to your vft, and just want to mention that they are really great little fighters !
btw, i got some seeds this yeas and feel so happy about it :D
Cool vid! Only thing I'd add is a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer to keep an eye on it from inside the house.......
Feel free to modify as desired. I've used the cables long enough to know they never heat up the boxes past 50*F in the weather I get Dec-Feb.
Yells like Obama
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