D.binata multifida I think (one of the binatas anyway if I remember
SLACK right.)
> tolerate fairly cold temparatures. Mine are in my back yard right now and
> last night's temps went to about 15F or -9C. This is certainly not the
> limit of their range. You might be best off keeping them outside. If you
I'll second that - S.flava's fine down to -11C (though the pitchers
get pretty tatty by the Spring,) but I chicken out with Dionaea and
put it in a coldframe (min -5 or -6C.) It probably could take it
colder, but the windchill's half the problem here with regular gales
from the sea.
D.binata will survive regular heavy frosts (-5C to -6C in the
coldframe,) but goes black and dies back completely to come back
from the roots in the Spring. You'll find it stays looking OK if
you keep it indoors, so unless you favour the napalmed look, or
(like me,) you've run out of space, this is probably the prefered
course of action.
> think it might get too cold for them, bringing them inside an unheated
> garage or shed for the winter might do the trick. Also, they need to be
> kept damp but not dry or sopping wet.
Indoors yes, but beware freeze-drying outdoors in strong winds -
plants can become completely dessicated unprotected in a remarkably
short time. Outdoors mould doesn't seem to be a problem (it's too
cold and windy for spores to settle and establish I guess,) so I
keep my water trays as full as in the summer and flood them when
it's sub-zero to keep the Drosera hibernacula and Sarracenia and
Darlingtonia crowns iced over. Indoors, in the greenhouse or the
coldframes I just keep the plants damp. The wind seems to prevent
mould spores settling or establishing, so I have less (no,) trouble
outdoors despite the extra water.
I guess this makes sense. It doesn't necessarily rain any less in
winter in the wild (if anything our local D.rotundifolia get a great
deal more!) The reduced watering is just to compensate for the
fairly "unnatural" conditions most cultivated temperate plants live
in - they're sitting ducks for mould when they're dormant in an
environment that's warm, wet and still. Try to change at least 2
of those 3 factors, and most temperate species will love you forever.
Hope this helps,
Peter
snail:Peter Cole,17 Wimmerfield Cres. :: mailto:carnivor@flytrap.demon.co.uk
Killay, SWANSEA SA27BU,WALES,UK :: http://www.angel.co.uk/flytrap/
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