Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 20:42:39 -0400 From: "C. J. Mazur" <ccp@vaxxine.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2387$foo@default> Subject: Re: Sarr. Dormancy, necessary?
>>The question of whether Sarracenia dormancy is really necessary.
>
>This is a good question. My suspicion is that the answer in part lies in
>the definition of "dormancy". In my experience, Sarracenia and Dionaea
>will gradually weaken and die over the years if not allowed a "resting"
>period.
>
I guess I just add my 2cents. I've found that Sarracenia in general are
truely temperate, needing a good dormant period in order to flurish. A
reduced photo period, reduced light intensity, reduced moisture are all
contributing factors to good dormancy. However, I find that plants that have
been exposed to good cold temps perform better. They are more vigorous and
more robust. Infact, I'd even go so far to say that a few freezings are
useful. I found this out by accident one cold winter's nite. Typically
during January and February the nite temp in the greenhouse hovers around 4C
or so. However, on the coldest nite of the year, the heater went out. The
morning cold temp was -23C outside and inside the greenhouse it was -18C.
All the pots were frozen solid. My plants had never flowered as
prolifically or grew so well as they did that spring. So over the next few
years, I tried letting them freeze and not freeze. On the years where I let
them freeze, there was a marked increase in flowers and more robust growth.
Suffice it say, every January, I turn the heat off once or twice! :-)
Best Regards,
Carl J. Mazur
Cherryhill Carnivorous Plants
Ontario Canada
http://www.vaxxine.com/ccphome
"To grow old is manditory... to grow up is optional"
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