Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 16:26:48 -0500 From: Brewer Charles E PHDN <brewerce@nswcphdn.navy.mil> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3906$foo@default> Subject: RE: dormancy answers
Hi All,
If you are able to grow your CPs out doors like David in Atlanta does, you
will most likely not experience any major problems. Good old mother nature
has a wonderful way of flushing out stale water and cleaning the soil with
rain water and good air circulation. For those of you who are not as lucky
as David is and have to winter your CPs inside a greenhouse, garage, house
or what ever, I recommend you take your plants out of water and allowing
them to drain freely. When the top of the soil starts to show signs of
drying out, then water your plants from top down, allowing the water to
drain completely.
Here in South Eastern Virginia, the winters are mild, but have been known
to drop well below freezing during the coldest part of winter and stay that
way for several days at a time. Usually the temperatures are above freezing
during the day and drop down to or below freezing overnight. This time of
year our temperatures act like a roller coaster going up and down. One night
the temperature may drop below freezing and two days later it's like spring
again. I find this to be very helpful in preparing the plants for dormancy.
This time of year I always let my CPs (Sarr, VFTs) experience freezing
temperatures before I moved them into a cool greenhouse. Even the VFTs have
been known to freeze solid without any harm. I find this method enhance
their growing ability next spring, giving me plenty of nice healthy flowers
and pitchers.
I should add that most of my plants are grown in oversize pots. This
affords them plenty of growing room allowing them to clump naturally and
helps me from having to water them on a daily bases. Using this method, I
have receive nothing less then excellent results year after year.
The only preparation I do before moving CPs into the greenhouse is to cut
off all dead and diseased tissue. I spray each plant with a good
insecticide, then with a good fungicide. As far as storing them in the
greenhouse, I just sit them directly on the greenhouse floor which consist
about 4 inches of damp pine mulch. Depending on the outside weather, I water
my plants weekly or every two weeks, sometimes longer. If the weather is
above freezing during the day, I vent the greenhouse out letting air
circulate through the main door through the back of the greenhouse. I also
look for over wintering insects and signs of funguses and treat accordingly.
If I do have to use a fungicide several times during winter/spring, I always
rotate which fungicides I use.
The CPs I grow in an outside bog are the easiest to maintain during the
winter. Late December or early January I just add a layer of dry pine straw
to the top of the plants and set them on fire. The fire burns hot and fast
and usually burns all the pitchers to the ground even the VFT traps. After
that, I just let nature do the rest.
Hope this helps,
Charles Brewer
Virginia
> While I've read that Sarr and VFT should be kept on the dry side during
> dormancy, I'm starting to question that advice. These cp's live in areas
> with wet winters so the advice of a drier dormancy doesn't make sense. I
> think people may have had problems during dormancy because of their
> specific
> growing conditions, for instance, a stale medium, poor air circulation.
> My
> Sarr and VFT remain outside in bogs and experience very wet winters. The
> seedlings I have indoors over winter are in pots that are always sitting
> in
> water. I wouldn't worry too much about trying to keep your medium on the
> dry side over winter. At most, avoid having the water level close to
> the
> rhizome.
>
> Atlanta
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