Question
QUESTION: Hi. This is my first early spring with CP's. They were all doing great when I put them to sleep last year. I took them out of the shed I stored them in over a month ago, clipped off all the dead leaves and repotted into a 50/50 mix of perlite and peat moss which I have used before. Here it is the last day of the month and the only one growing is my Northern Dewthread Sundew. My 2 pitcher plants and 8 or so VFT's are showing nothing. I'm in lower New York State, Zone 6. Any comments would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Tom

ANSWER: Hi Tom,

Container growing definitely has its challenges, and winter care is the most difficult challenge of all.  In very cold climates, there are many things that can affect container plants, even when they are placed in storage.  Fungal infection, dehydration and rapid temperature changes can wreck havoc on a grower's collection.  Even during dormancy, plants need to be checked on periodically to make sure conditions are just right.  

The timing of placing your plants in storage is also critical.  If done too early, the plants will still attempt to grow and use up their starch reserves.  If done too late, then they risk suffering from frost burn.

The health of the plants are also a critical factor.  Pitcher plants and flytraps grown outdoors in full sun during the growing season have a much higher survival rate than plants grown in partial sun or indoors.

Your plants should be coming up by now, so we can assume something is certainly amiss.  Unpot one of your plants and inspect the rhizome.  It should feel firm.  If you scrape the outer potions with your fingernail, you should see the white flesh of the rhizome.  The rhizome is soft and brown on the inside, then it's likely that it rotted out.

I know how disappointing it can be when plants die.  I've seen many plants in my collection die off for a variety of reasons.  The key to successful gardening is learning the likes and dislikes of specific plants and adjusting the environment to accommodate your specific microclimate.  Winter care is the most challenging, but it's possible to be successful at it.  We have customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan who have grown pitcher plants and flytraps for many years.  

So consider what factors may have contributed to the losses, and come up with a game plan to accommodate those factors.  If you need further assistance in this area, I invite you to submit a follow-up.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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

QUESTION: Jacob,
   Thanks for responding so quickly and thoroughly. I'll provide additional information in three sections. First, what I found. I uprooted one pitcher plant and its rhizome was dark tan in color and not very firm. The two VFT's that I looked at had very soft, medium tan, slimy rhizomes.

   Second...my past actions. All plants were grown outside in full sun and were very healthy.When the leaves turned brown I put all in an unheated outside shed. This was when your newsletter recommended. I believe it was October. I checked them once a week and added water when necessary, which wasn't very often, to their trays. All leaves were dead.

  About 6 weeks ago, when your newsletter instructed, I removed all the plants, trimmed off all the dead leaves, repotted into larger pots, and put on the deck in full sun.

   Third section ..... some observations and guesses. Should I have trimmed off the dead leaves before putting the plants into storage? Even though I didn't notice any signs of fungus, not that I would know one if it were present, should I have sprayed the plants with a fungicide, just to be safe? Should the plant be sprayed or do I need to unpot, spray the rhizome, and then repot? Possibly the reason I lost so many plants is that they were in the original 3" pots and shared a few common water trays. Can a fungus spread this way?

   I very much appreciate your helping with this analysis. As you can imagine, I'm hesitant to purchase any additional plants until I can figure out what happened, why it happened,and how to prevent its re-occurance. Thanks again.

   Tom (aka .... The CP Grim Reaper)     



ANSWER: Yes, fungus can occur in the nooks and crannies of your plant, so sometimes you might not even see them.  In your case, because the shed may already harbor fungal spores, you should spray your plants on a regular basis throughout the dormancy.  

In zone 6, it's also a good idea to clip off the leaves to reduce dehydration during hard freezes.  The leaves increase surface area for transpiration (moisture loss through the leaves).  Covering the tops of the plant with mulch would also reduce moisture loss.

The 3-inch pots also may not have provided the necessary insulation to protect the rhizome from rapid temperature changes.  If your shed is not insulated, then this may also contribute to rapid temperature changes. Mulch may have helped in this case.

The main goal in keeping plants through winter dormancy is to reduce moisture loss, prevent fungus, and prevent rapid temperature changes and repeated thawing and freezing.  Using this concept, you can devise various methods to keep your plants safely.  

I strongly recommend that you join an online forum so that you can throw out ideas about winter dormancy.  The best forum I've encountered is:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Backyardbogs/

Some of the members there live in upper New York and Denver.  They're customers of ours, and I know that they've successfully over wintered their plants.  You might get some great ideas of building a miniature bog garden.  Whether they are in-ground or above-ground bog gardens, plants tend to have a much higher survival rate than potted plants.

In either case, if you're still apprehensive about winter dormancy, you could consider tropical carnivorous plants instead.  These plants don't require any dormancy, and they grow very well indoors throughout the year, provided that you have sufficient lighting.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

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

QUESTION: Thanks Jacob. After reviewing your suggestions and doing some research on my own I've come to the conclusion that it was just too cold for plants in small pots. My revised plan is to put them into Winter dormancy in my attached, insulated garage. During the Winter the temperature stays at 50 deg F. I'll be placing an order soon.

   What was the name of the recommended fungicide? Ortho Systematic? I wrote it down but can't remember. Thanks.

Tom

Answer
Yes, insulation is the way to go.  If the temperature changes too rapidly, the soil will still be frozen, but the leaves will thaw out.  Moisture will then evaporate from the leaves, but because the water is still frozen in the soil, the plant isn't able to replace the lost water.  By insulating your plants and preventing rapid temperature changes, they can better tolerate freezes, even deep freezes.

The insulated garage is a good idea, but you'll have to really pay attention to fungus since it's warm enough for fungus to flourish in damp conditions.  Your plants will also likely go into a light dormancy, rather than a deep dormancy.  

If you can keep the temperature about 40癋, your plants will be better off, but you'll still need to pay attention to fungus.  Use a sulfur-based fungicide.  Safer?brand makes an excellent product.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin