Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2000 11:23:21 EDT From: MCATALANI@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2340$foo@default> Subject: Re: Growing CP Outdoors
>I keep all my plants outside (in UK) under glass (no
>heating - door open) the temps last year went down to
>about -5 deg C and the pots were frozen solid for days
>on end with no ill effects. If anyone out there has
>specific tolerances for various species I too would be
>very interested. >>
In Memphis, TN my outdoor bogs can stay frozen solid for a week or two during
late January-early February. I have every species/subspecies of Sarracenia,
Dionaea, and several species of southern Drosera growing in these bogs.
Temperatures dipping below 0 degrees farenheit have never proven harmful. I
can not recall in 25 years of growing these plants outside that I ever lost
any plants due to cold weather. (I have lost a number of S. purpurea ssp
purpurea due to hot weather in the summer.) In fact, hard freezes here are
beneficial in keeping the damaging insect population in check during the
spring. My bogs are fairly deep and large, and I don't mulch or cover them in
any way during the winter. With the exception of S. purpurea, leaving a
pitcher plant in a 8" pot outside
unprotected is totally different than being unprotected in a bog, and is an
invitation to freeze dry the plant into oblivion. Most growers in the north
still mulch or protect their bogs during winter, and is a good idea for
locations with extremely cold temperatures. The only problems with
temperatures you're likely to encounter is with Dionaea. A prolonged freeze
into late April, or a snow cover when the plant is attempting to resume
spring growth can cause it to rot. S. alata flowers can easily rot when a
freeze occurs after the flower stalk has begun to grow, but the plant is
otherwise
unaffected.
Michael Catalani
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