Minnesota dormancy

John Walker (jorwa@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 29 Dec 1995 08:02:49 -0800

At 05:05 PM 12/28/95 -0800, you wrote:
>I live in Minnesota...and I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions
>on dormancy. I have only been able to get my basement to 55 degrees, and I
>have cut back on the lighting. I went from a 4 lamp fixture to a 2 lamp
>fixture; I have also cut back on water. What can I do to get them into
>dormancy? Any suggestions would be great. What is the minimum length they
>should be in dormancy? The plants are flytraps, sundews, pitcher plants; all
>in one big terrarium. Thanks!
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George,

You say that you have only been able to get your basement to 55 degrees.
Does that mean that your only able to get the temps UP to 55F or only
able to get the temps DOWN to 55F? I find that my vft's need to be at
or below 50F to go fully dormant. If possible you might try lowering
the temps about 10F and cut back on the watering until the soil is just
barely moist. In the desert here in Arizona I have found that the day
time temps averaging 60F will not allow my plants to go into dormancy.
I have had to resort to placing the plants in the refridgerator (40F)
for four months to simulate dormancy. Hope this helps.

John Walker
jorwa@ix.netcom.com