D. intermedia, D. "tracyii" dormancy

Philip Thomas (thomasp@maui.com)
Fri, 4 Oct 1996 11:21:40 -1000 (HST)

I have grown D. intermedia & D. filiformis tracyi outdoors in NC (2500'
elev, north of Atlanta) and overwintered successfully. D.f.t. may be a
little less hardy (?) than D.intermedia since its natural range is
further south. The trick is to prevent desiccation w/o having them too
wet. They seem to prefer REDUCED moisture in winter/dormancy, but they
CANNOT completely dry out. This is particularly important to note
because in winter you may tend to ignore them more, but evaporation still
takes place, albeit perhaps at a slower rate than summer. On the other
hand,too much moisture may cause them to rot. You might try a mulch of
leaves (careful of allelopathy, though). If they're well-tended (i.e.
conditions monitored frequently) these extremes can be easily avoided.

hope this helps.

afn,
-pt

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Philip A. Thomas - thomasp@maui.com OR halesci@hawaii.edu
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## Opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent ##
## the views of the U.S. National Biological Service or my employer! ##