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Post by Flytrap on Sept 25, 2006 13:15:44 GMT -5
I spent the weekend trimming off dead pitchers. Also spent the weekend filling up holes dug up by squirrels and assessing the damage caused by racoons.
this year, I am going to make an 'A frame' comprised of old casement windows I've scrounged up from demolition sites to protect some of my sarracenias. I find that all sarracenias survive our westcoast climate, but the late winter freezing often sets every plants' root system back...
I remember a time when I grew these plants in my child's old wading pool, I had prepared some "walls" to buffer winds from blowing over taller pitchers - and actually found out that this small protection actually provided shelter to the plants feet ... it's rhizomes. Allowing the plants to really concentrate on growing bigger and better pitchers the following season...and not on re-growing roots.
Our day temps are still reaching the mid 20s C, but the evenings are now hitting close to 10C, sarracenia pitchers are starting to yellow and red up like our Fall tree leaves.
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Post by barvinok on Sept 25, 2006 17:14:01 GMT -5
I have a few questions about CP in our "cold Winter" -Got S. Alata yesterday and was toled that I have to protect it from winter rain and keep it on a dry side . Do I really have to? and how dry? -Could I pot up sarrasenias now or better wait till spring? -Does Darlingtonia Cal. need winter protection? Got it from Fraser's Thimble farms last fall and protected from frost last winter. Thank you
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Post by Flytrap on Oct 22, 2006 11:55:25 GMT -5
Hi Barvinok-
I leave all my sarracenias (including alatas, psittacinas and minors) and darlingtonias outdoors in a wet bog all year long...and my plants in pots, I gather together into a grouping to collectively protect each other from the winds. So, I'd say you can do this if you don't mind the slugs and local pests such as squirrel, crows, mice and other hungry critters chewing on them over the winter. I used to mulch over the plants with cardboard, but found that too much bother and besides, the risk of fungal attacks were heightened with restricted air flow and darkness. Then later, I started using peat moss...which worked great.
We've had a few wickedly cold winters and some mild ones that saw no snow. Every winter I'd lose a few plants... but as long as the rhizome doesn't stay frozen for a long time, they'd survive nicely here in BC, and I dare say, throughout Canada.
My recommendation is for you to move the plants into a semi moist location with optional natural light throughout the winter, such as in an unheated garage. And make sure the rhizomes never dry out... and initiate lots of watering as soon as the danger of freezing is gone - like around mid March.
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Post by barvinok on Oct 22, 2006 14:05:33 GMT -5
Thank you
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Post by Flytrap on Oct 22, 2006 20:38:56 GMT -5
You're welcome
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