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Post by sherkas on Jan 16, 2009 1:43:58 GMT -5
I was thinking for next winter I want to build a dormancy terrarium. I know I could put them outside under snow but I wanted to give them a "real" dormancy. From what I understand many of these temperate plants dont really live in snow, but instead just get cold weather and reduced light periods.
Is it possible to make something that would have low humidity, low temperature (0-10Celcius) and with say 1 light fixture of low light or something that turns on for...6-8 hours. Would this be giving them enough of a dormancy? I know right now half of us do the fridge or snow and i know that works.. but would a realistic dormancy be beneficial?? instead of just washing and putting away the plants I would much rather have them in a plexiglass box that regulates a winter enviroment that I can still look at instead of just boxing or snow covering the plants.
Any ideas or suggestions?
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Post by hal on Jan 16, 2009 9:10:07 GMT -5
I've made a little hibernaculum on a south-west facing basement windowsill. I have placed a piece of styrofoam so that the plants sit between the window and the styrofoam. The styrofoam is the same size as the window frame, so the plants are essentially sealed into this space and the heat from the house can't get in easily.
The Sarrs are in saucers of water, the VFTs just in pots with a clear plastic bag over them. I check the VFT's every week and if they're too dry I spray on a bit of water.
Temperatures are 2-8C depending on the outside, humidity is about 50%, and the photoperiod is just natural light.
This is my first year growing so, I'm not sure if it will be successful, but my research says it should be.
The plants really aren't much to look at when they're dormant, and you'd need a very tall terrarium for some of the sarrs.
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Post by Rick Hillier on Jan 16, 2009 12:47:30 GMT -5
There was a member here over the last couple of years that had his indoor terrarium mimiking the outdoor temps via a very impressive setup. I forget who that was (maybe a mod can help here), but I recall his setup being successful.
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Post by hackerberry on Jan 16, 2009 12:51:53 GMT -5
Wow, that would be awesome to learn how he/she did the setup.
hb
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Post by Flytrap on Jan 16, 2009 13:05:07 GMT -5
Most of us Canadians are very fortunate. For those of us keeping temperate CPs that require a dormancy period, our cold Canadian winters are a bonus.
I keep all my temperate CPs outdoors all year round. Sometimes I bring in the VFTs... and because of that, I may loose a few VFTs due to rot. I figure that as long as there is snow, the cps are fine, due to the mulching insulation effect provided by the snow. The only real danger is when there is no snow, and temperatures are below -5C with blowing wind. In these conditions, the planting medium dries out quickly... and plants die as a result of dessication.
When our winters get cold and dry (no snow), I used to throw a bunch of old carpet pieces, cardboard or just peat moss to cover over the cps. The only losses here would be slugs and rot...but even then, it's rare that protected plants are lost.
The important point here is that you give these plants their winter's rest. Keeping them green throughout the year is a sure way to turn your beautiful cps into compost.
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Post by hackerberry on Jan 16, 2009 13:19:45 GMT -5
True that Flytrap but how about some of us that get's in the -20s in winter? Any suggestions for outdoor dormancy?
hb
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Post by Flytrap on Jan 16, 2009 13:29:11 GMT -5
True that Flytrap but how about some of us that get's in the -20s in winter? Any suggestions for outdoor dormancy? hb -20C ... a real Canadian winter. My old friends Randy Lamb and Doug Fung used to over winter his sarrs by just building a frame structure around the plants, and shielded it with whatever he had available... glass, plastic sheets, plywood. Covered to keep the temperatures constant within. I can't remember which one of them mentioned that they'd just then plug in a single small wattage lightbulb (around 25watts) left on in the enclosure (approx size 10'x5'x4' tall). And I recall that one winter the lightbulb burnt out... which then led to the freezing of some of his plants (can't remember if the plants survived or not)... anyways, the solution that was derived from the single light bulb burning out was to place a chain of lights inside the overwintering enclosure. The chain of lights was the ubiquitous christmas outdoor lights. This apparently worked really well. The location of where Randy lived was in Whitehorse, Yukon. ... so it does get fairly cold up there. David
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Post by dvg on Jan 16, 2009 14:04:26 GMT -5
There was a member here over the last couple of years that had his indoor terrarium mimiking the outdoor temps via a very impressive setup. I forget who that was (maybe a mod can help here), but I recall his setup being successful. I believe the member's name is funkytechnician. You can pull up some of his old posts in the photo section or in his profile section. He really did some amazing work and his plants looked super healthy.
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Post by carnivoure12 on Jan 16, 2009 14:12:35 GMT -5
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Post by Rick Hillier on Jan 16, 2009 15:03:53 GMT -5
True that Flytrap but how about some of us that get's in the -20s in winter? Any suggestions for outdoor dormancy? We've had winters here in Kitchener, Ontario where we had extended periods of cold nighttime temperatures in that range (-20 to -30) (it's kind of like that now - brrrrrr)... I cover my bog with about 12" of pine needles and things always came up in the spring. I find that the ones that give me the most problems though are S. purpurea venosa and S. minor. The latter survives, but never gets to be a nice, robust plant, making only around 2 or 3 quasi-decent pitchers per year. And although my leucos come back every year, they frustrate the bejeebers out of me at the end of the season. Just as they are starting to put out their magnificent fall pitchers, they get pooched by a frost. Oh well... at least the other stuff survives. I am anxious this year to see what appears after the late summer hailstorms we got last year. They knocked the heck out of everything, so here's hoping!
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Post by hackerberry on Jan 16, 2009 15:11:25 GMT -5
Thank you guys for the info!
hb
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