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Hello! I live in Southern Ontario in Canada and have had my fly traps… | Carnivorous Corner | Planta community

Alex

Hello! I live in Southern Ontario in Canada and have had my fly traps for about 8 months. They are doing great, but with the colder weather coming I am trying to figure out what to do. I understand they go dormant but online says to put in a garage (this would be far too cold during the winter here) and the person at the nursery said to just keep them indoors and not let them go dormant. I’m building a mini indoor greenhouse for my Pitcher plants to stay in over the winter but want to know what is best for my VFTs. Any help is appreciated!

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8 comments

  1. eatyacarbs

    some people literally put them in the fridge over winter 🤷

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    • eatyacarbs

      i find plants that like to go dormant always benefit from it — oxalis for example. you can keep them year round, but they get a little sad. when i cut them down to nothing and leave them in the dark over winter, they come back better than ever in the spring

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    • Alex

      I read that they shouldnt go too far below 0 in the winter and it gets to -30 degrees celsius here on some nights so way colder than a fridge (and the garage isnt much protection from that kind of cold) so i just dont want to kill it haha but i did hear about using a fridge so maybe that will be my answer in the end. Thanks!

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  2. AlexSloj

    As has been said, you really should allow dormancy, though the method is fairly up to you. For long term survival, flytraps need dormancy, not to mention that it is much harder for them to thrive inside. Yes, flytraps do have a limit to what they can survive during dormancy, but they’re also fairly resilient. The plants would likely be okay in the garage with their pots covered with mulch (which can be done outdoors in climates that don’t get quite as cold as yours), but I totally understand not wanting to risk it! I would recommend either a room in your house that will remain fairly cold and dark (such as a basement) or looking into the fridge method!

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    • Alex

      Thank you! I have a north facing window in a basement apartment that gets relatively chilly through winter but theres some light- im sure i can research this but do you know if there should be zero light through winter for these guys?

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    • AlexSloj

      Sorry I just saw this, really up to you, but they can survive dormancy with pretty much zero light. Once their leaves die back for the winter, practically the only remaining portion of the plant will be the rhizome, largely under the soil, and which would be covered with snow in the wild. They certainly will not be hurt by light in the basement, but do not stress if there is little to no light present (and obviously, when the fridge method is used, very little to no natural light is received)

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  3. NotSoBlackThumb

    I’m glad you asked this. I’m in eastern Ontario and have been stressing about what to do with mine. My basement is cool but has no windows. I don’t know if maybe I have to put a grow light down there for a couple hours a day?

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    • Cowro

      I live in BC and I have a similar conundrum. I put mine in a window down stairs. Though many say they don’t need light through dormancy it can help them through it, so if you have a grow light you could put it on for 2-3 hours a day.

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