Expert: Christopher Littrell - 11/28/2010

Question
Hello! I have two venus flytraps that are about 3-4 years old. I live in southeastern Massachusetts and it looks like the plants are getting ready to go dormant. So I moved them into my garage that's about 10 degrees warmer than outside. But can I leave them there when the temperature is from 30-50 degrees and occasionally dips to 20 or lower? Can they survive if they get some indirect sunlight during dormancy or do they need some direct sun?

Answer
Hello Victor,

Venus Flytraps are hardy North American plants that can experience down to 20 degree weather in the wild. The problem is not the plant's ability to survive the cold, it is in the plant being in a small pot or container of soil that is not as insulating as the ground would be if the plant were actually grwoing naturally. Since we use pots and containers of various types, we have to provide alternate methods to insulate the plants in winter. The cold garage idea is a great. Place them where they get some window light in a cold spot. It does not have to be direct sun, but just some light will help the plants to determine season and will give them a little energy to get by in Winter. Placing the plants in a totally dark environment in winter does seem to make for slightly less energetic growth when they break dormancy and can result in plant loss from mold and weakness. Open air and some light always helps when providing an artificial dormancy place. If your concerned that the plants could be frozen solid even in the garage, place them in a large tray, like a plastic storage container, so that you can mulch them around the pots and then cover them with a tarp or clear plastic bag on the coldest days and take the tarp off when it is above freezing.

Christopher