Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 4/20/2010

Question
Hi there, I've read that if flytraps don't go dormant each year their lifespan is shortened. I live in South Africa and it seems like winters here aren't cold enough to cause the dormancy. Most of my flytraps were grown from seeds and are still small, +- 2 years, but I also have older ones. They are all outside and non of them has ever gone into dormancy. So is there a way I can make them go dormant or do you have any other suggestions?

Kind regards
Johan

Answer
Hi Johan,

It might make a difference where you live in South Africa.  If you live near the coastal mountains, you might have a better chance of the flytraps going dormant.  They need cool temperatures to go fully dormant.  Typically we see that if winters are above 10°C at night, plants don't fare as well.  

Some growers in tropical regions have resorted to placing their plants in the refrigerator for about 3 months.  This, however, is very risky because the plant will suddenly experience dark, cold conditions without any chance to acclimate.  Some growers were successful, and others were not.  Since I have never tried this myself, I can't offer any recommendations on how to do it.

If I were to do it, I would unpot the plant, trim off all leaves and spray the entire plant with a sulfur fungicide.  Next, I'd wrap the bulb and roots in damp paper towel and spray the entire wrapping with sulfur fungicide again.  Finally, I'd place it in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for 12 weeks.  

If you try this, you will need to check the plant weekly to make sure no fungus or mold is growing.  If so, you'll need to respray your plant and rewrap in fresh paper towels.

Otherwise, do what you're doing.  If your plants are still going for several years without dormancy, your climate might be just right.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin