People in NY & Connecticut leave them outside all year round... but they do so by mulching with sphagnum peat and pine needles. A healthy VFT can withsatnd what it just experienced, but I wouldn't recommend keeping it that way. So you have other options available to you? When I was brand new to the hobby, a cold snap froze the soil of the 2" pots I had and I moved them to the butter keeper of the fridge. 2 months later I moved them to a cold window sill. By then it was apparent that the VFT's survived my inexperince.

What I do now is keep them in my cold attic, right by a window sill. Temps get into the 30's, but I've never seen any water freeze. Do you have an unheated garage with a window?

What I do now is keep them in my cold attic, right by a window sill. Temps get into the 30's, but I've never seen any water freeze. Do you have an unheated garage with a window?

No garage or attic, I live in a teeny little house! The coldest part of the house is the kitchen floor, it's like ice when it's cold outside, but I don't want to risk him getting too warm and I worry about my devil cat eating him if he's on the floor in there. She mauls my little baby Violets enough as it is, I'm surprised I have any survivors to give away for x-mas! :)

I do have an unheated metal shed in the yard, but no window, I think that would be just the same as being outside, but without any sun! :P

So far I've been bringing him in whenever it looks like it's going to get under 30 degrees. That's been working great, in at night, out during the day. I guess I'll leave him in the fridge today, surely one day won't hurt, it's supposed to be 33 and sunny tomorrow so I will set him back out then, and they're calling for warmer temps for next week, so he should be able to get out every day.

J

What's the space under that kitchen floor like?

I'm zone 7 and my guys stay out year 'round. It was 18Ë this morning and I haven't mulched yet. Probably put the blanket on this weekend and put 'em to sleep. The reason I don't like the fridge is the lack of humidity. Good luck!

so it's ok if they freeze? my 3 vft's and 4 pitchers were frozen solid after i got home from work tonight. i panicked and poured a little water in the medium, was this wrong? i've got them inside now. i'm afraid to put them back outside! will they die because they got frozen? i was thinking about putting them in these storage spaces in my house, they are not insulated very well, so they do stay much much colder than the rest of the house, but very dark. will they be ok without sun? or could i just leave them inside since they are already dormant? help!

The reason I don't like the fridge is the lack of humidity.

I have decided I don't like the fridge either!! Frankie is in a regular clay pot since his good pot got broken about a month ago, and his pot sucked up a bunch of water and froze and broke in the fridge!!

Thankfully the dirt stayed in the same shape, but now I have to find him a new home and nobody around here is selling flowerpots this time of year! I am going to CA this week so I'm going to look for a nice one (not "dry" clay!) while I am there.

J

" froze and broke in the fridge!!"

Ummmm...... fridge right? NOT freezer.

Use a plastic or glazed pot. You don't want anything that wicks water from the soil or could potentially change the ph (ie concrete).

junglspy, you live in Georgia my man. These guys (VFTs) are native to North Carolina. Georgia is prime territory for Sars and VFTs. If you're anywhere near the coast you probably have a native bog somewhere nearby where Sarracenia can be found. No worries, they go through a winter dormancy.

You guys know about the CP Faq right? Good resource for everything you ever wanted to know.

I always say that you work with what ya got. For those living in KY and GA, outside is definitely doable. I have a friend that lives near Philly and he has a manmade bog lining his driveway. Not sure if he covers anything for the winter or not, but his VFT's, Sarracenias, etc... do just fine. POne could always add a layer of peat or pine needles.

Lack of humidity is actually a good thing. Winter tends to bring out the worst in mold because of excess humidity.I liked the fridge because it was low maintenance and it actually worked!

Hey, where on the Island are you? I grew up in Huntington.

Hey Petiolaris, I "grew up" quite a bit in Huntington myself (in the bars). I'm in Glen Cove now.

I grow all my CPs in an outdoor bog. Haven't mulched yet which is a good thing since it's 60Ë right now. I put 'em to bed with a sheet of burlap and layer of leaves on top. It's worked for me and the bonus is it keeps the tree rats from diggin' in there. I also get seed germination from the VFTs and Drosera from the moisture under there in early spring.

Ok All, I haven't been to the forums in a while, but let me say you're all worrying way too much! I've got Sarracenias minor, psiticina, alabamensis, and others plus 2 Venus fly trap cultivars and 3 droseras that have been growing OUTSIDE since 1998.

Some of these are supposed to be way southern plants...but they come back beautifully every year without mulch...Just in a bog garden!

I wouldn't worry about it getting too warm. The winters in South Carolina are fairly mild. I'd keep it in the fridge.