Venus Fly Trap seedlings

[massoud]

Hi, my name is Massoud Vahedi, and I'm a grower of Venus Fly Traps.

I just have a plea for help regarding Venus Fly Trap seeds.That is, is it right for me to start planting them now in the late summer/early fall? I know that dormancy is right around the corner in winter. So please, could you help me with the problem that I am suffering? Is it possible I could receive a quick answer?Thank you very much.

[josh]

i think it would be fine but keep them indoors for the winter on a window sill, iv planted sarracenia and vft seeds in winter before on my window sill and they grew well

[massoud]

What about the lighting? Wouldn't they deprived of it due to it being winter? What I mean is, what are the specifc requirements with regards to artificial lighting?

[mmlr38]

Yes, this time of year is fine for planting seeds. I planted a ton of seeds last year at this time. I kept them outside until October and then in an unheated room in the windowsill until May and then back outside. I just got a greenhouse and that's where they are now. Here's what they look like today:

[massoud]

So do they require a dormancy?Or should I skip it?

[mabudon]

Skip it, no worries, up here they'll go semi-dormant in cool conditions over winter due to the reduction of the natural photoperiod anyways, but they'll be fine growing "constantly" for a year either way. A cool windowsill is all you'll need, no artificial light required (unless you're growing a LOT of them)

[massoud]

I guess I'll give it a lot of artificial light and skip the dormancy. I appreciate the time and care given by each and every one of you.

[massoud]

One more concern: Will the plant "think" that it is spring?

[mmlr38]

I put some of my seedlings into dormancy (the ones in the photo above) and some of them I skipped. I'd recommend letting them have it. Though the ones that skipped dormancy are a little bigger, they look horrible right now after moving them from artificial light out to real sunlight. They didn't adjust well, and that was in May when I moved them.

Also, if you allow them to enter dormancy, you won't have to worry about artificial lighting. The only recommendation I have is to not let them freeze. Try to keep them at 45°F or warmer.

[massoud]

So it might be okay to let it skip dormancy?

[mmlr38]

Yes, you can skip dormancy the first year for seedlings. They'll do fine. I was just saying that the ones I let have their dormancy actually look a little better than the ones I had skip it.

[massoud]

Moving on from the dormancy issue, what is the best form of lighting I could provide my seedlings during the winter?

[mabudon]

seedlings would probably be fine under the highest wattage fluorescent (ideally "daylight" or "full spectrum) lights you can get for them

[massoud]

Would one bulb suffice in providing enough light?

[massoud]

As I have already asked, does anybody know if one light is enough for providing light?