Sarracenia dromancy, but not 100% dry leaves?

[xenia]

I have two Sarracenias. Since I live in Sweden, the climate is rather cold in winter (It gets slightly colder than Ohio). I have kept them outside during summer-fall when temperature was just around freezing. At that point some of the leaves had started to dry out - but far from all of them. I brought them inside and kept them cool and dark during 3-4 months. However, temperature inside has always been above freezing and up to about 10 C (50 F) depending on the weather outside.

I have noticed that they did dry out now and then and I put some water into the pots. I am not sure if it is due to photosynthesis or the fact that water do tend to dry out when kept in a container.

Now I have brought them out again. Even though 90% of the leaves have dried out, there are a couple that are still non-dry. Despite rather cool temperature and total darkness it hasn't gone entirely dormant. Why is that? Should I worry about the plant might be exhausted for next winter?

[stevebooth]

Hi Xenia

Plants will dry out in containers due to evaporation and other mechanisms, but they should always be kept damp through winter otherwise the transpiry rate from the foliage can kill them. Don't confuse having to have dry leaves with dormancy, they often have good 'normal' looking leaves if there is no desiccant drying winds to draw the moisture out of the leaves, but are in fact doormant.

Most of my plants are outdoors all year round here in the UK, in bogs, and due to the relatively mild winter we have had there are a lot of plants still with normal looking leaves, but they have been doormant, even the outside VFTs are still green.

In short if the temperature has been 10C or less they will have been doormant since you bought them in, but as a consequence of a more sheltered position have not suffered so much from the elements, so have rewarded you with a good show of non damaged winter pitchers.


Hope this helps
Cheers
Steve

[xenia]

Steve, thans you for your help! I don't need to worry then!