Question about _Darlingtonia_

[Dave Evans]

Hello Forum,

I know I have seen photographs of snow covered Darlingtonia, especially Barry's whiteout pics... How cold does the soil actually get? Are the Darlingtonia actually frozen solid in the ground, or is just the first inch or so heavily frosted so the snow doesn't melt?

[marcel]

I never took measurements under snow here in Europe but snow is a very good insulator. I would not be surprised if the actual soil temperature was ABOVE freezing and that the snow helps the plants to survive very though winters. That's why they teach to build shelters of snow at survival school

[ICPS-bob]

Barry will undoubtedly provide a better and more accurate answer.

This is just a wild guess, but my guess is that the soil does not freeze. There may, however, be several provenances for Darlingtonia.

1) There might be a coastal provenance comprising populations in southern Oregon and northwestern California where the winter air temperatures seldom get below freezing and snow is extremely rare. I have lived in this provenance for 37 years and the soil has never frozen.

2) There might also be a mountain provenance where a substantial snowpack is common. In the California mountains, a snow cover usually precedes sustained cold temperatures and the ground seldom freezes. For several years, I lived in the Sierra on Donner Summit (elevation 7000 feet). Our water pipes were buried only about a foot in the ground and only once did the pipes freeze and that was because the snow arrived late that year. People in the community said that was the only time in a decade or so that their water pipes had frozen.

In both provenances, the plants may be protected from freezing -- either because the air temperature near the coast remains relatively warm in winter, or because the plants in the mountains are buried under the snow during the winter.

[BarryRice]

The coastal sites certainly don't get cold enough for the ground to freeze. However, I don't know about the sites inland. Locations such as those near the city of Mount Shasta probably get DANG cold during the winter.

The whiteout photos that you mention from my domain were taken at the 'Othello' site, which is a fairly high elevation (nearly 6000') in the Sierra Nevada. I'll REALLY try to get back there this winter to photograph the site, but it is a long X-country ski trip to get there.

B

[wadave]

I can see why you're so fit Barry,

all that trouncing around the countryside on ski's.

Dave.

[BarryRice]

Well, I recently discovered that the skiiing is even better if there is snow.

[wadave]

Just that little bit less wear on the skii's hey mate?

[maureenbasden]

I would like to know if you have to have water around the plants. I have tried to grow these plants with some success but they died on me when the water seemed to stay around the roots. Can anybody give me some tips on this.

[fredg]

All I can say there is, I grow mine in shallow trays of live Sphagnum.

I water up to the top of the tray.

It doesn't do them any harm.

[Alexis]

Where are you from Maureen? How exactly are you growing your plants at the moment?