Dionaea already starting to flower!!! HELP

[venusflytrapfreak]

My Dionaea are already sending out flower spikes! I live in Central Florida and it has been a very mild winter here this year. Does this mean they didn't get their dormancy? Will they die? I hope they got at least enough rest to grow through the next season, and hope they will grow healthy.

Thanks,
Ricky

[brokken]

If anything, I would take that as a sign that it's coming out of dormancy. Doesn't take much for dormancy to be fulfilled and it's not always triggered solely by cold either (eg: shorter days). I've also found the extremely hardy B-52 var to go all winter still putting out traps here in California.

[venusflytrapfreak]

Thanks! So does that mean you have grown Dionaea all year round? How long have you been growing them in your area? Do you leave them out all year? Do you have luck growing them as healthy plants?

Thanks,
Ricky

[stevestewart]

Vftf,

I have several cultivars that I have grown for more than 7 years without a dormancy. Dionaea 'Fused Tooth' has it's winter growth form mentioned in it's published description.
If your plant is growing, enjoy it! Be carefull not to over water during cool, short day growing periods.
Flowering will take energy from the plants as well, so if you want large plants fast, just cut the flowers off, if you want seeds, let them flower, and pollinate them.

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[venusflytrapfreak]

Thank you Steven!! Ok I will just not worry about it and I will cut off the flower scape, because I don't want seeds. Thanks so much!
Ricky

[Alexis]

Vftf,

I have several cultivars that I have grown for more than 7 years without a dormancy. Dionaea 'Fused Tooth' has it's winter growth form mentioned in it's published description.

Dormancy isn't necessarily a complete cessation of growth. A few months of slower growth would be enough to give the plants the dormancy they require.

[ryanhellyer]

In my experience, as long as the plant is healthy it will trudge through the winter with no dormancy whatsoever.

In my sick twisted attempts to kill them I've even stuck them in the dark (under a desk, so still getting a little light) for part of summer and then put them in the sun for the winter. They seemed to cope fine, they just shrunk a little that's all, then bounced back six months later - I wouldn't recommend doing this though, I just like seeing how far I can push them ... Dionaea growing on the edge

[venusflytrapfreak]

Thank you ryanhellyer!! I guess they should survive then!!! I just repotted all my flytraps, and the roots and rhizome look great!! I guess being in Florida, we just start early for everything!!! I can tell that the day light hours are going up each day, so that may be a sign..
well thanks again,
Ricky

[stevestewart]

alexis said:

Dormancy isn't necessarily a complete cessation of growth. A few months of slower growth would be enough to give the plants the dormancy they require.

Alexis,

I prefer the description of dormancy in the 1981 book "Biology of Plants" by Peter H Raven, Ray Evert and Helena Curtis.

"dormancy: A special condition of arrested growth in which the plant and such plant parts as buds and seeds do not begin to grow without special environmental cues. The requirement for such cues, which include temperature exposure and a suitable photoperiod, prevents the breaking of dormancy during superficially favorable growing conditions."

I have seen very tropical Nepenthes species go through several months of slower growth, but would not consider them to have gone through a dormancy.
I have also attempted to grow mature Drosera filiformis without a dormancy, in artificially altered environments for a full year, only to end up with dormant hibernicula and dead plants.

Some Dionaea cultivars I have grown do seem to be very forgiving if not adapted for year around growth.

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[maureenbasden]

Not to worry. The flowers are just a sign the plant is coming out of dormancy. That is usually the first thing to take place. I have mine outside all the time here in N. Carolina and they do fine. Right now I have no flowers but the traps are catching insects. Flowers should arrive shortly and then I will know spring is here.

[Alexis]

Hi Stephen

Sorry, I missed you post from yonks ago!

I'm not sure dormancy in Dionaea is the on-off switch it is sometimes described as. There are certainly populations of VFT in Florida, but as you know, your winter often sees long periods of warm temperatures. Consequently, a die back but still with occasional slow growth would be seen. It's like hibernation in animals - it's often not the 4 month deep slumber people think.

I'd have to say a nepenthes in slow growth is just a slow growing nepenthes as this species does not go dormant.

[stevestewart]

Alexis,

What is the exact conversion for yonks to standard time? ;D
In my growing situation I have noticed that some Dionaea cultivars are much more "tropical like" than others. I have plants of one "typical" form plants that offshoots have simply rotted in the warm winter conditions I provide my plants while the plants I have provided a cold dormancy for are still thriving. I have also lost several plants of the cultivar Dionaea 'Red Piranha' while attempting to grow them through the winter in warm sunny conditions.
All plants I have of Dionaea 'Big Mouth', 'Cupped Trap' and 'Fused Tooth' and 'Jaws' seem to grow well all year in my conditions, showing slow growth only after flowering and/or transplanting. These plants show no harm when given a good dormancy, but I have not seen any benefits from stopping their winter growth. I have only had Dionaea 'Justina Davis' since winter (thanks to Brian), but next year I look forward to growing some plants as tropicals, and some with a dormancy for comparison.
I seem to have good luck growing any young asexual divisions or seedling Dionaea plants as tropicals, but when they attain flowering size is when the differences seem to exist for me.

It is possible it is my unique growing conditions are the only reason for these differences, but I would like to know if any other growers find some Dionaea cultivars more tropical than others.

Take care,
Steven Stewart