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2 Responses to “what is the best way to keep my indoor plants alive during winter?”

1. CP lover Says:
   December 29th, 2008 at 3:22 pm

   Well that’s a lot of plants to cover in one post. You might be better off breaking up each of those plants into individual questions. I can answer the Venus Fly Trap question.

   Venus Fly Traps don’t generally do well grown indoors under artificial lighting. You really should grow your plant outside if possible. In all likelihood, your plant is probably going dormant and that’s why it doesn’t look so good. Venus Fly traps require a 3 to 5 month dormancy period every year. Since you live in MA and it freezes in the winter, you will need to provide dormancy for your plant if you want it to survive long term. I live in Boulder, CO and I keep mine on an unheated porch for the winter. There are several options for providing dormancy and you have to pick the one that best suits you. You can read more about dormancy here:

   In case you are new to growing venus fly traps, I will give you some tips. There are really only 4 things Venus Fly Traps require to stay healthy:
   1) Sunlight – at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day
   2) Water – rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water only
   3) Soil – Nutrient poor soil such as peat moss
   4) Dormancy – Venus Fly Traps require a 3-4 month dormancy period

   Venus fly traps like lots of light. Try to give it at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day. The more you can give it the better. It is best to grow your fly trap outside where it can get plenty of sun and catch its own food. You don’t actually have to feed a Venus Fly Trap anything other than sunlight and water. If you do choose to feed it, don’t over do it. Feed it only insects and at most only a couple a month.

   Venus fly traps need clean water. Usually tap water will not do. It is best to use distilled water, rain water, or reverse osmosis water. Venus fly traps need water with a TDS (total dissolved solids) measurement of 50 ppm (parts per million) or less. In order to get this, you probably need to use distilled water or reverse osmosis water or rain water. Their soil should be kept wet at all times. It is best to use a tray and set the plant in about 1/2 inch of water.

   If you need to repot, for soil you can use a combination of peat moss and perlite. Most growers use a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite. I have been leaning toward using pure peat moss lately. Venus Fly Traps aren’t picky, but be sure to use some form of peat moss or sphagnum peat moss with perlite or vermiculite to ensure that the media is nutrient poor.

   Since summer is over and fall has started, you need to think about providing dormancy for your Venus Fly Trap. Without a dormancy period, your plant’s health will start to decline and it will eventually die.

   If you have any more questions, you can join the forum on my site and ask them there:

2. John M Says:
   December 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

   What aver you do keep it a way from any open door way’s because the first cold well kill all in door plants be for your evre eye’s.

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