Q/A #3 - Can Hardy Sundews Handle Freeze and Thaw in Rhode Island?

QUESTION:
I have various Sarracenia, Venus Flytraps, and Drosera filiformis, and D. intermedia. I have been told I should avoid freeze thaw cycles with the plants. Normally at this time in Rhode Island, I have the plants go into dormancy in a cold basement. This winter is a little out of the ordinary. I am experiencing high 40s to mid 50s (7° to 13°C) in the afternoons and nights between 25-32°F (-4° to 0°C). Can the plants experience this kind of freeze/thaw cycles per day?
(Submitted in November 2022.)

RESPONSE BY JEFF DALLAS:
So you will read on many forums about this. However, this applies to areas where that freeze and thaw cycle involves much bigger temperature swings, such as can happen in the upper Midwest. You're close to the ocean, and the swings are small, and the overnight lows are not super cold. I looked at your ten day forecast, and your temperatures are nearly identical to ours here in Oregon. We only do special protection if very cold conditions are expected, and for us, that's clear weather with temperatures in the teens (-10°C). 

I know you can potentially get colder than that. When it looks like a big Arctic front may be coming in, that is when you need to cover your plants, or bring them into a garage or shed to protect them from the worst of the elements, especially freeze drying. Snow is no problem since that insulates from wind. In fact, if you get some snow, bury your plants in it. In all cases be sure your plants are on the ground, and not up on a deck, table or any kind of bench. It seems like a little thing, but it makes a huge difference.

• Submitted in November 2022. The original question and response have been edited for publication.
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