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can Catharanthus roseus be wintered over inside successfully?

8 years ago

IN New York the annual vinca will die if left outside in the winter. Can Catharanthus roseus be wintered over inside successfully?

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Comments (8)

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years ago
It is a tender perennial, rather than a true annual, so it may be possible. I haven't grown this plant, and I don't know what your indoor growing conditions are like, so I can't say for sure that it will winter over, but it's worth a try if you have space. I find that the tender perennials I winter over do best in an area that's cooler than most indoor rooms (low 60's) with sunny windows (even for shade plants since the light levels indoors are so much lower) and higher relative humidity than most indoor spaces (in my house that's near the humidifier.) I hose the plants off to reduce insects and bring in the whole pot. Some folks take cuttings and plant them when they root.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
It's not a hopeless challenge. The plants have a much better chance if they've been growing in a container all season and if the potting medium is highly porous and fast draining. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the quality of the potting enough.

Your catharanthus will require the brightest location you can find inside. I suggest a substantial haircut before changing its environment.

Few of the tender perennials that we grow outside make good candidates for indoor culture, but Catharanthus roseus is one of them.
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Hi, Phyl. I would pretty much offer the same thing Pam said. If you set the plants on the floor, where they will actually remain warmer than if elevated to any degree. (Before I get corrected I'll point out that heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation are at work in a building. Even though heat rises & leaves the colder air at the floor, the conduction and radiation of geo-heat coming through the floor into the soil mass is enough to trump the cool air that settles there.) You should be able to pick up as full zone in hardiness just by being careful about not leaving the o/h door open for extended periods, so zone 6 plants should over-winter just fine, on the floor, unprotected. You can pick up another zone of hardiness (to 7) by inverting a cardboard box over the zone 7 plants, which is an excellent way to trap heat coming through the floor while still maintaining enough air flow so mold doesn't become a problem. The biggest problem with over-wintering in the garage is that plants will invariably leaf-out well ahead of their counterparts in the landscape. Though they need no light while dormant/quiescent, they will need light after they start post-dormant growth, which will occur after the chill requirement of the plant has been met and soil temperatures have been elevated to above approx 45* for several consecutive days. Freeze/thaw cycles do not kill plants unless the actual root temperatures drop below the minimum the plant is genetically programmed to deal with, or plants are warm enough for long enough to start out-of-season growth, which can later freeze. Billions of plants in nursery operations are successfully over-wintered annually under cover, so to suggest the practice is somehow inappropriate is quite a stretch. I overwinter around 200 containers of plants hardy up to 7 in my garage. All I do is toss a little snow on them from time to time to keep the roots from drying completely. Al
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Vinca minor, maybe? I've seen a white-edged green vining Vinca like what you're describing; we sell it at work. (I don't know a variety name, but maybe the species will be enough for Google to turn up a picture?) It overwintered fine in the greenhouse for us last winter. We cut the stems back to about three inches in September or October and put it in a cool (50s-ish) bright spot under a table. We never watered on purpose, but it did get water, from what dripped down from the table. Roughly 95% of the plants made it. I don't know how practical this will be for you if you don't have a greenhouse, but maybe a bright spot in a porch or garage could work?
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Thanks to all who replied to my question. I read both the WS FAQs and SS thread. I honestly never thought I had to cover anything I planted outside when the weather was nice - just let Mother Nature do her job. Now, I'll put the stuff I had inside, outside with a cover. I especially liked the FAQ "Poster Suggestions for Flats from Recycleables" and also, the suggestions posted to this thread regarding containers. I needed to know what to start saving now in order to WS as economically and environmentally as possible. What wonderfully invented ideas people had. I had asked about coffee cans a few months back but did not get a resounding "Good Idea" so I guess I'll put those in the cycle bin and stick to the more widely used plastics that light can get through. Great to hear from my New England and Canadian neighbors - we can all commiserate together about all this rain (what was THAT last night?). Also, thanks to all for the "Welcomes" to the forum. I appreciate your time and thoughtfullness in helping me out. I'm sure I'll you'll be hearing from me again with more stupid questions! Zahzeen
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
anything that does not require a dormancy ... should be able to be grown indoors ...

your base cultural issues INDOORS will be:

light

humidity, and

water management

winter sun can be too low for many things... supplemental light would really help ...

winter humidity with my forced air furnace is a real big problem about half way thru the winter ....

and finally ... keeping it properly watered is always an issue indoors ... pots just wont need as much water.. as they did outside ...

the few houseplants i put outside fro summer.. get a systemic bug treatment in early sept ... so that by the time i bring them in.. i know there arent any bugs in the pot or plants... as that can also be a problem ... if you have an indoor collection ... you have to isolate a new plant ... to avoid infecting everything ...

all that said.. give it a go ... no one ever learned anything new.. without trying ...

and if its start to get real ugly or problematic ... just get rid of it.. you tried... and you will have learned ... no real downside there ...

ken
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river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
8 years ago
I've found it easy to harvest my own seed & start it inside. You might want to try that in addition. Note the green unopened seed pods in this picture from the internet. Good luck!

seed pod and seed
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
Good suggestion about the seed, but important to remember that some hybrids won't come true from seed and others won't produce viable seed at all.

In some instances, the plants may still be patent protected and can't legally be vegetatively propagated.
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angelonia_anne
Original Author
8 years ago
Well, I think I would have the right to propagate them for my own property if I have already bought the plant!
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rusty_blackhaw
8 years ago
An annual/tender perennial that thrives in heat and full sun is not likely to do well indoors even in a sunny window. If you manage to get plants through the winter they probably won't be anywhere near as vigorous and healthy as young plants you can buy cheaply the following spring. But if you have the room and want to give it a try, good luck.

"Well, I think I would have the right to propagate them for my own property if I have already bought the plant!"

Actually the law isn't on your side here. But as long as you're not propagating patented varieties for sale, odds are the Plant Police will not be paying you a visit.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
Rusty is correct....you'll be breaking Federal laws if you vegetatively propagate patent protected plants, but you're unlikely to ever get caught.

Those of us who understand the process and know that it takes many, many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to successfully introduce ONE great cultivar.....want them to be repaid for their efforts. We make our small contribution by spending our money in order to enjoy the results of their labors.

Inspectors (Plant Police) do visit nurseries, garden centers, greenhouse growers, bigger garden markets, and even amateur plant sales where people are apt to show up with illegally propagated plants out of ignorance or worse.
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