Cypripedium Dormancy Help

[MCD]

Originally Posted by Relemitty

I am in 7a.
No, I have never seen seedlings in the spring and have looked.

Probably more a matter of having the right soil conditions. The ground under my trees tends to have a lot of loose material like dead leaves and twigs, and stays very moist through our wet winters.

And related to the original topic, also apparently good conditions for some Cypripedium acaule that occur naturally in my backyard.

[Relemitty]

Sorry jasperlja8 for hijacking your post.
The tree is in a raised bed with compost all around.
My theory is that Oklahoma is windy and the seeds are blowing into the yard never to be seen again.
That is why this year I'm going to put them in an area in compost near the tree.

[Simone S]

I have Cyp reginae and parviflorum seedlings in the fridge in a plastic bag. I've been checking them regularly for rot or desiccation. They did get to go dormant naturally, were bare rooted, and then stored. The grower I bought them from recommended waiting a few years to plant them out, hence the fridge. I'll take them out and pot them up in early spring. Fingers crossed!

At least they're smaller than the mugo pine seedlings I was keeping in there for a few winters!

[Ray]

Originally Posted by tmoney

you have a very tolerant partner, ray!

We have a fridge in the garage for beverages and overflow foods, so that’s the one I used.

Unfortunately, the second winter I did that, my wife decided to clean it out and thought they were vegetables that had sprouted roots, so threw them out….

[estación seca]

A special thread for refrigerator stories? Most people have one or two good ones.

[Alexey_G]

Originally Posted by jasperlja8

I have a cypripedium (yellow lady slipper) as an indoor plant, and I know that dormancy is reccomended, but I am not sure how to do so. Do I set it out in a cold garage? do I just leave it alone? do I trin the dead stem and leaves off?

Dormancy is not only recommended for Cypripedium, but it's also pretty much necessary to avoid rapid decline and death.

At least 3 months of cold storage are necessary and you can do this by putting the plants in plastic bags with some moisture after treating them with a fungicide and then placing the bags in the freezer, there should be just enough water to avoid desiccation of the rhizomes.

You can initiate dormancy by placing them in a cool environment and then cutting off all the dried-up stems as soon as they have completely dried.