Refrigerating Cypripedium for dormancy.
 

Alright, I got caught with my hands in the cookie jar, but everybody in the family was okay with me putting the Cyp. plectrochilum in the fridge with all the food just this one time.

Now I have to get a fridge of my own to hold my Cyps during dormancy.

My question is, while there would be no problems putting the pot and all inside a small fridge for Cyp plectrochilum.

What about the larger Cypripediums? I can't just buy a several thousand dollar appliance and stick the pot and all in there! So how do people do such a thing for the larger species?

Are they removed from the pot and put into a bag to be put into a refrigerator?

Thanks in advance.

I have never had a Cyp in a pot larger than 8" so I don't have any experience with really big pots (though eventually I may need to figure something out).

Taking the plants out of the pots is not a good idea. They do not like to be disturbed. If you did it once it wouldn't be a big deal, but doing it every year will give you problems.

In colder climates people who have large specimens probably just sink the pots in the ground for the winter. In Los Angeles most or all species will not overwinter outside though, so you will probably have to divide your plants when they get big so they will fit in your fridge.

So where do I get an affordable refrigerator large enough to hold these guys?

Man, this sucks! This severely limits my ability to take on a bunch of Cypripediums.

Have you checked the second hand stores...they usually have an old one or two for really cheap.
Joann

Joann's suggestion is a good one. That's where I'd look.

I agree. I unpotted my Cyp. Emil so that I can refrigerate it. Then I potted it up this March because I saw that it was starting to get out of dormancy. My Cyp. Emil did not bloom this year,although the plant is healthy. Maybe it will grow vegetatively instead. I don't mind the plant doubling in size! I think it might have missed this year's blooming due to the unpotting and repotting.

If it goes into dormancy early, I might have to put the whole pot into the fridge...and later in the winter into my garage. Or the second choice is to plant it into the ground outside permanently.

Yep, disturbing the roots will cause the plants not to bloom. Often times, even just planting them will cause them not to bloom the following year (this is especially common with small divisions). C. japonicum and C. formosanum are infamous for this.

I can relate to this. One reason I quit growing native cyps is because of the drag of using up refrig space. But here are a couple of ideas to pass around:
1. Don't use pots to grow your plants in, use grow bags!
2. Instead of a refrigerator which tends to have alot of wasted space, how about a freezer chest that has a lid on top. A good one can be had for around $200 USD and has plenty of room.

What's a grow bag? I've never heard of these.

Good idea about the freezer chest, we currently own one, but it's being used for food. :)

Grow bags:
Grow Bags | Greenhouse Megastore