Fridge to provide winter rest?

[Joshaeus]

Hello all! I am interested in Dendrobium kingianum, but I understand that this sp. needs a wintering period in fall. Would putting the plant in the fridge at night do the job? If so, would this work for other winter period demanding orchids like Cymbidiums? Thanks

[Orchid Whisperer]

I'm no Dendrobium expert, but I would try putting it some place that cools down naturally outdoors in the late summer and autumn, before it gets too cold. Also, reduce the water at the same time.

Ditto Cymbidium. I leave mine outdoors until just before freezing temperatures are forecast. Usually by that time mine is spiking.

[rbarata]

It might be too difficult to put a mature Cymb in a fridge.

[Selmo]

I don’t think putting your plant in the fridge is a good move. First it is anywhere form about 42F to 32F in your fridge. Might be a bit of a shock to the plant if you went from room temp to close to freezing every night. Second, the humidity in your fridge is probably less than 25%, another shock to the plant. Being that you live in New England, this natural seasonal change would happen naturally, as Orchid Whisperer said, just leave it outside in the fall and bring it in after a few weeks of cool nights and reduce the amount of water it gets though the cold months. Florist and nurseries do this to force bulbs to bloom, for sale at unnatural times of the year. I don’t know if this is is what you had in mind, to shorten the time until it blooms for you.

[Subrosa]

These are plants that require as much light during the winter as they do during the summer. The light in the fridge is definitely not enough, even if you could get it to stay on while the door is closed.

[Optimist]

If you watch youtube, Brad's Greenhouse has an episode about adapting a freezer into a cooling chamber. It is the same idea you seem to be thinking about. And yes, for lighting, the top must be replaced with a sheet of plexi or something similar.

[camille1585]

Den kingianum needs cool and bright conditions in the winter. If you have a room/space that can provide that, that's good. Otherwise, short of finding some very creative solutions (putting it in the fridge is not one of them) you just have to accept that there are some types of orchids that you can't grow. I love Den kingianum, but after several attempts I've realized that just can't give it what it needs in the winter, and gave up trying to keep this species.

[Joshaeus]

OK. Thanks...guess I won't be growing D. kingianum.

[estación seca]

You could grow it easily, but flowering would be a different problem. A barely-heated greenhouse works, but inside a house is a problem due to not enough light and not cool enough.