What's happening in your fridge?

[Kevin]

Hi to all Pleione growers!

I've just potted up my new Pleione Zeus Weinstein as the new shoot was starting to increase in size. I had a look at the other Pln which have been overwintering in the fridge and I found that my Pln formosana 'Clare' were also starting to grow too so I've potted them up too. I've foud that they are always the first to start off the season for me.

My question to you is... what's happening with your collection? Do you keep them in the fridge at home like me and if so what is sprouting for you now? What's normally your first Pln of the year (not including the autumn flowering plants) to start growing?

I'd be interested in your experiance and to see if it ties in with what I've found over the last couple of years with my plants.

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiances.
Kevin

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hello Kevin,
My Pleione overwinter frostfree under glass.
I will start repotting next week - I noticed that Hekla 'Locking Stumps', some Leda forms and Eiger are already "on the move" - the season is nearing !! 

[Hristo]

Hi Kevin,
Mine are in the fridge too except;
P. Leda, P.Eiger, P. El Pico and P.Lhasa Blushes which at last inspection
were found to be developing rapidly in the fridge and so are now sat out in wood chips
where they will flower.

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Kevin,
Mine are in the fridge also except for P. limpritchii which I try to keep frost free ,but wouldn't worry if it gets some frost.

P. humilis is starting to get underway in the fridge but I will keep my eye on it and hope to leave it for another couple of weeks.
I have a P. forestii which is also showing signs of growth but this one usually does before the main group start.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

We all seem to be in our starting blocks... 

[SteveC2]

My spring flowering species and hybrids are kept frost free (in theory) in a 4 x 2 lean-to against the house.  I say in theory because I'm sure that this year the temperature must have dipped below zero regularly although as they are all very dry there is no obvious damage.  For the last two years forrestii and eiger have led the way, but I think that formosana "Clare" will win hands done this year.
Interestingly humilis, which is supposed to be an early flowerer is showing no signs of life, but I've just noticed Maren saying the same in another thread, so hopefully there is no need to worry.  
I won't use the fridge as too often the cucumbers become offensive weapons when the fridge becomes a freezer!
Come to think of it, except for a week in the middle of January when it was ridiculously mild, the temperature outside has been colder than my fridge.

[ThomasB]

Except for the autumn and winter flowering ones my Pleiones are kept in the fridge during winter. As I open the fridge at least twice a day I can very often check the temperature within.

The first Pleiones to flower here will be Eiger, Hekla, white formosana clones and Ueli Wackernagel. Etna 'Bullfinch" which I received today from Pottertons is really advanced and already developing roots; I potted it instantly. The others are still in the fridge, think I will pot them around middle of february.
Pleione humilis and forrestii do not show any sign of developing shoots but I'm not worried as I read that these are doing the same with other growers.

[Maren]

So my Pln forrestii aren't the only sleepy ones, there is hope yet.

I bought a bigger fridge last year, but the extra space () is used only for vernalising cypripedium seedlings.

My pleiones spend the winter in my 'office', a glorified shed, 10ft x 6ft, with a pent roof made of 5 ply polycarbonate. One side is just shelves for pleione storage, the other for potting etc, and on the top shelves I always try to grow something in flower to cheer me up and a small radio to keep me entertained while I work.

There is a small heater to keep it frost free, a fan to blow the air around and a de-humidifier. The latter is particularly useful at harvest time and after I've sprayed the bulbs with neem oil or fungicide. At that time the atmosphere gets laden with humidity and I extract about one litre of water every day, which I use to water things that are growing in there, like calanthes.

I've been potting since the beginning of January and expect to finish mid-February. The picture was taken last autumn. Now the shelves are nearly bare and my little darlings are sitting in the restored Victorian greenhouse. I hope they like it.  

[Graham Catlow]

Maren,
That's just too much for me to take in I thought my little collection was time consuming. Do you repot ALL your pleione's every year.

[angie]

Maren, oh to be so organised  I potted my last week ( only a few pots ) I am not sure why or should I keep them in the fridge  Is our climate not cold enough.

Angie

[Maren]

Hi Graham,

yes, I re-pot all my pleiones every year. Ian said I should, so I do.

As a result, my pleiones are well travelled. They grow in a Victorian greenhouse about 12 miles from my home. Every autumn I clean them and take them home to be treated (neem oil, fungicide), stored and counted. I also throw away any bulb that looks a bit iffy, sunken black spots etc.

I sell a few to try and pay for this hobby of mine. All my sales happen between November and mid January. Then it's back into clean pots and bowls, with fresh compost, and back to the Victorian Greenhouse.

The youngsters are planted into seed trays, and they live in a greenhouse on my allotment, kept frost free with calor gas. It's nearly a business.

Hello Angie, actually most people probably find it quite difficult to pin down a place in their home where it is cool but frost free during the winter. A garage is the usual place I recommend, but during the recent cold weather, I'm sure garages got frosty too. When you have just a few pleiones and a big enough fridge, that's the ideal place. A fridge is supposed to run at 4°C, so is perfect.

[angie]

Thanks Maren. Yes my fridge is set at 4c but never thought of keeping these bulbs in the fridge. Some of mine had shrivelled up, so I must have kept them to dry I think. I shall give them a try in the fridge next time.

Angie

[Hristo]

Angie,
Watch out, eventually there is no room for your food!!

[angie]

Love it  No room for food that's what I need a fridge full of things I can't eat. I need to lose some weight after my trip to America my waist has grown.
I am still a little unsure, will my bulbs not need some sort of moisture, will they not shrivel away.

Angle

[Hristo]

LOL - We have had the Atkins Diet, is this the Butterfields Diet maybe?
No moisture ( in my experience), I dry my wood chips out in the oven to get rid of the moisture.
I had one mix of sawdust that was so fine it kept the pseudobulbs moist as they
respired ( not much respiration at that ) this was enough to initiate a rot!