Both are bad ideas..
IMO, thats a very bad idea. might work, but its not as good a natural dormancy outdoors.
IMO, thats also a very bad idea..
No plant will go instantly dormant just by putting it outside for a few days before putting in the fridge, and no plant will go instantly dormant by taking it from a warm, bright location indoors and just plunking it in the fridge! that will just shock the plant.
Those methods virtually guarentee death to the plant.
"going dormant" is a long, slow, gradual process that takes
months!
plants should be outdoors June-October to go dormant properly.
If you plant has been indoors up until now, rather than put it in the fridge right now, I would just leave it where it is and let it keep growing through the winter and into next spring..it will still die, but this way you might have it for another year or two before it eventually weakens and dies from lack of dormancy, rather than killing it in a few months by putting it in the fridge without preparation.
or..
the other option, put it outdoors right now, keep it there forever, and you have a healthy and happy plant for many decades, if not the rest of your life.
The key to the "fridge method" is that the plant needs to be fully dormant BEFORE you put it in the fridge! the fridge just keeps the dormancy going..it doesnt cause or create it.
So how do you make the plant go dormant before putting it in the fridge?
by growing it outside all spring, summer and autumn long!
its not hard..nature will do it all for you if you only let her!
growing CPs indoors is needlessly complicated and IMO very bad for the plants.
johnnyfrye,
the best thing you can do for your plants, as has been said many times,
is to grow your plants outside and leave them there 24/7/365..
SOOOOOO much easier than trying to grow them indoors!
and nature takes care of dormancy for you every year..you dont have to do a thing.
Scot