Alabama, Mississippi & Georgia have already felt the wrath of Mother Nature
with Arlene and Cindy. And now that's exactly where Dennis is headed. In
southern SC, we've just barely dodged the bullet twice. We're hoping for a
3rd stroke of luck, especially with Dennis. We were hit or brushed by all 5
hurricanes last year and. like our Florida brothers, we'd like a breather
this year too. Batten down the hatches!
Gary
"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
All,

This probably won't interest the experienced growers in the group, but it
may help some of our newer members. With Hurricane Dennis threatening,
there are a few precautions we can take to protect our orchids.

Obviously, if you have the space and ability, take your plants inside if a
bad storm approaches. But if you can't do that, at least prepare them.
Make them as heavy as you can; place them at the lowest possible point, on
the ground if necessary but preferably on concrete; place in the most
protected possible area; spray with a fungicide before the storm arrives
to get a jump on that little problem; and plan to get them safely out of
the sun as soon as the storm passes. Down here, after our storms last
year, many orchids which survived the 'canes just fine were lost afterward
due to sunburn and pestilence. Once the worst is over, keep a sharp eye
for bugs, and spray if you can.

If you have a shade house, take down the shade cloth or plastic. You will
need the cover for your orchids after the storm; this also will help
protect the structure. Plastic and shade cloth can contribute to
structural damage from wind.

I know this is redundant for lots of you, but if it helps one newbie then
it was worth writing. Having said that, let's all hope for a hurricane
free season.

Diana