Orchid Preparations Before a Hurricane Hits

Damage to a Better-Gro greenhouse from Hurricane Charley

After you've stocked up on hurricane supplies and prepped your home in advance of a storm, you will likely want to turn your attention to your orchids and other plants if there is time. After all, some collectors have invested a significant amount of time and money into their orchid collections.

Pre-Hurricane Preparation
Tips for Your Orchids

Relocate and Secure Your Pots

• If you have the ability to move your pots into your home or garage before the storm, do it! Pots can serve as dangerous missiles in high winds that can break through windows and cause extensive damage. 
• If your collection is too large to relocate, evaluate your greenhouse to look for the safest place to secure your plants. This could mean grouping your plants under your grow benches. Anything you can do to limit wind exposure is best.
• If you have any plants in bloom, bring them indoors. Delicate flowers can easily bruise or break with even the smallest wind storm.
• If you live near the coast, be sure your plants are not located where they could be impacted by storm surge. Saltwater can be deadly to your plants.
• Secure your plant tags. It's so easy to lose plant tags when relocating your plants, so do your best to tuck those tags into the sides of your pots.

Prepare for Excess Sun Exposure

• Stock up on shade cloth. If you lose your greenhouse or the surrounding trees that provide shade to your orchids, you will need to cover your plants as soon as the storm has passed. Orchids burn very easily with direct sun exposure, so you will want to prevent this from happening. 
• If you moved your orchids indoors, be sure that they are not receiving direct sunlight from nearby windows. The glass in your windows intensify the sun's rays. 

Prepare for Post-Storm Plant Shock

• Storms are traumatic for us as well as our plants. Plan to have plenty of fungicide and bactericide to treat orchids after the storm has passed. Orchids may receive too much water during a storm (indoors or outdoors) and may not dry out as quickly as they should. Watch your plants very closely for the telltale signs of an infection.

We hope these simple steps will help you protect your plants and your investment before a storm. 

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