When do you bring orchids indoors?

[Connie Star]

Originally Posted by Bird Song Farm

Hi Connie,
Good to hear your coming to Maine for the week-end.
Keep a good eye on the weather charts as Earl is going to be a close call and the southern coastal area of the State will be most affected. (I hope)
Last year several people were washed away in the high waves caused by a TD passing by.

National Hurricane Center


I'm waiting until tomorrow to make the decision to bring plants in or not. Earl is not supposed to start bothering us (interior) until Fri. night, Sat. morning.
Drive safely and have a GREAT time.

Where in Maine do you live? My plan was to go to the Isles of Shoals, and actually Star Island is in New Hampshire, but most people from outside New England don't even realize NH has a coastline
The island was evacuated in advance of Earl, but we are going out tomorrow, as Earl was pretty much a bust, thank goodness.

[fotofashion]

Of course, I am far, far away from Connie but I think the same principles apply. Watch the weather report, know when the first frost is "normally" expected. Get the GH cleaned out before that. Do your spraying ASAP. Here, in the Gulf Coast near Houston, I put my plants inside around November usually. Again that will vary according to the weather report but I really pay attention to it the later it gets. Last winter the temp in the GH got down to 32 several times and it did not affect the Phals. It was just so cold the heater could not keep the temp any higher.
What normally happens here is that the day before it is going to get cold enough to get the plants into the GH it will rain, a lot. Boy does that make for fun especially with my enormous Platicerum bifurcatum. Poor DH has to manhandle that one.
So, right now, although the day is still a couple of months off, I am making plans as to how to fit in all those plants I have bought this summer. It is going to be tight but I am also going to find new homes for my Hoyas and duplicate rhipsalis and epis. A must do project for this winter will be to repot quite a few orchids.
We had a really nice day today. Cooler than the upper 90s we have had all summer, fall is on the way. Yippeee
Beverly A.

[Bird Song Farm]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

Where in Maine do you live? My plan was to go to the Isles of Shoals, and actually Star Island is in New Hampshire, but most people from outside New England don't even realize NH has a coastline
The island was evacuated in advance of Earl, but we are going out tomorrow, as Earl was pretty much a bust, thank goodness.

I'm in small town America. On a North to South and East to West "X" on a ME map, I'd be quite close to the middle of the X.

Hope you had a good time. Earl was a fizzle here too.