So I have a not so common question for the forum. I live in Southern California (Los Angeles Area) and if you haven’t heard, but there is a massive storm making its way up the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. It is starting as a category 4 hurricane down there but will end up being a tropical storm once it hits LA, but it is calling for a years worth of rain in a day (albeit only about 2 inches because CA is so dry). My plants are about 6 - 7 weeks into flowering cycle (outdoor) and I am already starting to get some problems like I do every year (coastal environment is very humid at all times) with botrytis/bud rot, so additional rain is not ideal for this. I wanted to see what type of precautions or advice you guys might have for protecting them for a couple of days. The rain is supposed to start on Sunday and last until Monday night. I can move them to my garage, but am not sure if that will be detrimental to them or not. Any advise on how to keep them from getting torn to shreds or exceedingly moldy from all this wind and moisture?
I personally would wait out as much daylight as possible and then move them to the garage and replace any lost daylight hours with artificial light (as much as possible) and keep the garage as dark at night as possible. With the relatively short duration, I don’t think it will cause you any issues, but hopefully one of the grow masters on here will give the real low down soon. I hope everything works out and the storm dies out before it gets to you. I feel you on the humidity and fear of bud rot it’s a subtropical climate in Virginia too. Best of luck!
Yeah, I agree with the garage, or indoors if possible. If it’s in the ground, I’m afraid you may be screwed unless you have a wooden box big enough to cover it, or build one if that’s possible.
I dont have any advice except if shes tall and in the ground, to stake her off to help prevent snapping and losing the whole plant. Stay safe and stay well.
I would move them right before the rains and maybe even run an oscillating fan on them. They will be totally fine if its just a couple days. Good luck and stay safe!!
100%, without a doubt, absolutely necessary in this situation. Rh goes up for a few days while the rain waters dry up. Good supplemental lighting, good circulation, hell a dehumidifier if possible, but not sure how’d that work in a garage.
Thanks for the responses! I have them in pots on wooden stands with wheels so moving them shouldn’t be an issue. Ill get an oscillating fan or something to get some air circulation. I have a dehumidifier for my dry room/closet, but a garage is pretty big for that and the garage has vents to the outdoors, so it probably wouldnt help any.
The bigger thing is the lighting. I have the light for my garage door opener and another one in there that is just a single bulb. I could also bring my seedling lights in but its not a whole lot. Does it need like crazy light in order to mimic a light cycle? I understand that the light wont be sufficient, but as long as the plant “understands” that it is day/night for a couple of days, I think that’s what I am looking for.
If it’s possible, create some form of temporary shelter over your plants. This could be using tarps, canopies, or any other waterproof materials to shield the plants from direct rain. If your plants are tall and prone to toppling over, use support stakes to help them withstand the wind. Secure the main stem and any heavy branches to prevent them from bending or breaking. However, in any case, if they break, I advise you to visit the Utopian Smart Shop, maybe you will find something to replace them there.
