RE: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss?

From: "Cooper, Susan L." SLCooper at scj.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:16:59(6813) I have been growing orchids for something like 37 years, and I am more worried about the dust from dry perlite and the little slivers of bark than fungal problems. Ron McHatton +More Yes, the perlite dust has me worried. I couldn't believe how much dust my last bag of perlite had. And mixing up potting soil in the basement this spring probably wasn't the best thing either. Outdoors with good ventilation is probably safest. The man that was sick with blastomycosis used to own a sod farm and presently works at a garden center. He had grapefruit sized pus sacks (sorry to those of you with weak stomachs) and other strange things in his lungs (he is a non-smoker). He needed surgery, almost died, and will be on medication for about a year. I do think blastomycosis is rare, tho. Susan

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