I've had a discussion with another member of the past couple of days with another member of the forum regarding regulations affecting shipping of plants.

It seems that some people think that California, in particular, have strict regulations.  Some people that sell on eBay specifically say they will ship to anywhere besides California. 

I believe the understanding of regulations by many is lacking.  The most common pest being regulated from folks in the northeast selling plants is the Japanese Beetle.  From my understanding of reading the Japanese Beetle regulations at http://nationalplantboard.org/docs/jbcolumn.pdf the shipping plants with soil to "Category 1" states (see page 37) requires treatment before shipping.  There are nine states (including California) listed as Category 1.  There are also restriction in shipping to Category 2 states.

There are many other pests that various states regulate.  Summaries of regulations for all states can be found at http://www.nationalplantboard.org/laws/index.html

Happy reading! LOL

Edit: Fixed first link

Thank You, Harvey !!!!   Have a Great Week, Slow down and smell the Roses....LOL

Harvey,

I have brought plants back from Hawaii twice now.  Both times there was an ag inspector at the airport making sure I was not transporting soil in the containers. I asked this summer about it.  They told me the problem were the flights going stopping in California (regardless of final destination) and no soil is allowed to go.  Coir, lava, etc. is okay, but the soil in not. 

James, that's due to Burrowing and Reniform Nematode regulations in CA.  Arizona and Texas (and probably some other states) have similar regulations.  The states regulated are primarily Hawaii, Florida, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  Those regulations can all be found by going through the second link above.

Thanks for the information.

Best,
Tam

This summer, I picked up newly rooted mulberry growing in coir and some plumeria cuttings.  No one I was traveling with thought I was going to get through the Ag inspection and some were worried I'd get myself into some trouble.  It was no big deal.  Everyone was surprised when I showed up at the gate with my plant/cuttings.

My advice to those traveling is to not get too attached to your plants until you are home.  I was able to communicate to the Ag inspector what he needed to know to let me through.  He very easily could have not allowed me to even though I was within the limits of the regulations he was trying to enforce.  Remind me one day to tell you guys about my experiences with my tripod in the Philly airport and with film at the Newark airport.  LOL.. ugh.

When shipping plants with soil there are also many states that require certificates declaring the material to be free of snails (usually specifying "brown garden snails").  Florida has some giant snails already but still require such certification.

Due to some recent personal experience, I am bumping this thread to gain further attention. :)

BTW, Bass treats his potted plants with an approved pesticide and boxes include required certificates.

What is " an approved pesticide"?

The USDA regulations don't appear to list specific treatments but California does offer some names, etc.  See http://phpps.cdfa.ca.gov/PE/InteriorExclusion/pdf/JBApprovedTreatments.pdf

Harvey,
Thx for this info ----

AND thx for the wonderful chestnuts. I'll be roasting them over the weekend. Nice knife 4 the money as well.

Thanks, Michael, hope you enjoy them.  I know someone who sells the same knife for a lot more and someone who sells a crappy knife for the same price.  My goal isn't to make much money on them but to furnish them as a service to my chestnut customers.  Harvest is finally slowing down slightly so I went out to check some figs and was rewarded with a Panache and Monstreuse and Vista and a CdD Noir is almost ready. :)

Approved means that the label specifies that it is OK to use on figs.

In insecticides and pesticides, the label is everything.

If the label doesn't list figs, then it is not approved for figs. Even if it is approved, it may have limitations on when/where it can be used, and may have restrictions such as not eating the fruit from the tree for 6  months, or a year.

When I had a shipment to AZ "sprayed" before shipment, the hardest part of the project was finding a product that specifically listed it as being OK for figs. And then it had to be applied by a licensed applicator. That required me to have a pesticide registration/permit, even if I was not buying, applying, storing or in anyway involved with the actual pesticide. Becoming an approved applicator, etc. was another level of bureaucracy and paperwork.

Jon, this regulation is specifically about the Japanese Beetle quarantine and in this context "approved" means a product approved for use to control Japanese Beetles (in any plants, not just figs) and also approved by the regulatory agencies (APHIS, CDFA, etc.) enforcing the quarantine regulation.

Now, on the other issues you've brought up: I've had a private applicator's license for 19 years.  The exams have gotten a little tougher in the past couple of years but it's not too bad.  Anyways, a pesticide label does not need to specifically list figs to be legal (approved) for figs.  Some pesticides are approved for use on rather broad categories such as "fruit trees", "nuts", etc. while some get very specific as to what fruits they are approved to be used on and then the harvest restrictions can be different for different fruits, etc.  Fortunately, alfalfa is the only crop I currently grown that I need to spray for insects but I do spray alfalfa, pomegranates, chestnuts, and now, figs, for weed control.  I removed my Bartlett pear orchard in 1998 largely because of the amount of spraying needed for insects and diseases and the toxicity of many of the pesticides used (i.e., Guthion).  I have read at least a few dozen labels over the past 19 years.  If I'm in doubt, I usually speak to my licensed pest control advisor but sometimes to my staff at my Ag Commissioner's office.

great information, thanks for sharing Harvey !!

Harvey, maybe it was the local ag people, but a specific mention of figs was required, not just "fruiting plants".

Jon, some employees may very well make things up if they don't know better.  Chestnuts, as you know, is a grow that I grow a fair amount of and it's a small niche crop so it's not specifically listed on labels for many pesticides (though I don't need many anyways).  However, some pesticide labels do list "nuts" and this allows the pesticide to be used for chestnuts.  If someone from the Ag Commissioner's office for some reason would claim otherwise, I would counter and ask specifically what "nut" was allowed.  When broad crop categories are listed, everything within that category is an approved crop unless otherwise excluded on the label.  Pitaya (dragonfruit) is one niche crop that is a difficult one as there don't appear to be any fungicide labels that describe a broad category that allows it's use (usually the most broad terms are like "fruit trees", "stonefruit", etc.).

Anyway, this is distracting from the point of this topic.  The approved treatments referred to in the regulations are dealing with pesticides approved for controlling Japanese Beetle.

People can also ship out of infested areas if they grow plants in an enclosure which excludes Japanese Beetle and receive a certificate from their ag officials certifying to this fact.