In article , Hope Munro
Smith wrote:

"Philip" wrote in
news:kAgUa.145298$ye4.99443@sccrnsc01:


"Hope Munro Smith" wrote in message Yes, I have
looked at this, and it is very ambiguous. Basically, it says
you can try to bring whatever you like, but we may dump it on the
side of the road if we don't like the looks of it.

I think the main thing they're looking for is unwanted bugs, such as
fire ants (dear God make sure you're not bringing any, please) and
fruit flies. Fruit plants are usually the most looked at, and from
what you're talking about bringing I don't think you'll have a
problem.

Don't worry, no fire ants! Those things are evil!


Now then, where in our fine state is your final destination?


Fresno

Don't toss your good plants. Bring them and offer them for inspection
at the border station. At least root cuttings from all of your favorites
and bring them!

I grew up in Calif. My mom is a horticulturist. We travelled extensively
all over the west. My mom used to *fill* the car with plants, then try
to stuff my little brother and me in there somewhere. She inspected every-
thing before she bought it, and never had anything taken away upon
inspection.

In Fresno, you can grow *everything.* Fruit trees, nut trees, tomatoes
right outdoors, herbs like crazy. That isn't my favorite town in the state,
but boy, howdy, is it a great area for gardening! You can run up into the
Sierra when it gets too hot : )

Jan, in Alaska

In article ,
(Jan Flora) wrote:

In article , Hope Munro
Smith wrote:

"Philip" wrote in
news:kAgUa.145298$ye4.99443@sccrnsc01:


"Hope Munro Smith" wrote in message Yes, I have
looked at this, and it is very ambiguous. Basically, it says
you can try to bring whatever you like, but we may dump it on the
side of the road if we don't like the looks of it.

I think the main thing they're looking for is unwanted bugs, such as
fire ants (dear God make sure you're not bringing any, please) and
fruit flies. Fruit plants are usually the most looked at, and from
what you're talking about bringing I don't think you'll have a
problem.

Don't worry, no fire ants! Those things are evil!


Now then, where in our fine state is your final destination?


Fresno

Don't toss your good plants. Bring them and offer them for inspection
at the border station. At least root cuttings from all of your favorites
and bring them!

Yes, that's what we plan to do!


I grew up in Calif. My mom is a horticulturist. We travelled extensively
all over the west. My mom used to *fill* the car with plants, then try
to stuff my little brother and me in there somewhere. She inspected every-
thing before she bought it, and never had anything taken away upon
inspection.

Yes, I'm going to repot everything in fresh soil,
except for the lucky bamboo, which is in water of course.


In Fresno, you can grow *everything.* Fruit trees, nut trees, tomatoes
right outdoors, herbs like crazy. That isn't my favorite town in the state,
but boy, howdy, is it a great area for gardening! You can run up into the
Sierra when it gets too hot : )


Yay!

In article ,
Jan Flora wrote:

In Fresno, you can grow *everything.* Fruit trees, nut trees, tomatoes
right outdoors, herbs like crazy. That isn't my favorite town in the state,
but boy, howdy, is it a great area for gardening!

I forget whether Hope said anything about being familiar with Fresno
or whether it's a new place for her, so apologies if this is redundant
information, but the Forestiere Underground Gardens are definitely
worth a visit. (For those who don't know, there are lots of openings
in the roof of the house that let light in for the plants.)


Patty

In article ,
Hope Munro Smith wrote:

(Patty Winter) wrote in
:

In article ,
Hope Munro Smith wrote:

My husband and I are relocating to California from Texas, and we are
getting contradictory information about whether or which plants we can
take with us.

Hope, the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture has a web site
about their Pest Exclusion Branch. I see links from their home page
to specific pages about bringing house plants into California and
about the fire ant problem.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/


Patty

Ok, it seems like you can bring the ones that have not been outside or at
least not where fire ants or other critters might have set up housekeeping:

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/faq_hse_plnts.htm

Just dropping a note to the group to let you know we reached Fresno
safely. We had absolutely NO problems at the border getting our plants
through. The agent at the inspection station asked if we had any plants,
we said "yes a few houseplants" then she asked us where we were from,
noted it on her clipboard, and waved us through. We think the agent just
didn't want to get out of her booth, since the outdoor temperature was
about 103 when we crossed the Cali-Arizona border! Everything lived, a
few sunburned leaves but that's it.

until soon, Hope

Hope Munro Smith wrote in message ...
In article ,
Hope Munro Smith wrote:
Ok, it seems like you can bring the ones that have not been outside or at
least not where fire ants or other critters might have set up housekeeping:

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/faq_hse_plnts.htm

Just dropping a note to the group to let you know we reached Fresno
safely. We had absolutely NO problems at the border getting our plants
through. The agent at the inspection station asked if we had any plants,
we said "yes a few houseplants" then she asked us where we were from,
noted it on her clipboard, and waved us through. We think the agent just
didn't want to get out of her booth, since the outdoor temperature was
about 103 when we crossed the Cali-Arizona border! Everything lived, a
few sunburned leaves but that's it.

I guess she thought -- any bugs on the plants cannot survive such a
long journey on interstate 10 .... 8)

Probably in Texas right now there is no pending bug problems (like
California Med flies, or Washington apple maggots) and the agent
doesn't mind that much.

until soon, Hope

Glad to hear you made it safely, glad to hear the plants did too. Let us
know how things go!

Philip
"Hope Munro Smith" wrote in message
news
Just dropping a note to the group to let you know we reached Fresno
safely. We had absolutely NO problems at the border getting our plants
through. The agent at the inspection station asked if we had any plants,
we said "yes a few houseplants" then she asked us where we were from,
noted it on her clipboard, and waved us through. We think the agent just
didn't want to get out of her booth, since the outdoor temperature was
about 103 when we crossed the Cali-Arizona border! Everything lived, a
few sunburned leaves but that's it.

In article ,
(Siberian Husky) wrote:

Hope Munro Smith wrote in message
...
In article ,
Hope Munro Smith wrote:
Ok, it seems like you can bring the ones that have not been outside or at
least not where fire ants or other critters might have set up
housekeeping:

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pe/faq_hse_plnts.htm

Just dropping a note to the group to let you know we reached Fresno
safely. We had absolutely NO problems at the border getting our plants
through. The agent at the inspection station asked if we had any plants,
we said "yes a few houseplants" then she asked us where we were from,
noted it on her clipboard, and waved us through. We think the agent just
didn't want to get out of her booth, since the outdoor temperature was
about 103 when we crossed the Cali-Arizona border! Everything lived, a
few sunburned leaves but that's it.

I guess she thought -- any bugs on the plants cannot survive such a
long journey on interstate 10 .... 8)

LOL! I did follow the advice of several people here and made a tent
over the plants inside the car.


Probably in Texas right now there is no pending bug problems (like
California Med flies, or Washington apple maggots) and the agent
doesn't mind that much.

That makes sense!