Can gardeners play a role in minimising the risk of introducing pests & diseases?

Last post 24-05-2009 1:36 PM by snail. 7 replies.

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12/01/2005 11:33 AM	In reply to
elfyn Location: Joined on: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 3	Reply \| Contact What can we do as individuals except to buy from reputable nurseries? We tend to buy plants in all good faith that they are free of pests and diseases! william

22/11/2005 04:59 PM
admin Location: Joined on: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 154	Reply \| Contact We like you to tell us what you think!

04/12/2005 08:16 PM	In reply to
anthemis Location: Joined on: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 317	Reply \| Contact Perhaps we should be focussing more on growing the more traditional plants and less of the fancy foreign introductions which in any event add to global warming through their high transport requirements. There are after all too many plants that have caused problems in the wild after escaping from gardens. Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed etc. I saw spanish bluebells on sale in a supermarket earlier - WHY?

04/12/2005 08:16 PM

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anthemis
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Perhaps we should be focussing more on growing the more traditional plants and less of the fancy foreign introductions which in any event add to global warming through their high transport requirements. There are after all too many plants that have caused problems in the wild after escaping from gardens. Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed etc. I saw spanish bluebells on sale in a supermarket earlier - WHY?

17/03/2006 09:15 AM	In reply to
stevew Location: Joined on: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 408	Reply \| Contact Having just returned from an holiday in the canaries I was surprised to see at many shops cacti in varying sizes in cardboard boxes obviously aimed at the holidaymaker to take home Yet at customs you see notices prohibiting plants being brought back...is it some kind of grey area like if they are not high on CITES lists or are bare rooted and don't contain soil then its ok? I must admit I didn't examine any so don't know if they were in soil or not Steve

17/03/2006 09:15 AM

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stevew
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Having just returned from an holiday in the canaries I was surprised to see at many shops cacti in varying sizes in cardboard boxes obviously aimed at the holidaymaker to take home Yet at customs you see notices prohibiting plants being brought back...is it some kind of grey area like if they are not high on CITES lists or are bare rooted and don't contain soil then its ok? I must admit I didn't examine any so don't know if they were in soil or not Steve

17/03/2006 10:57 AM	In reply to
sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,145	Reply \| Contact Hi Steve, when I went to Tunisia we were told by the holiday rep not to buy any of the palm trees that the locals try to sell to everyone on the beach, they wouldn't be allowed through customs because of the danger of bringing pests and diseases through. We were inundated with such people and of course when you are on holiday people will try to sell you anything, all they are interested in is the sale! sue1002

17/03/2006 10:57 AM

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sue1002
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Hi Steve, when I went to Tunisia we were told by the holiday rep not to buy any of the palm trees that the locals try to sell to everyone on the beach, they wouldn't be allowed through customs because of the danger of bringing pests and diseases through. We were inundated with such people and of course when you are on holiday people will try to sell you anything, all they are interested in is the sale!

sue1002

25/03/2006 07:40 PM	In reply to
Fushia Location: Joined on: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 107	Reply \| Contact Most Gardeners are tempted to make the 'impulse' buy- if they are bought from a Nursery rather than a Garedn Centre they are more likely to be pest and disease free.The Nursery usually propogate from their own stock and are a better buy, whereas the Garden Centre 'import' from other sources.If we isolated the 'new' plants for a while before introducing them to our borders then we would have an idea if they were pest and disease free. I am also very careful when receiving 'gift' plants from kind neighbours, cuttings are much better!An example of the introduction of disease from outside forces is --Buying Wallflowers-- Club Root!!- not always but possible.Or Vine Weevil from plants purchased at Garden Centres or Nursery or a kind neighbour? Or Cabbage plants - Club Root, Thing about this is it makes one wonder if it is not better to Grow your own or propogate your own from cuttings and root division. Can anyone think of other ways of introducing a pest or disease? Fushia

25/03/2006 07:40 PM

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Fushia
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Most Gardeners are tempted to make the 'impulse' buy- if they are bought from a Nursery rather than a Garedn Centre they are more likely to be pest and disease free.The Nursery usually propogate from their own stock and are a better buy, whereas the Garden Centre 'import' from other sources.If we isolated the 'new' plants for a while before introducing them to our borders then we would have an idea if they were pest and disease free. I am also very careful when receiving 'gift' plants from kind neighbours, cuttings are much better!An example of the introduction of disease from outside forces is --Buying Wallflowers-- Club Root!!- not always but possible.Or Vine Weevil from plants purchased at Garden Centres or Nursery or a kind neighbour? Or Cabbage plants - Club Root, Thing about this is it makes one wonder if it is not better to Grow your own or propogate your own from cuttings and root division. Can anyone think of other ways of introducing a pest or disease?

Fushia

24/10/2006 07:53 PM	In reply to
stevew Location: Joined on: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 408	Reply \| Contact I think this thread is a bit old now, but just to say many people when abroad have picked up a few seeds at the bottom of a tree or off a plant to bring back as a memory (me included) and I suppose these if large like palm seeds could have an insect inside or be diseased?

24/05/2009 01:36 PM	In reply to
snail Location: Ascot Joined on: 20 May 2009 Posts: 13	Reply \| Contact mes 1 Can gardeners play a role in minimising the risk of introducing pests & diseases? Well finally the plant itself might be a pest . lmported plants that are easy to propagate (high production of seeds and being able to root from branches) can become invasive. Also even soils, I have the idea soil is not sterilised and is brought from other countries, just like that. For example this carnivorous slug that was "discovered" in UK when probably it arrived in pots from warmer weather countries (0). An example of problem plant is Rododendrums that in spite of being already considered as invasive plants in UK(1) , are still being sold, and to do things worst it looks they are carriers of bleeding canker (2) I think there is not coordination among different groups (scientists, commerces and government) and that is why there is a huge gap among what it is said when referring to invasive species and what it is done practically to reduce the spreading. So the response to the questions it could be a "yes of course" but first it is necessary coordination. 0) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7498195.stm 1) http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/whri/about/staff/kdehnen-schmutz/rp_history_eh2006.pdf 2) http://pt.wkhealth.com/pt/re/plpa/abstract.00010489-200708000-00004.htm;jsessionid=KZ9Qq05L0wMLYJNzDlt1TZmRh5Hv7xnFvWVynJ6mnQJDvGktKbB1!-701738752!181195629!8091!-1

24/05/2009 01:36 PM

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snail
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mes 1 Can gardeners play a role in minimising the risk of introducing pests & diseases?

Well finally the plant itself might be a pest Surprise . lmported plants that are easy to propagate (high production of seeds and being able to root from branches) can become invasive. Also even soils, I have the idea soil is not sterilised and is brought from other countries, just like that. For example this carnivorous slug that was "discovered" in UK when probably it arrived in pots from warmer weather countries (0). An example of problem plant is Rododendrums that in spite of being already considered as invasive plants in UK(1) , are still being sold, and to do things worst it looks they are carriers of bleeding canker (2)

I think there is not coordination among different groups (scientists, commerces and government) and that is why there is a huge gap among what it is said when referring to invasive species and what it is done practically to reduce the spreading.

So the response to the questions it could be a "yes of course" but first it is necessary coordination.

0) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7498195.stm

1) http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/whri/about/staff/kdehnen-schmutz/rp_history_eh2006.pdf

2) http://pt.wkhealth.com/pt/re/plpa/abstract.00010489-200708000-00004.htm;jsessionid=KZ9Qq05L0wMLYJNzDlt1TZmRh5Hv7xnFvWVynJ6mnQJDvGktKbB1!-701738752!181195629!8091!-1

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Can gardeners play a role in minimising the risk of introducing pests & diseases?