Holy Holly!

While I was talking to my mother last weekend, she asked me a question about Hollies. She wanted to know if they should be flowering right now, I gave her one of my solid answers of No,..... well Maybe. How is THAT for decisiveness?
I needed to look it up.
From all the research I have seen, flowering in the Fall is unusual. Hers are. Well, like we always say, apparently the plant did not read the research!
Hollies are a very diverse species of plants. There are over 400 species of the genus Ilex. While some Hollies are native to the United States, many were introduced from South America and Asia.
There are of course the hollies that you see all the time and can tell it is a holly. For instance you have the Ilex aquifolium, also known as the English Holly.

Makes you think of Christmas doesn't it? There IS a reason the song goes, "Deck the halls with boughs of Holly"!
Then there are the plants that if you didn't know them, you would not think of it as holly. For instance you have the Ilex vomitoria. This one is named because it was used by Southeastern Native Americans as a ceremonial stimulant known as "The Black Drink". As the name suggests, the tea's purgative properties were one of its main uses, most often ritually.

Also known as the Dwarf Yaupon Holly. There is a taller version of the Yaupon and a Weeping version of the taller one.
Okay, how about this one? It is commonly known as the Inkberry Holly, (Ilex glabra)

Doesn't really look like a Holly, now does it?

So as you can see there are MANY different characteristics of the Holly. They can be deciduous or evergreen, small (18") or large (over 50'), and may be rounded, pyramidal or columnar in form. There are many, many similarities however.
Hollies are dioecious plants which means male and female flowers are located on separate plants. Female plants produce berries while male plants do not.
Many selections or cultivars are female plants which produce attractive fruit. Most dwarf cultivars do not produce berries since they are commonly propagated vegetatively from male plants. A male plant must be in the vicinity to pollinate the female plant. Pollen is transported primarily by bees from distances of 1 1/2 to 2 miles. So there is a VERY good chance that there will be a male nearby to your female plant. Of course, like everything else in Nature, there are exceptions, and there are hollies that are self pollinating.
While most people find the berries very pretty, they are somewhat toxic to humans, though their poisonous properties are overstated and fatalities almost unknown. They are an extremely important food source for birds and other wild animals. The colors of the berries can range from the common red, to a yellow orange to black, depending on the cultivar.
Most hollies require well drained soil that is rich in organic matter and slightly acid. They can grow in sun or shade, but will produce more berries in a sunnier spot.
They prefer a moist soil, but certainly not wet. They should never be allowed to stand in water for extended periods of time as they will develop root rot. Irrigation will be needed if a dry spell occurs.
Fertilize established hollies in March with any good fertilizer that is listed for acid loving plants or hollies themselves.
Holly can be grown from seed, but is seldom done due to the length of time required and the variabilty of the seedlings. Cuttings are more commonly used. Done in the Spring time, cuttings should be 3 to 5 inches long and treated with a rooting hormone. A humid environment to minimize water loss is required for optimum rooting.
Hollies require minimal pruning except to train the plants for special purposes, (i.e. topiaries, animal shapes, etc.) or to remove diseased or dead branches. Since they produce berries in the Fall that remain throughout the Winter they should be pruned in late Winter, before new growth begins to emerge. Any heavy pruning after flowering in the Spring will most likely remove berries.
For the most part, if you take good care of your hollies, they are relatively pest free. The most common insect pests found include scale, leaf miners, mites and spittlebugs. Many different scale insects injure hollies by sucking plant juices from leaves and stems. A substance called honeydew is secreted by some scales and a sooty mold fungus grows on the honeydew. Besides the unattractive appearance of sooty mold, hollies infested with scale become weak and unproductive.
Diseases known to attack hollies include twig dieback, stem gall, and root rot. Again, if you take good care of your bushes, they should not have much problem.
Here are some interesting Holly facts I found:
The ancient Romans believed that holly warded off lightning strikes and witchcraft and sent boughs of holly to friends during the festival of Saturnalia, which is celebrated at the Winter solstice.
The use of Holly as a symbolic winter decoration, with its shiny, prickly leaves and blood-red berries, goes back in history to the Celtic peoples of Northern Europe, who decorated their homes with it during the time of the Winter solstice, or Yule.
The early Christian Church retained many of the Celtic and Roman traditions to help celebrate the birth of Christ. The early Celtic Christians associated the prickly holly leaves with the crown of thorns from the crucifixion and the red berries with the blood of Christ.
As many of you know, I love Christmas and I love using Green Holly bushes as decoration, but my absolute favorite Holly is the Variegated English Holly.

I will leave you with one more little Holly fact, well, it may not be fact, but I believe in it. Last year, I noticed that all the Holly bushes here where VERY heavy with berries and I predicted a cold Winter, which we got. I believe that Mother Nature produced a heavy crop of berries to feed all the critters over that cold Winter. I am noticing a light set of fruit this year and it has been predicted to be a warmer, drier Winter than usual.....coincidence? We will see!
Happy Growing!
Darren

Oh Yea, They're Hot!

Well, Summer has gone. Fall is fast approaching. Winter will soon rear it's ugly head. I do have a little something that will make some of you smile, I know my mother will.....Only 64 more days until the days start getting longer again!
Like most of you, I use the Winter to start planning my next years garden. The catalogs come in and I start drooling over everything. I want at least one of each and sometimes two.
One thing that I love to grow is Hot Peppers, and boy, I had a great crop this year. So, to give you some ideas of what to start dreaming about, I thought I would give you some pictures of and information about, Hot Peppers.
Chili peppers or hot peppers have been a part of the human diet since at least 7500 BC. There is archaeological evidence at sites located in southwestern Ecuador that chili peppers were domesticated more than 6000 years ago,and is one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas that is self-pollinating.
Christopher Columbus called them "Peppers", because they had a bite similar to white and black pepper, incidentally there is no botanical relationship between the two. Hot Peppers are in the genus Capsicum spp. and the black and white pepper are Piper nigrum.
There are only a few common species of peppers, those being:
Capsicum annuum, which includes many common varieties such as bell peppers, wax, cayenne, jalapeños, and the chiltepin
Capsicum frutescens, which includes the chiles de árbol, malagueta, tabasco and Thai peppers
Capsicum chinense, which includes the hottest peppers such as the naga, habanero, Datil and Scotch bonnet
Capsicum pubescens, which includes the South American rocoto peppers
Capsicum baccatum, which includes the South American aji peppers.
Even though there are only a few species, there are many cultivars and hybrids. However, peppers are commonly broken down into only three groupings: bell peppers, sweet peppers, and hot peppers. I like the hot peppers and I usually end up with the C. chinese, C. annum and C. frutescens. The hotter the better.
I did a blog sometime ago on Scoville units, so I won't go into great detail here on them. Just a quick overview, Bell peppers rate a zero. Jalapenos rate between 2,500-8000. Tabasco peppers rate 30,000-50,000. Bhut Jolokia (Ghost peppers) rate 800,000-1,000,000. Yes, you read that right, One Million. That's a hotta peppa!!
I use some of those as dehydrated flakes on my scrambled eggs. These ranges will vary according to growing conditions, heat, soil, water and a host of other things, so take them with a grain of salt.
Want to see some pictures so you know what to look for in the catalogs?

CHILE HABANERO

JALAPENO

ATOMIC STARFISH

DOLMALIK (From Turkey)

BHUT JOLOKIA

Peppers take roughly 70 – 90 days to mature and during this time they like to be kept as warm as possible. 80 degrees is where they like it, they can and will handle lower temperatures, they just won't do as well. I think I had such a great season because of how freekin hot it was this year!
They want full sun and in their early part of life, a good amount of water. A well drained soil helps to avoid root rot.
Peppers are ready to be picked as soon as they are big enough or you can leave them to change color and flavor gradually. I like to see what color they are going to change to. The Atomic Starfish turn a really pretty shade of Orange. Many will turn Red, Yellow, Orange, Black and all shades in between. Habanero Peppers can even come in Brown or White.
One thing that you should remember when handling these little packets of fire, the oils will get on your hand no matter how careful you are. I know a person that was working with peppers last weekend. She was telling me that if she happened to be biting her cuticles even 6 days later, it burned her lips and tongue. I found a little secret that worked for me if my hands are burning. My wife uses these wipes to remove makeup at night, I rub them all over my hands and it seems to help. Give it a try sometime.
Harvesting your peppers will cause you to have many more. The plant will continue to try and reproduce until frost kills it. Not a bad problem to have I think.
So when the Winter blahs really start to get to you and the catalogs are starting to pile up, look up some hot peppers. If you have saved any or canned any from the Summer, they will warm you up on a cold Winter's night. Just writing about them makes me want some of my Jalapeno poppers, time to eat!
Happy Growing!
Darren

Not Exactly a Domestic Brand

Well, it is nice to be able to write a blog again. The past two weeks have been incredibly hectic. I guess everybody decided to read my last blog on Fall being the best time to plant. We got extremely busy at work, which is a good thing. Then each of the past two weekends, the Master Gardeners have had something going on. Which brings me to today's post.....but first....forgive me for this one folks....I believe today must be a good day to fertilize your plants....it is everybody's most popular fertilizer...10-10-10. Okay, sorry.....I had to get that one out.
I mentioned the Master Gardeners have had a busy couple of weekends. Last week we were out at beautiful Magnolia Gardens for their Autumn on the Ashley event. The MG's were selling plants from the nursery I work at. I had picked them out and passed the word around to all pertinent people. I got a reply back rather quickly that I should investigate and check on one of the plants I was planning on bringing. It is considered an invasive species and we DO NOT want to be known for spreading a bad plant around.
Well, they were half right. The plant that is invasive is Nandina domestica. I was bringing Nandina domestica 'Firepower'. A dwarf version. I will go through some of the differences here.
Also known as heavenly bamboo, and despite the common name, it is not a bamboo at all. Nandina is an evergreen or semi-evergreen woody shrub often used in landscaping. It is a native of China and Japan.
Reaching heights of 6-8 feet tall, it is a very elegant and lacy plant. The dwarf plant only reaches 2-5 feet tall.
Preferring reasonably rich soil, it does not thrive in sand. Nandina can be grown in USDA hardiness zones 4-10. It can take heat and cold, from 110 degrees to 10 degrees. It grows well in full sun to partial shade and requires moderate to low water. It knows practically no pests unless it is extremely stressed. Leaf spot diseases can cause the lower leaves to drop from the plant in the humid regions of the nation. The disease appears to be most severe on plants grown in partial shade where the foliage can remain wet. It is one of the toughest and most adaptable plants in a variety of conditions.
'Firepower' Nandina is a noninvasive selection of the invasive ornamental, Nandina domestica, as determined by the University of Florida/IFAS Infraspecific Taxon Protocol, which is a a tool to evaluate invasiveness of cultivars and varieties. The regular Nandina is listed as a Class I invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council which means that it is "actively disrupting plant communities" It produces seeds which are spread by birds ingesting them. It also spreads slowly by underground rhizomes. 'Firepower' is propagated asexually via division, cuttings or tissue culture. While not considered rhizomatous, the "crown" of 'Firepower' Nandina can increase in diameter with time. Regular Nandina domestica has naturalized and invaded habitats all over the Southeast.
I think the Firepower is much prettier anyway, especially in the Fall. The leaves turn a fire red, hence its name.

Regular Nandina is a little more plain:

Plus, you see it has the berries.
We went ahead and sold the dwarf 'Firepower', it actually sold very well, once we explained to people it would not be taking over their yards. With all this being said, many cultivars have been developed for size, berry color, and Fall and Winter leaf color, and are available at nurseries.
I am still in the thinking that invasiveness is a state of mind, to some degree. I can make the argument for just about any plant. Crape Myrtles here in the South are practically a staple in any yard, I call them crap myrtles. I see seedlings popping up all over the place in my yard, yet they are revered as the most beautiful thing this side of the Mason Dixon line. My Nandina is just sitting in the corner, minding its own business, and it has the same moniker as a serial killer.....where is the justice?!
Happy Growing!
Darren

Tis the Season to be planting!

One thing that I have been trying to get some traction with when I talk to clients about gardening is "Fall is the best time to plant. The looks I often get are amazing. You would think I just told them that a Cactus will live in Antarctica. It is true however, Fall is a GREAT time to be gardening!
Mother Nature herself tells us Fall is the time to plant. Many plants flourish all Summer long, then go to seed. The seeds are dispersed at the end of the growing season or in the Fall and get "planted". There are many seeds that need a Winter stratification to produce a new plant next Spring. Stratification is a means of Pre-treating seeds (cold stratification) as a simple measure you can take which will break a seed's dormancy. In simple terms, it needs cold to take a nap and grow next year.
In the Fall, you (theoretically) have more time to get the work done. First of all, there is a longer period of time and far more "good weather days" for planting in the Fall than during the tricky weather of Spring. Late frosts and crazy storms come to mind. Then there is the aspect of trying to clean up after Winter's mess. I don't know about you, but I seem to have much more work to do in the Spring than I do after the Summer battle. Less to clean up, the more time to plant.
The soil is warmer in the Fall than in Spring, and there's still time for roots to get established before the cold weather sets in. Fall officially begins with the Autumn Equinox in late September, but Fall weather varies considerably from one part of the country to the next. Basically, the ideal period for Fall planting is roughly six weeks before the first hard frost. And in northern areas of the country, the ideal planting period might even be late summer. In general, the window of opportunity for most folks is during September and October. Roots can grow in soil as cold as 40 degrees, and soil remains warm long after the air temperature drops. This is even more prevalent in the Northern areas, where the ground actually freezes. Plus, there is less heat stress on the leaves and stems and such, the roots can have all the attention. Just as a side note here, when you do plant a tree or shrub in the Fall, Do not fertilize it. This could spur new foliage growth that will be damaged in the cold of Winter, weakening the plant. Wait until Spring to feed it. There is some argument as to whether you should give it some slow release before it takes a long Winters nap, that way it wakes up with food already to go. I for one figure it is just better to not take a chance.
There are plants that can and should be divided in the Fall. Hostas, Iris, Cone Flowers, and for the folks up North, Tulips, Crocus and such come to mind. Spring flowering bulbs are of course the one thing everybody does think about planting in the Fall. So if you plant them in the Fall, why not divide them then? They need the cold to flower for you next year too. Other bulbs to plant now, Garlic and Onions. Perennials also need dividing to stay fresh and productive, it should be done every three years or so, why wait for Spring?
Here in the South, Lettuce, Collards, Mustard Greens and Cabbage are going into the ground now. You have to have those greens ready for "Hoppin' Johns" on New Years Day.
If all of these reasons are not good enough, how about this one. Go to any big box store or garden center.....they are probably having a great sale on trees, shrubs and perennials.....which reminds me, I need to go shopping!
Happy Growing!
Darren

Beware the Invasion

There is an invasion that, if you haven't seen it yet, is coming from our southern border. It looks friendly, can be a hard worker, but it is questionable as to whether it should be in our country. I don't know what you were thinking, but I am talking about Ruellia brittoniana (a.k.a. Mexican Petunia).
Mexican Petunia is native to Mexico, but it has escaped cultivation and has established itself in a great deal of the Southeastern U.S.
This is what mine looks like at the end of my sidewalk:

When I mentioned it has escaped cultivation, that is probably an understatement! According to the Florida Exotic Pest Council, Mexican Petunia is a Category 1 Invasive Plant. This means that it is "altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives". Where hardy, the Mexican petunia excels at invading wetlands, yards, fields, forests and anywhere else it can find soil.
Mexican petunia is a stalk forming perennial that stands up to 3 feet in height. Leaves are dark green, but the foliage will appear metallic blue/purple under full sun. They are 6-12 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide. The blossoms are trumpet shaped and about 1.5-2 inches in diameter and are borne at the tips of the stems.

There is something neat about this plant, if you like this sort of thing. Every morning there is a beautiful plant full of flowers. Every afternoon, the ground looks like a ticker tape parade went through. The flowers fall off, only to be replaced by brand new ones the next morning.

It likes fertile soil that is moist. Mexican Petunia is a water plant that becomes very aggressive with access to abundant moisture. It will survive dry spells once established however. I mentioned that it likes full sun, but will do well in partial shade. The quantity of blossoms is related to the amount of light the plant receives. The more direct sunlight the more flowers. You will actually get fewer flowers appearing on overcast days or when grown in shadier conditions. There are numerous varieties with a plethora of colors to choose from Purple, White, Pink, and many shades of Blue.
Here is a picture of a Pink one I found:

The reason this thing is considered an invasive plant is because of how easy it is to propagate. The running joke is, if you break off a piece, lay it on the sidewalk, it will root! If you have a friend growing it, ask to break off a piece or two, you only need a piece about 2 inches long to root. Other characteristics that make Mexican Petunia a successful invasive plant is its rapid growth rate, Mexican Petunia will resprout from crowns or rootstocks when cut back or killed back by frost. Mine die back every year and you see how big it is.
It is typically not bothered by any pest or disease.
Use Mexican Petunia towards the back of a flowering border, or as the centerpiece in a container. Butterflies and Bees love the flowers. It blooms enthusiastically throughout the hottest time of the year. It is usually inexpensive and sold in many big box stores.
There is a dwarf variety available, it is suppose to only get about a foot tall. All of the attributes of the full size one, only in miniature. I have not seen it myself, but it is out there.
Dwarf:

I have had no real problem with my Ruellia, but I also keep mine in containers. I see shoots coming out from around the pot occasionally, but my lawnmower or weedwhacker seems to make quick work of them.
I have had many conversations with people about invasive plants. Yes, I can see where, if this thing really was allowed to grow, it could take over the world. Marigolds can do the same thing! I have never seen my Mexican Petunia produce seeds, the shoots are removed easily, and it doesn't borrow the car keys to go over to the next county. If you keep it in control, there should be no problem in growing this very pretty, fast growing plant.
Happy Growing!
Darren

I can live with it or without it

Working at, and delivering for, a wholesale nursery, I see A LOT of plants on any given day. There are many plants that really don't bother me or I have no problems with. Things like Camellias, Ligustrum, Viburnum and such. Then there are the things that if I never see or deliver again, it would not hurt my feelings what so ever. This list includes, Barberry, Yuccas, Needlepoint Hollies and Crape Myrtles. I just don't like Crapes, the others are dangerous! They can and will inflict harm.
The plant I wanted to write about today, I literally can live with or without. It posses no harm, actually it is really easy to deliver. It doesn't do anything exciting. It is just kind of there. It is Liriope muscari, or just Liriope.
I have learned, there are two accepted ways to pronounce this. The first, and the one I prefer is, La-rye-ah-pee. The other perfectly acceptable way is, Leer-e-ohp. I heard the second way on a garden show here in South Carolina and thought the host was an idiot. I asked my boss about it and he told me both are used. I still think the host of that show is an idiot, for other reasons, but that is another story.
Liriope is a native of the shady forest floors of Eastern Asia including regions in China, Taiwan and Japan. In it's native region it is considered an understory plant, occurring in the shady forests at elevations of 330 to 4600 feet. It might be considered an understory plant, but it is extremely tough. Liriope is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Ideal conditions are moist, fertile soils with partial shade. However, it tolerates a wide range of light and soil conditions, such as heat, humidity, and drought. The perfect plant for the Southeast. If it does happen to turn a little yellow, a quick shot of a Nitrogen rich fertilizer will perk it right back up.
It goes by other names which include 'lilyturf' or 'border grass'. Each of these names makes sense because it is a member of the Lily family and it is used quite extensively as a border for sidewalks and such.
Many people mistakenly call Liriope "Monkey Grass", this name is actually used more for Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus). Both Mondo grass and Liriope are hardy, deer resistant plants that withstand dry conditions and can grow in both sun and shade, but that is pretty much where the similarities end. The leaves of Monkey grass are narrower, its flowers are smaller and hidden by the leaves. Liriope typically handles full sun better than Mondo grass and is more cold tolerant. Liriope plants are fuller and taller than Mondo plants, reaching an average height of 16-20 inches. Mondo grass typically reaches a height of 6 to 10 inches. The flower colors are also different. While Mondo flowers are typically white or light purple in color, Liriope produce spikes of violet or blue flowers that appear each Summer.

                                           LIRIOPE 'BIG BLUE'

                                           MONDO GRASS


Liriope is very easy to propagate. Divide clumps into whatever size you like from a few leaves to large chunks, as long as there is some roots attached. Liriope transplants easily at any time of year. The blue-black berries are not easily germinated, so divisions are easier and quicker. You may not even need to go out and buy any, check with one of your neighbors, they may have some that they can divide and give you.
Landscape uses for Liriope include borders (along sidewalks, trails, driveways, shrubbery, and trees) and mass plantings as a groundcover. Lilyturf can be established on steep slopes where erosion control is needed. The maintenance that is required is minimal. You should cut off the foliage in late Winter, though it is not a necessity, before Spring growth starts. Be sure not to injure the crown of the plant when you cut it. It will come back, full, green and lush when the new growth begins.
The only real problem Liriope has is brown spots that appear along leaf margins and leaf tips which are caused by a fungal disease known as Anthracnose. If you cut the foliage off like I mentioned above, you should not get this problem. Just make sure you remove the debris when you are finished. Root Rot has been reported, but that is in very clay like soil with no drainage, Liriope does not like wet feet.
So as you can see, it is not an overly exciting plant. There is no real wildlife uses and other than some landscaping structures, it is just kind of there, hanging out. I think some of the cultivar names were used to try and create some excitement for this lonely plant.....things like Evergreen Giant and Big Blue sound great, but sadly, they just don't deliver.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Not Again!.... SOS for Citrus

I had initially planned on writing about something else today, UNTIL......this came across my E-Mail: New Citrus Disease Confirmed In Texas And Louisiana. I won't reuse the exact words I said when I saw this, but "Oh Crap" will suffice. I could not imagine what they had discovered now. The word "New" is what scared me. I knew Citrus Greening was already present here in the states, but what could be new?
This is where the title is a little hint. They discovered Sweet Orange Scab (SOS).
This is the first detection in the U.S. of the fungal pathogen, Elsinoe australis. The infected citrus trees were found on residential properties in Harris and Orange counties in Texas, and in Orleans parish, LA.
Luckily, it has not been found in Florida yet. They have enough problems with: Alternaria brown spot, Blight, Citrus Canker, Greening, Greasy Spot, Melanose, Phytophthora-induced diseases (foot and root rot, brown rot), Postbloom fruit drop, tristeza and common Scab. Yes, you read that correctly, common Scab. Common Citrus scab is serious on many tangerines and tangerine hybrids such as Temple, as well as grapefruit and lemons, but rarely causes lesions on sweet orange. In contrast, Sweet Orange Scab can cause significant damage on all sweet oranges as well as tangerines and their hybrids.
The damage produced is superficial and does not affect internal fruit quality or taste. Infected fruit are more likely to drop prematurely. It poses no harm to human health.
Sweet Orange Scab is common in humid citrus growing areas of South America such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It had not been seen here in the U.S. until this past July. Surveys completed in Texas, within a 1 square mile of the initial detection has resulted in 6 additional detections on citrus trees located on 4 separate residential properties; all in close proximity to the initial Harris County detection. The detection in Orange County, Texas, which was on some Satsuma trees is located about 100 miles east of the initial find. In August, the find of the Sweet Orange Scab was discovered in the Louisiana site on a Lime tree. Incidentally, this disease was discovered while on a routine check for Citrus Greening disease.
The causal agent of Sweet Orange Scab is the fungus Elsinoe australis, which is quite similar to Elsinoe fawcetti, the cause of common citrus scab, but clearly a distinct species. In contrast to Common Citrus Scab, The sweet scab does not form lesions on leaves or twigs. The symptoms are corky, wart-like pustules on the fruit that are tan to gray in color. These lesions are flatter than those produced by the common citrus scab.

SCAB ON RIPE FRUIT..Photo courtesy of IFAS Extension
The Sweet Scab pathogen requires moisture for production of spores and for infection to occur. The fungus attacks only young fruit. Fruit are susceptible for 6 to 8 weeks after the flower petals fall off. Fungus spores are primarily distributed by rain or irrigation being splashed between trees, and can also be spread short distances by air. The common Citrus scab pathogen survives in unfavorable conditions in old leaves and stem lesions. Long distance spread is due to the movement of infected fruit by humans. How this outbreak occurred and spread is still being investigated.
As with Common Citrus Scab, Sweet Orange Scab can be controlled by properly timed fungicide applications. Sweet Orange Scab must be controlled and confined to where it already is, even though it primarily only affects fruit for the fresh market. Why you ask? Given that the climatic conditions in Florida are suitable for establishment of the pathogen, it would increase production costs of fresh market citrus if it were introduced into that state. That Orange you take to work for lunch could suddenly skyrocket in price.
This leads me back to a theme that I have launched into numerous times on my blog. PLEASE, do not bring any exotic fruit, twig, leaf, stem or plant from another country into the United States. Just one infected plant could cause millions and millions of dollars in damage and losses. THIS disease does not look like it will be as major as Greening disease is, but it sure is going to cause a lot of headaches for the already stressed Citrus producer.
Please, I know this is probably getting old to some of you, stop the illegal importation of plant material. If you are traveling abroad, take lots of pictures, leave the cuttings and plants there. There is a lot of money at stake, and entire industries that could be in jeopardy...the plants you save, might even be ours!
Happy Growing!
Darren