Florida?EUR??,,????'???s Nursery Industry Cut Off From California Plants

Members of Florida?EUR??,,????'???s $10 billion nursery and landscaping industry are worried that a ban on California plants to prevent Sudden Oak Death will result in a loss in profits.

Although the ban should not limit the availability of plants, smaller nursery operations are concerned that the nursery industry could be damaged by the lack of funds the state has to fight diseases and bugs.

Especially since Sudden Oak Death, or S.O.D., is, for the most part, difficult to control at this point.

S.O.D spreads from plant to plant via air or contact, causing lesions on leaves and cankers on stems. The disease kills oaks, and it affects roughly 40 other species, including rhododendrons, maples, and camellias, to different extents. One plant could produce havoc amongst healthy plants.

According to Denise Feiber, spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, plants in California have already been quarantined. S.O.D. has been found in twelve Californian nurseries, including the largest in the state, the Monrovia Nursery.

However, Feiber says that S.O.D. has not been detected in Florida. As the state?EUR??,,????'???s nursery workers gear up for homeowners who will revamp their yards this spring, the agriculture department?EUR??,,????'???s division of plant industry is encouraging anyone who suspects they have a California plant to call 888-397-1517.

Source: www.miami.com