Reporter's Notebook

APHIS declares gladiolus rust quarantine

APHIS has quarantined the Clewiston, Fla., farm where gladiolus rust was discovered in March. All live, green and/or infected or exposed gladiolus plants and plant parts (including corms, stems, flowers and leaves) are restricted from moving interstate from the affected farm. The operation is located at Box 69 County Road 833 in Clewiston, Fla. For a full list of quarantine requirements, see the federal order. The March discovery was the 1st detection of the rust in Florida this year. It was found in 2006 and 2007 at the same operation.

Experts offer 2009 color trends

Color forecasters have already predicted which hues will be hot in 2009, HGTV.com reported. Americans will opt for safe, neutral colors with touches of bright shades from crimson to acid yellow. Acid green and amethyst will also be popular accent colors.

Scotts provides recall instructions

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has issued instructions for consumers impacted by its recent recall of Bonus S Max Southern Weed & Feed with Fire Ant Killer and Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Plus Weed Preventer. These products must be returned in an approved shipping container, which will be provided at no cost by the company. Consumers will receive a full refund and a coupon. Get the particulars here.

Plants, organic orders see big surge

Garden centers increased orders for perennials, herbs and annuals in the past 2 years, more than any other categories, a Garden Center Magazine survey reveals. Organic fertilizers and pest and disease controls were also popular products, while traditional synthetic versions were among the weakest, based on those products with the highest number of decreased orders. Only 30% of garden centers belong to buying groups such as Home and Garden Showplace or Commerce. A complete analysis of the survey will run in the magazine's August issue. 244 garden retailers responded to the survey.

Group IDs immigration-related policies

Nat'l. Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) reviewed state laws passed this year relating to immigrants and refugees. The top 3 areas of interest: law enforcement, employment and identification documents. As of March 31, at least 1,106 bills have been considered in 44 states. 26 states have enacted 44 laws and adopted 38 resolutions or memorials. This level of activity is comparable to last year, when 1,169 bills and resolutions had been introduced (as of April 13, 2007). At this time last year, 18 states had enacted 57 laws related to immigrants and immigration. NCSL's legislative tracking and reporting "is based on a comprehensive and inclusive methodology and captures all state legislation in which immigrants -- whether authorized or unauthorized, temporary migrants, aliens and refugees -- are affected. High-activity states: AL, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, IL, MD, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, OK, RI, TN, UT, VA WA & WV.

Ag Coalition chair testifies for H-2A, H-2B

John Young, co-chairman of the Ag. Coalition for Immigration Reform, testified before the House Education and Labor Committee on May 6. The committee was exploring whether the H-2A and H-2B guest-worker programs give Americans a fair shot at jobs. Here are a few highlights of his testimony. "I have used H-2 or H-2A labor for all of the 46 years that I have been in business." "New England Apple Council members try their very best to recruit US workers. The first reason is to meet their obligations under the H-2A regulations, but also because U.S. workers are less costly than foreign workers. The costs of transportation and housing add at least $2 per hour to the employer's costs, and for short term jobs the number can be in the neighborhood of $4 per hour. In an industry with very close profit margins employers do not bring in foreign workers unless they absolutely need to."

Mixed containers command higher prices

Container gardens are premium products and should be priced accordingly by growers and retailers, said Terri Starman, Texas AgriLife Research horticulturist. "Charge for the expertise, the time it took to grow them and design them and for the looks." Starman polled consumers about price, harmony of color and info. provided with container gardens. Her study appeared in the April 2008 issue of HortScience. She learned consumers will pay more for a mixed container when it comes with extensive care info. -- something growers need to provide and charge more for the service. Consumers also said they'd return to the garden center to replenish plants in a mixed container. This "filler material" could be another way to market plant material.

IR-4 releases pest-related survey results

IR-4 surveys greenhouse and nursery growers, landscape care operators, researchers, extension personnel and others regarding their needs and issues related to insect, disease and weed management. 486 respondents participated in the 2007 survey representing 37 states with Ohio, Oregon and Texas providing 30% of the responses. Of the total respondents 353 were greenhouse operators. Top 5 diseases: powdery mildew, leaf spots and anthracnose, Phytophthora, crown and root rot and Botrytis. Top 5 insects: mites and spider mites, aphids, thrips, scale and mealybugs and whiteflies.

Early deadline approaches for Roadshow

Early Bird discount rates for the ANLA Retail Roadshow ends May 16. The Roadshow is a tour of garden centers from June 16-19. This year's tour takes place in southern Ohio.

APHIS withdraws rule change related to rust

APHIS has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have amended the nursery stock regulations to provide an option in which the post-entry quarantine growing period for articles of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina and Nipponanthemum nipponicum that are imported from certain locations would have been reduced from 6 months to 2 months. The change would have required the grower of those plants to implement a systems approach in the country of origin to prevent the imported articles from being infected with chrysanthemum white rust. APHIS officials took this action after considering the comments they received following the publication of the proposed rule. Representatives of local and state governments stated that it would be difficult to conduct the required post-entry quarantine inspection and produce the appropriate documentation within the 2-month timeframe.