Entering California with orchids in my car

[Bahar]

About 6 months ago, i moved from San Diego to Kentucky with my orchids. In a few days, i'm moving back to California- driving with about 11 orchids and possibly 2 very small hoyas.

I am worried about the agricultural checkpoint. Has anyone made this trip with orchids before? Is there anything i can do to minimize the risk of having my plants seized? 5 of them are mounted and 6 are potted in bark, they all appear healthy, and none of them have ever lived outside. I know shipping them would be ideal, and thought about shipping the mounted ones and some smaller ones, but i have no idea how to safely package them, and i really can't afford the shipping costs anyway.

Has anyone successfully gotten their orchids through the checkpoint? Any experience, info, tips will be greatly appreciated.

[WhiteRabbit]

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/Inte...plant_FAQ.html

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/tran...ls_plants.html
There's a phone # and email address on this page.


More links here
http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&cl...a+with+plants+

Hopefully someone who has done this can chime in

[Leafmite]

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Bud]

it originally came from California so I don't see any problems....and it is grown in a controlled environment not like it came from the wilds....I have transported orchid plants I bought out of California....but I also noticed if you travel by day the checkpoint is closed most of the time on I-10....

[Ray]

The fact that they originated in CA is irrelevant, as there is probably no way to prove that - not to mention that where they originated has no bearing on what they might have picked up while elsewhere.

What it truly comes down to is how honest you are, if they ask if you are bringing any regulated items into the state.


Ray Barkalow
Sent using Tapatalk

[Orchid Whisperer]

Follow White Rabbit's hint and the provided links and phone numbers. Find out before your trip how to do this legally. All it may take is a phone call.

If you try to take them in your car and you are not prepared to bring the plants in following Dept. of Agriculture rules, accept that the plants may end up in a Dept. of Agriculture trash can. Could be even worse if you try to "sneak" them in.

If you decide to ship (and that ought to follow the rules too), it sounds like you have just a few plants. If they are epiphytic orchids, you may be able to economize on space by shipping the potted ones bare root (no potting medium). Leave the mounted plants on their mounts. You may be able to ship them for less than you think, using priority mail. I do this all the time with plants I send to people, takes a few days but they arrive oK. Epiphytes will ship just fine unless they are soggy. Ship them dry or nearly dry (they will recover much better than a wet plant that develops rot during transit). Place them in a box, styrofoam packing peanuts to shield them form bumps, and they will be fine.

If you can't drive them to your destination, and don't want to ship them to your destination, consider giving them away to a friend that grows these plants.

[WhiteRabbit]

Looking at the California agriculture page I linked to, it seems "house plants" (have not been grown outside, and potted in commercially prepared media) should be ok ...

calling and/or emailing for pertinent info, and to be certain, is probably a good idea

[Ray]

Remember - if you decide to ship them, and label them as being live plants in hopes that the carrier will treat them accordingly, that label will direct them to the Ag services for inspection.

[Bahar]

Thank you all for your replies.

Sonya, thanks for the links. I think calling them directly is the way to go. It sounds like it shouldn't be an issue.

Bud, thanks for the tip on I-10 checkpoint being closed during most of the day. Good to know since that is the route I was planning to take.

[My Green Pets]

So let me get this straight, California regulates its 'borders' as if it were another country?