Bringing home plants/seeds

53 years ago

Does anyone know what the U. S. Custom's rules are about bringing or sending plants or seeds back to the U.S. from Europe?

We are going to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (owned by Spain) and wonder if we can bring anything back.

Also, if anyone out there has been there and can recommend a great place to buy plants, please let me know!

Thanks,

Ginny

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Comments (4)

Gardener
53 years ago
It has been a few days since you posted your question, and no one has responded, so I'll tell you the LITTLE I know. When you come back into the US (by air, at least) you are required to fill out a declaration of what you purchased or acquired on your trip. It specifically asks about plants, plant material, and soil. Any plants brought into the US need a certificate that they are "sanitary." Maybe others can tell you how you get the certificate. At the airport, if you have anything "to declare," like plants, you have to go through a different line at customs. I've never brought anything like this back, so I don't know how that goes (other than slower).
George
53 years ago
Ginny: A few years back, not so long ago, one JUST ONE, bug was discovered in Florida. Know what the State did?
They sprayed THE WHOLE STATE. They burned something like
two million trees. That is why they're very concerned about people who think about bringing something nice back home.
My advice. When in doubt...DON'T.
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Customs is usually not too interested in an original sealed seed packet. A few of these "forgotten" in a jacket's inside/hip pocket have little downside. Any live plant matter, root cuttings & bulbs are kind of hard to be ignorant about. You will get a customs declaration form, to fill out & sign on arrival stateside, that asks whether you are "bringing" anything like them in. To expedite arrivals there is a lot of reliance on the honor system at customs, so sometimes there is a casual spot check of the "carry-on only" travelers' bag .
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If you have them growing in an open, loose, airy soiless mix such which drains well, such as a gritty mix, or one with very little peatmoss, no worries.. If you have them planted in something else, I would do a wait and see approach..You might have nothing.. That is until you see a problem crop up,then tackle it.. I have yet to deal with bugs inside the soil when brought in. I have never had to treat it. As for leaf pests, different story. But I am not going to spray any chemicals or worry about it, until I see a problem this time. Just a nice bath with soap and water is all they'll get..:-) As for the Palms...It depends what kind you have.. Some tolerate and need lots of sunlight, while others like just light, while others don't like much light at all. Find out the type you have, and then many will help you with the conditions you need to keep them healthy..I think there is a palm forum here somewhere on the garden web.. Hope it all works out for you.. Mike
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I've grown seeds from that very same packet "Bring Home the Butterflies" (from Botanical Interests), and I live in San Francisco too. It's a great mix packet! Comes with so many different types, and lots of them too. I still have a bunch. Since those seeds come from all different climate zones, you don't need to worry about planting them too early or too late. In San Francisco, you can plant them pretty much any time of the year. I would recommend though, if you want to only plant a few types from that mix, that you look up information on those plants so you can give them the most suitable environment, because they are all different. (For instance, some plants might need darkness to germinate, some might need light, etc, some might need part shade, etc.) I know the packet is designed for the gardener to just toss a bunch of seeds on the ground and let nature do the rest, but I've planted mine separately just because I wanted to have individual plants, not a big crowded pot. Two years ago I first planted my butterfly seeds in the middle of summer and I had flowers all the way up until Christmas time. There will always be late-season bugs happy to find a home in your plants.
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I think you have to check with the USDA to get a certificate. At the bottom of their page is a "Contact Us" link to another set of links. You'll have to do a little snooping around to find the right contact. Here is a link that might be useful: USDA
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superphosphate
53 years ago
Going through customs Labor Day evening in Boston after deplaneing from Air France with a declared live plant, nothing happened. Noticed that they were merely spindleing the declaration forms without reading any. So far no federal agents in swat jackets at my door.
Sherrill
53 years ago
Hi Ginny, I think that taking plants out of places like Europe would be easier than places like the Canary Islands. I've been to both the Canary and Cook islands and my most vivid memory was having a man in a gas mask come on board the plane when it landed and before it took off to spray for bugs!! We passengers did not have gas masks, and it was pretty scary. When we got to Tahiti, they took all of our luggage away from us (even our carry-ons) and took it out into the jungle and bombed it with an insect killer. We didn't get it back until the next morning. I think you could say that these islands are pretty paranoid about bugs. If I were you, I'd stick to commercially prepared seeds. I've taken those out of many different countries without any problem at all (including from several islands in the Caribbean, Bermuda, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and England).

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Bringing home plants/seeds

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Gardener

George

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