Late Blight Alert for the Greater Northeast States
 

Came across this on another thread. Also includes some excellent pictures of Late Blight infected plants. Here's the Link. Ami

[URL]http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/documents/Lateblightalertforgardeners.pdf[/URL]

Thanks for posting this, Ami. I wasn't aware of the alert and it's certainly something I need to know about. :shock:

I was just coming here to post about this after reading a story in the Plattsburgh Press-Republican, available here:

[URL]http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_180230421.html[/URL]

It's bad enough that this was transported throughout the northeast in big box stores, but I think it is even worse that they are not saying which stores carried the diseased plants and which producer /supplier shipped them out. I think we deserve to know that information.

[QUOTE=tomf;135973]...I think it is even worse that they are not saying which stores carried the diseased plants and which producer /supplier shipped them out. I think we deserve to know that information.[/QUOTE]

We probably do deserve to know, but I think for this particular event, it probably also doesn't matter any more. People often buy plants from a store that is a drive of an hour or more from their home, and then the spores from the infected plants can spread from their home garden for miles in whatever direction the wind is blowing. So even if the plants were purchased in Plattsburgh, they could be growing and spreading disease spores three counties away from there by now. The areas near the stores involved aren't the only ones affected any more. I think a general alert rather than naming specific stores is really the best way to go at this point, just so no one gets a false sense of security if their garden isn't in one of those locations.

Also:

[URL]http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?=10616475[/URL]

Plattsburg, NY

JJ61

[URL]http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1164418248872561::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1010,78140[/URL]

Look at the second section down.

It looks like it could have Bonnie Plants and it says they've pulled and destroyed them. Bonnie is based in Alabama.

Bonnie has at least 38 centers all over the US. Not every center has every plant that shows up at the big box stores. Multiple centers are used to supply their full line of plants to each of their customers. This is at least the second disease alert against Bonnie this year. I found Bacterial Spec coming off their trucks here in North Georgia. This company needs to clean up their act or get out of the business. Right now, one could argue that they are helping Monsanto's mission.

JMHO

Ted

It made Yahoo News today, so I think the word will really get out now.

thought of you when I read this on Yahoo today Ted. I agree totally with you.

For those still following this story, NPR had a piece on it this week and a representative from Bonnie's suggested that they are not to blame.

[url]http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106457956[/url]