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Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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Posted by ams2009 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 6, 09 at 12:36
| Does anyone know where Lowes and Home Depot purchase their citrus trees from? I am trying to find citrus trees to purchase that have not been treated with BT/Bacillus thuringiensis, spinosad, or any systemic insecticides/pesticides, or any other chemicals that are toxic to caterpillars who eat the leaves of the citrus tree. If anyone knows the names of the suppliers used by Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, or any chain stores that sell citrus trees, please let me know so I can research whether or not their trees are treated prior to arriving at the store(s). Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| i know the trees i purchased all had canker ids which i assume means they were treated, had the root sock identified, and an icon of a buck in a shield i believe. i tried going the organic route with my citrus too, all i can say is if you are in the subtropics like i am, good luck. i used malathion because all of the leaves on my temple orange were rolled up from leaf miner. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| Colarama Wholesale nursery is the Home Depot provider out here, in AZ. I have remember who Lowe's uses. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| ams2009, if you would tell us where you are this would help. My local nurseries get a lot of stock from California growers. This isn't usually true elsewhere. A buck in a shield is from Record Buck Farms, Florida. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| I am in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sorry about that, and thanks for helping me with this! |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| No prob, but I guess I can't really help you then! |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| Your best bet is ask the nursery specialist and/or department manager of the nursery of the Lowe's or Home Depot you shop at. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| I doubt VERY much that asking someone at the big box stores will be productive. I've never met a 'specialist' or anyone with any kind of horticultural knowledge at one of those places. Perhaps, if you try to wiggle the names of their suppliers from them, you might be able to make a few phone calls. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| i bet they all use local nurseries because shipping citrus is sometimes a problem |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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To be on the safe side, if you are very worried about this, you should ask a reputable nursery who supplies them, and see if they can ask the supplier, or ask for the suppliers number..
You might have to pay a bit more for the plant, but you will feel more sucure in your descision to buy from a good nursery..they can be trusted if reputable. Sometimes there are advantages to buying at a nursery or garden shop verses a Department store.:-) In fact, it was a local Home Depot that put one of our local nurseries out of buisness.:-( There they always had a 'specialist' or people with all kinds off horticultural knowledge.. I miss them.. Mike |
Good luck
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| Due to citrus leaf miners all citrus nursery stock is likely to be treated with imidicloprid or other systemic insecticides. Otherwise the leaves would be damaged and the public wouldn't buy. Spinosad actually qualifies as OK for organic growing as it is not a traditional kills all chemical insecticide. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| Spinosad poses a problem for anyone trying to raise caterpillars, however. It's also considered very toxic to bees, so be SURE to avoid applying products containing that active ingredient to flowers, ever. Even after it dries, it's a problem to pollen- and nectar-gathering insects. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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In CA they used to buy from Willits and Newcomb, can't say for sure if they still do.
http://www.wncitrus.com/retail.html
If you want organic nursery stock, you will not find one in CA, at least not any selling is stores. There may be a couple of micro operations doing back yard grafting but by regulation, all citrus must be sprayed before leaving CA or moving from one growing region to another.
Buy the tree as is, with the awful spray and all. Raise it organically and you can certify it after 3 years. You need that long to get a good tree growing anyway. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| And the comment about big box stores not knowing anything about their product isn't always true. HD/Lowes in my area have ONE person in charge of that department. He is the contact/buyer and has the #'s to their suppliers. In 3 HD and 1 Lowes where I live, all of these folks know the citrus root-stocks used (well one had to call to double check). Of course citrus is big in our area. Whether calling or standing in the store, you may end up waiting a while to get him, once you catch 'em on their working schedule. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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In my area there are only 3 suppliers of citrus to all the big stores and nurseries: 2 of them FourWinds and Menlo growers are based in NorCal. The other is Monrovia - who are not really citrus specialists, but wholesale growers.
If you wanted Organic citrus plants, you can try to call FourWinds citrus growers - they sell a few types like Meyer Lemon which are certified organic, but your choice will be limited and you will be charged big bucks :) |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| Almost all citrus in Louisiana and Mississippi comes from Becnel And Sons nursery in Belle Chaise, LA. |
RE: Question about citrus trees sold at Lowes and Home depot???/
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| Ams,, I am a bit confused..i am sorry... Why did you ask this question in the first place. No one ever has. Why are you worried about catipillars that eat citrus leaves? Are you breeding them? Do you like butterflys? Do you have a catipillar farm? Do you want them to eat your leaves?
Are they confined to your yard? Just curious...Thanks |
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