Growers of Prunus laurocerasus cultivars (including English laurel, cherry laurel, ‘Skip’ and ‘Otto Luyken’) are advised that the species was added to California’s cherry fruit fly host list. All such plants must be certified before being shipped into California. “Certification for laurel into California is possible, albeit difficult and time-consuming,” Oregon Department of Agriculture horticulturalist Christy Brown said. There are three routes to certification: flower/fruit removal, barerooting, and treatment:
- Under the first method (flower/fruit removal), regulated stock that has not fruited, or has had all fruit stripped prior to reaching a maturity level conducive to oviposition by cherry fruit fly in the previous and current fruiting seasons, qualifies for certification if regulatory officials can verify this stipulation. This means that in most cases cherry laurels will not qualify for shipment until the summer of 2010 to allow for two years of flower/fruit inspection. Qualified nursery stock must also be safeguarded from fruiting hosts.
- Under barerooting, regulated nursery stock that has had fruit removed and has been barerooted (with roots washed free of soil) and repotted in sterile potting media under regulatory supervision qualifies for certification. Qualified nursery stock must also be safeguarded from fruiting hosts. Regulated nursery stock shipped bareroot and free of fruit is not regulated and does not require certification.
- Under the treatment option, regulated nursery stock treated with an approved product could qualify for certification. However, at the time of publication, no treatment or product has been approved by the state of California.
