Hi, guys, i just registered. My name is Vlad, and i live in northern NJ and am startign a veggie garden at my house. I remember when i lived in Russia my favorite thing in the whole world was Gooseberries and Currant berries. I decided to go online today and find some nurseries that sell plants of these berries so i can plant them in my backyard and enjoy some of these berries. But all of them say that they do not ship gooseberries and currants to a number of states and one of them is NJ. Are they illegal in these parts? If so why?
Growing them is illegal in some areas because they are the alternate host for the fungal disease Cronartium ribicola (White Pine Blister Rust), which is devastating on the economically very important Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus.
I suspect it has to do with the genus Ribes being the alternate host for White Pine Blister Rust. I'm not condoning this, but I'm sure if you are resourceful, you can find a way to get a couple of plants into your garden. http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/plantpest.html
ok i dont live in those townships, towns, nor the counties. I just want one or two gooseberry plants. Do the 3rd point mean that they are prohibited only in those stated areas? And if so then i can have one? The 3rd point kind of throws me off.
All Ribes & Grossularia species movement in the listed counties is prohibited. Any movement of Ribes & Grossularia species (other than in the listed counties) requires a NJ Agriculture permit. Only Ribes nigrum (currant) has a prohibition on movement within the remainder of the state.
Hey! I have a Black curent bush, a European gooseberry and an American gooseberry in my garden in Ontario. The European type was planted last Fall. I got them from two friends gardens over the last three years about 150 km from my location. The black current and American gooseberry were most prolific producers in 2007. In 2006 Downey Mildew (?) devastated the American Gooseberry in 2006 , but it came back disease free in 2007. All three bushes are presently thriving, and are almost in full leaf at the present time. The information about white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola, Fischer) is most informative. http://uequut.notlong.com Life Cycle: White pine blister rust alternates between five-needle pines and Ribes spp. (currants/gooseberries). Damage: In many regions of B.C., the volume of white pine has been depleted to the point where it is no longer considered a viable commercial species. It is believed to have been introduced to British Columbia in 1910 but was not discovered until 1921. The great white pine has almost been eliminated from Ontario due to commercial timbering, so if the bugs don't get them man will.
White Pine HAD (not has) suffered from over harvesting in Ontario. It was never close to being elminated and is still the most predominate forest tree in most of Eastern & Central Ontario. There is still a virgin stand or two, with the one in Haliburton being most accessible to southern Ontario residents.
I guess it all depends upon your baseline. White pine forests originally covered much of northeastern North America, though only one percent of the original trees remain untouched by extensive logging operations in the 1700s and 1800s.
Though I am very aware of the history of White Pine in Ontario, there are tree species here that actually deserve the gloomy outlook you portray the White Pine under. Sure, it's hardly a shadow of pre-European settlement times, but what forest hasn't suffered in eastern North America? The species is hardly under threat...Gooseberries or not...
ok, what if there are no white pines anywhere near my house, do then i feel that i can have a few plants in the back yard. I dont think it would do any damage to my neighborhood. Or am i completely wrong and if i do this all the trees and plants are going ot die on mine and my neighbors properties? I really love gooseberries and currants. Please tell me somethign good guys.
The fungus spores can blow a long way from currants to pines, so absence of white pines nearby isn't good enough.
point 3 of the above says if you do not live in one of those areas, it would not be prohibited to grow this plant. seems you'll still need a permit for it, though - if i'm taking it correctly, that is. your best bet is to contact the state and ask them if you're allowed or not and if it's allowed if you still need a permit. none of us can answer that for you. go to the website and get a phone number to call them. or, you can contact your county extension office - if they can't answer your questions, they'll have a phone number for you to call the appropriate state office.
Howdy folks, I tried not to get involve in this discussion but I finally gave up. I love gooseberry too and luckily for me it is not banned in Alberta. For a long time we also have stupid public servants who refused to work on this crop because of its role in the disease. When I raised the issue that we do not have White Pine on the prairie and five needle pines are only planted as ornamentals (even then very few gardeners plant these pines), I was given the dirty stares. The White Pine Blister Rust affects all five needle pines. White Pine is a member of this group. I cannot understand the justification for banning gooseberry and black currants in North America on the grounds that it is a primary and alternate host of the rust. North America is home to many species of gooseberries and black currants. By banning the cultivation and leaving all the wild natives to grow rampantly makes absolutely no sense to me. It's like keeping the inside of the house neat and tidy by throwing and piling everything unwanted just outside the door. Whatever it is if it's the law, then as law abiding citizens we have to go with the flow until the law changes. Thank you for allowing me to release steam. Peace Thean
wow thank you very much. that was awesome. It makes sense. And its great to see someone who shares the love and enthusiasm for goosberries as i do.
I guess me too! Being from Germany i miss the gooseberry too... I find this regulation unbelievable and rediculous! As i am almost dying every year from ragweed that grows litterally everywhere!!!!! In Europe it is mandatory to rip it out anywhere, because of the highly allergic effects to humans and animals. Here not even farmers know how this plant looks. But the gooseberry is a threat?? Nonsense!
