Bringing personal houseplants to Oregon
The Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA) usually allows new residents to bring their personal houseplants to Oregon if used
for non-commercial purposes. For the
safety and well-being of the state’s environmental and economic health, please follow these rules when you bring houseplants to Oregon:
Indoor versus outdoor plants
Plants
or soil media from outside of the state may harbor unseen pests or plant
diseases that currently do not exist within the state of Oregon. The practice
of keeping houseplants indoors helps us mitigate an accidental infestation or
outbreak of pests and disease.
When you repot or dispose of an indoor plant, place soil media and plant material in a secure trash bag and dispose of it in your regular trash container for trash collection.
We
highly discourage placing old soil media and plant material from
houseplants that moved with you, into a home compost pile or
garden. Temperatures are unlikely to rise and remain high enough to ensure any hidden pests or plant diseases
are destroyed. Plus, you run the risk of spreading pests or disease on your property and your neighbors' properties.
Ensure plants are not noxious weeds
Plants that are found on
Oregon’s A-designated and B-designated weed lists are not allowed into
the state. If you are unsure
whether a plant you own is considered a noxious weed in Oregon, please
contact the ODA Plant Program at 503-986-4636. If you own a houseplant that is considered a
noxious weed in Oregon but not in your home state, we recommend gifting that
houseplant to a friend or relative prior to moving.
Five (5) plants is the limit
There are several reasons
behind limiting the number of houseplants you bring:
- It helps mitigate the
chance of pests or plant diseases entering into the state.
- Traveling across state
lines with an excessive amount of plants can have the appearance of interstate
commerce.
- Traveling through a
border station with an excessive amount of plants may be a cause of concern for
employees there and they may ask to see a state-issued nursery license, plant
shipping permits, a bill of lading, or proof of origin.
- Bringing excessive
amounts of plants may result in the holding or destruction of plants by a
border station.
Only bring healthy plants
- Please
use your best, most reasonable judgment to bring only houseplants that appear
healthy and pest or pathogen-free into Oregon.
If your houseplant exhibits any signs of ill-health or
damage such as, but not limited to: unusual or unseasonable foliage loss, wilting,
discoloration, spotting, streaking, bite marks, and chew or bore holes, consider disposing of or leaving your houseplants with a family member or friend. If possible, remove the houseplant
from its pot and inspect the soil and roots for any sort of
hidden insects, slugs, snails, and worms.
When you need a nursery license
- If
you intend to use your houseplants for resale or propagation purposes, please
obtain an ODA nursery license.
Once
a person or business sells $250 worth of rooted plant material in a year,
state law requires that person or business to obtain a nursery license through
the ODA Nursery and Christmas Tree Program.
Nursery licenses cost at minimum $158 and are valid from July 1 to June 30 of each year. The fee is not prorated.