The famous Swedish chain of stores has been carrying out a massive recall since Tuesday, May 23, 2023: be careful if you have bought bonsai from them.
It is rare to see a recall of trees sold commercially. Especially when it comes to bonsai. However, it is this type of operation that the Ikea brand is currently using, more precisely for its miniature trees from Asia and named Microcarpa Ginseng. These small ficuses have the particularity of being contaminated by a small nematode-type wormwe learn from the government website Rappel Conso. Do not panic, this little parasite is harmless to humans, but it can attack various plants. The plants concerned have been on sale in France since January 1, 2023 and the pots in question measure respectively 14 cm and 22 cm. All batches are affected and the recall extends to all of France. The Swedish brand issued this massive recall, because there is no effective treatment for worms Meloidogyne enterolobii.
What’s next after this ad
Ikea recommends cleaning tools with bleach
The Ikea brand even asks the consumers concerned to respect certain precautions: it is thus requested to pack the plant “in double plastic bags” to transport the tree. Ikea also recommends that budding gardeners thoroughly disinfect tools and pots that may have been used to prune or repot miniature ficus. Bleach is recommended. The references concerned by the recall, sold in jars, bear the international item codes (GTIN) 40432728 and 30432724. The Ficus microcarpa is also called among botanists “tree of stewardship” or “laurel of India”. (“Chinese banyan” or “Indian laurel” in English). It is a species of tree in the Moraceae family, native to Southeast Asia and Oceania. As we have seen with its sale by Ikea everywhere in France, it is commonly grown as a houseplant in temperate regions, especially as a bonsai.