18.5—Deception as to blooming, fruiting, or growing ability.
In the sale, offering for sale, or distribution of industry products, it is an unfair or deceptive act or practice for any industry member to misrepresent directly or by implication to purchasers or prospective purchasers the ability of such products:
(a)
To bloom, flower, or fruit within a specified period of time; or
(b)
To produce crops within a specified period of time, or to give multiple crops each year, or to produce crops in unfavorable climatic regions; or
(c)
To bear fruit through self-pollinization; or
(d)
To grow, flourish, and survive irrespective of the climatic conditions, the care exercised in or after planting, or the soil characteristics of the locality in which they are to be planted.
Code of Federal Regulations
Note 1:
Under this section, when flower bulbs are of such immaturity as not reasonably to be expected to bloom and flower the first season of their planting, such fact shall be clearly and conspicuously disclosed in all advertisements and sales promotional literature relating to such products: Provided, however, That such disclosure need not be made when sales are confined to nurseries and commercial growers for their use as planting stock.
Code of Federal Regulations
Note 2:
Under this section, in order to avoid deception of purchasers and prospective purchasers thereof, when rose bushes have been used in a greenhouse for the commercial production of cut flowers, they shall be tagged or labeled so as to clearly, adequately and conspicuously disclose such fact, and such tags and labels shall be so attached thereto as to remain thereon until consummation of consumer sale. A similar disclosure shall be made in all advertising and sales promotional literature relating to such products. And when, by reason of such previous greenhouse use or their condition at the time of removal therefrom or their handling during or subsequent thereto, there is probability that such rose bushes will not satisfactorily thrive and produce flowers when replanted outdoors, or will satisfactorily thrive and produce flowers outdoors only if given special treatment and attention during and after their replanting, such fact shall also be clearly, conspicuously, and nondeceptively disclosed in close conjunction with, and in the same manner as, the aforesaid required disclosure that such products have been used in a greenhouse for the commercial production of cut flowers.
[Guide 5]
Code of Federal Regulations
[44 FR 11177, Feb. 27, 1979, as amended at 59 FR 64549, Dec. 14, 1994]