Diagnostic Plant Clinics

Submit via email or online

Submit your problem, Email your Questions, or leave a phone message at 360-395-2368. Alternatively, you can drop samples off at the Extension Office between 8:30-4:30 Monday through Friday. Please provide your garden location and a detailed description of the problem, plant, or insect. Send digital photos if possible. Also, provide a phone number and email in case we have more questions. The clinic staff meets every other week during the winter to work the problems so there may be a short delay in receiving your answer.

Collecting and Packaging Samples

Prepare for visit to the Diagnostic Plant Clinic visit, or when submitting samples by drop off or mail it helps to follow these guidelines:

Drop off or mailing address:
Burlington Plant Clinic
WSU Skagit County Extension Office
11768 Westar Ln A, Burlington, WA 98233

The Extension Office is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Sample analysis will be performed during the next clinic

• Do not mail live insects
• Submit as much of the plant as possible including roots.
• Include both affected and healthy tissues so a comparison is possible.
• Do not submit specimens that are completely dead, dried or rotted.
• Digital photos of the whole plant are also helpful

Vegetables, Bulbs and Annuals:  Submit the entire affected plant including roots if possible.

Shrubs, Trees:  Submit both healthy and affected tissues. Include at least one specimen showing margin between healthy and diseased tissues.

Turfgrass:  Submit 4″ squares including roots and soil. Take samples at the edge of affected areas and include both healthy and affected grass. For best results, send samples representing healthy, slightly affected, and severely affected areas of lawn.

Plant/Weed ID Samples:  Samples for plant and weed identification must be alive, fresh, and undamaged. They should include leaves, buds, stems, flowers, roots, and fruits/seeds, as many of the plant features as possible. A single leaf is not enough for the best analysis!

Insect Samples: Insects should be stored in a clean glass or plastic container.  If they are alive, a portion of the plant on which they were found should be added.

DO NOT MAIL LIVE INSECTS or supply badly damaged specimens.

WSU Gardening in Washington State

Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation Gardening Publication Library

Other Links

• WSU Horticultural Sense (Hortsense)
  Compilation of fact sheets for managing plant problems
• WSU Pest Sense (Pestsense)
  Compilation of fact sheets for managing pest problems
• WSU Publications
• Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook
• Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook
• Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook
• Home and Garden Pest Management
• Pesticide Information Center OnLine (PICOL) Database
• WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
• PNW Vegetable Extension Group Photo Gallery of Vegetable Problems

Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center

• WSU Gardening in Washington State Articles
• WSU Puyallup Plant & Insect Diagnostic Laboratory
• WSU PNW Vegetable Pathology Team
• Plant Disease and Insect Identification Pests Leaflet Series
• WSU “The Informed Gardener” Podcasts
• WSU Horticultural Myths

Other

• Washington Native Plant Society
• NW Fruit (Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation)
• USDA Searchable Plant Database (plant pictures and information on native and invasive species)
• USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Zone Map

_{WSU is an equal opportunity provider. If you need a reasonable accommodation or language access to participate in an event, please contact Alex duPont, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener Program Coordinator, at alex.dupont@wsu.edu or (360) 395-2367 at least two weeks prior to the planned event. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to limited English proficient individuals upon request.}