Insect ID: If possible, bring more than one of the insect you want identified, as intact as possible. Please bring the insects in a sealed container such as a pill bottle or clean glass jar. For very small insects or bedbugs, you may submit the insect taped to an index card, and placed in a plastic or glass jar. ALL INSECTS MUST BE IN SEALED HARD-PLASTIC OR GLASS CONTAINER.

Weed I.D.: Please bring weed intact with root system, flowers, or fruit, preferably in an un-wilted condition. Place sample in a plastic bag and refrigerate until you can deliver it. Do not mail samples: we will not be able to identify dead, wilted, or moldy plants.

Sick Plant

• Trees: Cut off one or two branches, each about an arm's length, showing both diseased and healthy leaves. Place in a large plastic bag, seal well, and refrigerate
• Vegetables, Annuals, & Perennials: cut off at least 12 inches of plant material, including diseased or affected foliage and/or flowers. as well as healthy foliage and/or flowers. You may also include roots. Place in a large plastic bag, seal well, and refrigerate.

Soil pH Test:Taking a soil sample: You will need a clean plastic bucket, a clean shovel, or a clean garden trowel, and a clean plastic or paper bag.(Avoid metal containers such as coffee cans or galvanized buckets).Don’t take samples when the soil is very wet, such as after a rain.

• Determine the area of garden or lawn where you wish to take a sample. Does one area of your lawn perform differently? Does water pool in parts of your perennial garden? Those areas should be treated as different sampling areas. You may need to submit several samples.
• From the area to be sampled, take ten random soil samples from the appropriate depth:4” deep for lawns8” deep for annual, perennial and vegetable gardens(Avoid the top 1-2” )
• Mix the samples together in the bucket using the trowel or shovel, and not your hands. Remove roots, rocks, insects and worms. Put about 1½ to 2 cups of this well-mixed soil in a clean plastic or brown paper bag.
• View the following video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niCaJ5a0Ho0

Lawn Issues: Cut a one square foot sample from the lawn, with at least four to six inches of roots and soil attached. Place this sample in a shoebox or similar lidded container, and slip into a plastic bag (this prevents insects, such as chinch bugs from escaping). Keep in a cool shaded place until you can deliver it to our office. Do not mail samples.