Extension Search / Diagnostic Labs / Michigan
Michigan State University Plant & Pest Diagnostics
The Plant & Pest Diagnostics at Michigan State University is Michigan’s university plant diagnostic lab. Send it a sick plant, an insect or a weed and it tells you what it is and what to do about it, usually for a small fee.
Lab Details
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
- Disease diagnosis
- Insect ID
- Plant ID
- Nematodes
- Ticks and household pests
- Herbicide issues
- Hemp
Open the lab's site for fees, forms and the mailing address.
Services
- Disease diagnosis. Finds what is making a plant sick, from fungi and bacteria to cold, drought or chemical injury.
- Insect ID. Identifies insects, mites and spiders and whether they are a threat to the plant.
- Plant ID. Identifies plants and weeds.
- Nematodes. Extracts and counts plant-parasitic nematodes from soil or roots.
- Ticks and household pests. Identifies ticks and insects found indoors.
- Herbicide issues. Looks at herbicide injury or tests weeds for herbicide resistance.
- Hemp. Takes industrial hemp samples. Most labs ask for your state hemp license number, and none take marijuana.
- Insect identification covers mites, ticks, spiders and other arthropods.
- Weeds can be screened for herbicide resistance.
- Hemp samples need a Michigan grower registration or processor-handler license.
Not Accepted
- Marijuana
- Soil and plant nutrient analysis
- Mushroom identification
- Household mold
- Pesticide residue or mycotoxin testing
- Bites or skin irritations
Out of State
The lab’s site doesn’t say whether it takes samples from other states. Ask before sending one.
Sample Tips
- Call or email the lab before you send anything. What a lab accepts, and what it charges, changes.
- Send a plant that is still sick, not one that has died. Include the edge where sick tissue meets healthy tissue.
- Bag the roots and soil and tie the bag off at the stem, so soil stays off the leaves. Wrap leaves in dry paper and don’t add water.
- Mail early in the week so the box doesn’t sit in a warehouse over the weekend.
- Fill in the lab’s form completely: the plant, what you see, when it started and what has been sprayed or applied.
Not sure it’s worth a lab fee? The plant health key narrows a problem down from what you see, and your county Michigan Extension office can often look at a sample free first.
Other Labs
Bizon is an independent business and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by any university or Extension service. Lab details were checked against each lab’s own site in October 2026. Why Bizon supports Extension.