Extension Search / Diagnostic Labs / Montana

Schutter Diagnostic Lab

The Schutter Diagnostic Lab at Montana State University is Montana’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

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana

Disease diagnosis
Insect ID
Plant ID
Mushroom ID
Turfgrass
Photo diagnosis
Herbicide issues

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.
Mushroom ID. Identifies mushrooms. An ID is not a promise that a mushroom is safe to eat.
Turfgrass. Diagnoses lawn and turf samples.
Photo diagnosis. Looks at photos you send first, and asks for a physical sample if the photos aren't enough.
Herbicide issues. Looks at herbicide injury or tests weeds for herbicide resistance.

Identification is generally free for Montana residents.
The lab also identifies aquatic plants.
Out-of-state samples are charged a fee.

Not Accepted

Soil testing
Human-related insect samples, such as tape samples from skin or hair

Out of State

Out-of-state samples are taken case by case. Contact the lab 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 Montana 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.