Extension Search / Diagnostic Labs / Vermont

University of Vermont Plant Diagnostic Clinic

The Plant Diagnostic Clinic at University of Vermont is Vermont’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

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Disease diagnosis
DNA tests

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.
DNA tests. PCR or sequencing to confirm a pathogen that can't be told apart by eye.

Many garden problems can be answered free by an Extension Master Gardener before you send a sample.
Send a sample that is still showing symptoms, not dead tissue.

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 Vermont Extension office can often look at a sample free first.

Other Labs

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