Sick Plant Check-In &Sample Submission Form Dear gardener, we know this looks daunting, but there are not many "required." That said, every piece of info helps a lot; the extra detail may increase the speed and accuracy of our diagnostic assessments. Human Contact * First Name Last Name Email * Basic information Plant Species common name or Latin binomial or whatever you're calling it; usually many possible answers Variety Or, Cultivar or subspecies or hybrid or cross or... if applicable Garden Type(s) Outdoor home garden (in the ground or raised bed) Outdoor container garden Indoor container garden Xerophytic habitat Family-scale greenhouse or similar structure; detached from your home Solarium or otherwise dedicated plant room; attached to your home Hydroponic system Plant growth chamber High tunnel Mist propagation system or humidity chamber Other Other (garden type): USDA plant hardiness zone * Find yours at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Altitude Garden location in terms of feet or meters above sea level Show us your sick plant Tell us what you see wrong Signs of plant pathogens and symptoms of the diseases they cause Observations that lead you to believe you have a sick plant Chlorosis (yellowing tissue) Wilting Browning leaf tips Browning leaf margins (edges) Spots or blotches with a distinct margin between living and dead plant tissue Spots or blotches that present as a gradient of plant tissue health with the middle being the origin and the sickest area Mold or fuzz Sticky residue Bullet holes Pustules, or areas that are bulging and perhaps “erupting” due to microbial growth underneath stretched plant tissue Stunted growth Aborted flower Aborted fruit Canker Necrosis (dead tissue) Aberrant leaf pattern; texture Dieback Galls Discoloration Rot Damping off (Death of emerging seedlings) Option 22 Tell us more; details can increase the speed and accuracy of this diagnosis. Planting Planting date Or estimation thereof MM DD YYYY Starting method Purchased, or otherwise acquired as a garden-ready transplant; planted it. Seeds sewn directly into, or cast upon plant-growth media, such as garden soil Vegetatively propagated/clonal propagules (e.g., a cutting) planted directly into some type of plant-growth medium, such as garden soil Pre-germinated seeds in a specialized germination packet, or likewise, in a damp, rolled up paper towel meant to yield a clean seedling which is replanted in a plant-growth medium, such as garden soil or transferred a hydroponic, or other engineered growing system Pre-germinated seed or rooted propagules in a flat or cube or plug, made from an organic material, like peat or an inorganic matrix like rock wool, that the seed germinates in and which is replanted in another plant growth medium, such as garden soil or plugged a hydroponic, or other engineered growing system Rooted clonal propagules (e.g., a cutting) indoors, or an area otherwise separated from the garden and before transplanting those into my garden Replanted previously uncultivated plant from an uncultivated setting Other Other (seed starting method): Seed starting date MM DD YYYY Plant purpose Food,(e.g., fruit, vegetable, herb, grain… but not grapes) Viticulture (i.e., grape gardening) Herbaceous ornamental (e.g.,Hostas, chrysanthemums) Pollinator gardens (e.g., butterfly gardens, apiary settings) Native biodiversity support (e.g., prairie restoration, cultivated wild flowers) Education (e.g., Demonstration gardens; teaching-lab specimens) Raw materials for cordage Raw materials for pigments or dyes Raw materials for essential oils Cannabis gardens for personal, non-monitized recreational or medical marijuana flower or raw material cannabinoid extraction ( Note: Cannabis garden submissions must include state-issued credentials and comply with state regulations for the growing area.) Other Light Light exposure (Artificial lighting? skip this one) Direct sun (unfiltered light hits the plant) Bright, indirect light (well-lit but no direct sun) Medium light (some shadows, but not bright) Low light (full shadow, all day) Length of exposure As a percentage of daylight hours (Artificial lighting? Skip this one, too) 12% or less Up to 25% Up to 50% Up to 75% Up to 100% ARTIFICIAL light cycle in hr (hrs/day), DLI (mol/m²/day), or however you want to express how much light the plant "gets" each day, just include what units you're talking about ARTIFICIAL lights used to supplement natural light or replace natural light entirely? Grow lights supplement sunlight in a greenhouse/solarium Grow lights supplement sunlight from a (non-skylight) window Grow lights supplement outdoor sunlight Grow lights without sunlight ARTIFICIAL light type Incandescent High-pressure sodium or High-pressure metal halide Fluorescent LED Other Other (type of artificial light source): ARTIFICIAL light color Red or far-red Blue or ultraviolet Full visible spectrum Other Water INDOOR garden watering schedule For sites with a hard-0% chance of rain Daily Every few days Weekly When soil feels dry When the plant looks sick I do not water this plant Other (watering schedule): Filtered watering water Yes No Do you irrigate? Or otherwise supplement insufficient or irregular rainfall Yes, rain or no rain, to maintain a (predetermined) volume of water Yes, whenever precipitation volume dips below average for a few days Yes, whenever precipitation volume dips below average for 1 week or more Yes, but it's gotta get pretty darn dry first I cannot or will not water my garden when it doesn't rain Irrigation method Watering can with just a spout Watering can with soaker nozzle Watering wand Hose-end sprinkler Automated sprinkler system Drip irrigation Soaker hose Hose without an attachment Other (irrigation method): Soil and nutrition Container garden media Natural topsoil Standard potting mix (1:1 peat:perlite) Peat sub: coir (coconut fiber) Peat sub: wood fiber Peat sub: bark Peat sub: leaf mold Peat sub: rice hauls Straight compost Other (container media): Outdoor garden soil Natural topsoil (amended with other topsoil or not) Soil amended with Standard potting mix (1:1 peat:perlite) Soil amended with peat or bark or other material for water and nutrient retention Soil amended with sand or perlite or other material to increase drainage Straight compost Other (Outdoor garden soil): Do you fertilize this plant? Yes No What do you use as fertilizer? Or otherwise mix in the soil Compost Slow release complete fertilizer broadcast Granular complete fertilizer broadcast Slow release complete fertilizer amended Granular complete fertilizer amended Soluble, liquid fertilizer as needed Soluble liquid fertilizer with irrigation water CaCO3 Lyme Manure Have you had a soil test for this garden? Yes No Soil pH P Rating very low low medium optimum very high k Rating very low low medium optimum very high Ca Rating very low low medium optimum very high Mg Rating very low low medium optimum very high S Rating very low low medium optimum very high B Rating very low low medium optimum very high Cu Rating very low low medium optimum very high Fe Rating very low low medium optimum very high Mn Rating very low low medium optimum very high Zn Rating very low low medium optimum very high Na Rating very low low medium optimum very high Organic Matter Rating very low low medium optimum very high Soluble Salts Rating very low low medium optimum very high Nitrate Nitrogen Rating very low low medium optimum very high Site notes Generalized description. Point out stuff like if the garden is in the middle of a paved parking lot or over industrial waste; oddities and curiosities of your growing space. Okay, Gardener, you’re sick plant’s intake is nearly complete! All you do now is scroll down to the button Labeled “Check out & Payment.” Clicking the button will lead you where you… check out and pay for our diagnostic service ($14.00).If something about your situation perplexes us, we may email you with follow-up questions, or request additional or alternative photographs. In a few days (48h +/-) your personal Plant Protection Plan will arrive. It may contain quite a bit of work; it may not. Regardless, now is a reasonable time to stop worrying about your garden… In fact, don’t just stop worrying⎯start getting excited!Best regards,Nathan Wilson GrossFounder & Chief PhytopatholgistGarden PathologyShaw Historic DistrictSt Louis NathanGross@Garden-Pathology.com check-out & payment (fill out the form first)
