What's wrong with my plant?

Plant Health Clinic

Contact

Sherrie Smith
Plant Diagnostician
Phone: 479-575-2727
Email: ssmith@uaex.edu

Keiddy Urrea Romero
Program Associate
Phone: (479) 575-7257 Email: kurrea@uaex.edu

Office:
University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture
Cralley Warren Building
Room 16
2601 N. Young Ave.
Fayetteville, AR 72704

The Arkansas Plant Health Clinic

If you have questions about the damage to or symptoms of your plants, our plant health clinic can help.

Submit plant samples online

Learn how to submit a plant sample

You can also submit a plant sample online through our DDDi system.

Arkansas Plant Health Clinic, located in Fayetteville, Ark., is supported by the Cooperative Extension Service, (CES), as part of the Division of Agriculture. The clinic serves Arkansas growers, homeowners and nurserymen who have plant disease problems or other plant health issues.

Notice: Starting June 1, The Clinic will be accepting physical samples again. The building will continue to be locked. A bin will be placed outside for sample drop off. Our phone numbers will be posted if the party dropping off the sample needs to speak to us. We can meet them outside wearing a mask and maintaining a minimum of 6 foot distance.

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How to help make an accurate diagnosis

First, a good sample should represent the range of symptoms that you observe. Symptoms include leaf spots, fruit rots, wilting, yellowing, etc. Plants that are dry or completely rotted are of little use for a diagnosis, so the fresher the sample, the better the chances of a correct disease identification. Collect your samples early in the week. This minimizes the possibility of the sample being held over the weekend at the post office
The second thing that you can do to help ensure an accurate diagnosis is to provide important background information about the plant. Accurate information is extremely important in formulating a diagnosis and offering control suggestions to you. Please provide this information to your county Extension office, or include the information with the sample if mailing it directly to the Plant Health Clinic. Interested parties may request an account at www.dddi.org/UA/ and fill out the information online. Be sure to include such things as (1) your name, phone number and email address, (2) name of the plant, (3) description of the problem, (4) age of the plant, (5) sun exposure, (6) any drainage issues and (7) any fungicide, weed killers, insecticides and fertilizers used. This information should be as complete as possible to give a clear history and description of the problem. If possible, submit a photograph of the affected area in the landscape, garden or field. Photos are especially useful for lawn or field problems.

How the diagnosis process works

Samples are submitted through county offices, and by walk-in at the Clinic in Fayetteville. All samples are entered into the Plant Health Clinic's Distance Diagnostics through Digital Imaging database. dddi.uaex.edu

DDDI samples are archived for documentation of individual activity, for later retrieval if necessary and for educational use.

Currently, Sherrie Smith, (pictured to the right at the Little Rock Flower and Garden show) serves as Plant Pathologist/Instructor and diagnostician. Smith began her career at the Plant Health Clinic in January 2006 after completing her M.S. degree in plant pathology at the University of Arkansas. The clinic is under the direction of Interim Department Head of Plant Pathology and Entomology Ken Korth. The clinic also has a portable lab that Sherrie Smith takes to field days, flower and garden shows, and Master Gardener events.

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