If you have a lawn, landscape or garden plant problem that you would like diagnosed, bring a sample of the weed, plant, insect, etc., to the clinic. Be sure to bring a fresh sample that represents what is seen in the landscape. This may include a plant stem with several leaves, a 4-inch square of grass with roots attached, etc.

This Plant Clinic will be held Friday, June 21, 2024, 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the temporary UF/IFAS Extension Annex located in the back of the Okaloosa Technical College Campus at 1976 Lewis Turner Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach. 

See map below.

The plant clinic is not a lecture type program but provides a place for individuals to bring samples of their lawn, landscape or garden plants for diagnosis, including weeds and insects for identification.

Completely dead plants or samples from the middle of a dead lawn area are not helpful for diagnosis. It’s best to bring samples that exhibit early symptom development and that have plant parts that are still partially alive for accurate diagnosis.

Here is a video on how to collect a lawn or plant sample for diagnosis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZEH34PoBtY

You also may bring a sample of soil from your lawn, landscape or garden for pH testing.

Here’s how to collect a soil sample:

Use a clean shovel, trowel or soil probe to collect a representative sample by taking thin slices or cores of soil to a depth of six to eight inches from ten different spots throughout the plant bed, lawn or garden. Thoroughly mix all the small soil slices/cores together in a clean bucket. Place one to two cups of this mixture in a closable plastic bag or small throwaway plastic container and bring to the clinic for testing. Attach a slip of paper with your name, phone number and where the sample was taken (e.g. lawn, vegetable garden, flowerbed, etc.).

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