Free Sample, Really!

Free Sample, Really!

Everyone has heard the saying “nothing is for free.”  For the most part, that may be true but there is an exception when it comes to County Extension in Kentucky. We are all about making information available to the public at no cost; this includes identification of plants, plant disease and insects. The process usually begins with a sample brought into our office, but in some cases we can even work from photos, if they are taken clearly and show all parts of the subject matter. 

Plant identification requires as much of the plant as practically possible, including flowers and seed/cones, to be brought into the office. Any pictures taken of the plant in the area it is growing can be helpful. If the plant cannot be identified here, we will send it on to the herbarium at UK at no charge.

Insect ID can be a little trickier through photograph only, but many temporary or seasonal invaders can be easily picked out in a photo lineup. If the insects are tiny or if you cannot get a good picture of the critter, collect a couple of them, place in a clean jar with alcohol to preserve them until they can be brought into our office. Again, if we cannot identify it here, the insect will be sent (at no charge to you!) to the entomology lab at UK.  

Samples submitted for possible plant disease ID can either be brought into the office or a series of 5(minimum) photos can be sent to us electronically. Take a picture of:

·       

**The trunk or crown of the plant.

** The full or entire plant.

· *The landscape and where the plant is growing.

· *The canopy or top of the plant.

· *The foliage including any close up of leaf spots, margins, etc.

We can send this and the pattern or progress of the disease to the plant pathology department. They in turn can let us know quickly if a physical sample needs to be sent to their lab.

The University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University support all 120 counties in Kentucky with relevant, research-based information available in both digital and hard copy depending on an individual’s need. 

We are here to help you and Kentucky has one of the best Cooperative Extension Services in America. We may not be able to give you a free lunch, but our free samples are the best!