Do You Have a Gardening Question?

Contact the SOREC Plant Clinic!

Visit us with your inquiry

The Plant Clinic
Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC)
569 Hanley Rd
Central Point, OR 97502

Spring & Summer Hours
April – October
10AM-2PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Winter Hours
November – March
10AM-2PM Tuesdays & Thursdays

Email Us

sorec.plantclinic@oregonstate.edu

Call Us

541-930-8420

The Jackson County Master Gardener Plant Clinic is a research-based diagnostic facility staffed by OSU Master Gardener volunteers. We help local residents recognize the nature of their plant or insect problem (including identification) via diagnosis using unbiased, research-based information. We then provide recommendations to manage the disease or disorder using proper control methods, including cultural, biological and chemical measures.

Help us determine the best possible answer to your query.

• Provide as much information as possible regarding your inquiry, including the problem itself, when the problem started, and information about the associated environment.
• Provide a large, live sample of the plant or a clean, complete insect sample. For identification, a physical sample is required. For plants, bring large examples (i.e., leaves and branches, flowers if the plant is blooming) of both healthy and affected tissues.
• Bring multiple parts of the plant if possible. For example, if you have affected apples, bringing a sample of a branch with leaves will help us to identify the problem.
• Provide photographs to accompany physical samples of the plant to show the environment and how the whole plant looks, especially if it is a tree or large shrub.
• A Master Gardener volunteer will research an unbiased, research-based answer to your question, using a variety of library and online resources, and will reply to you as soon as they can. Volunteers do not make diagnoses on the spot. Time is needed to perform research.
• Master Gardener Plant Clinics accept plants (live, dead or preserved), arthropods (dead or preserved) and soil specimens for assessment. Safety of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason, the Master Gardener Plant Clinics will not accept swabs, tissues, hair or other specimens of human or animal origin; articles of clothing, bedding or towels; or personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes or any other items that may be contaminated with human or animal pathogens, parasites or secretions.
• Clients with questions about human or animal health need to direct those inquiries to the appropriate public health or veterinary experts in the community.
• If you are emailing (sorec.plantclinic@oregonstate.edu) your question, provide as much information as possible regarding your inquiry, including the problem, when the problem started and the associated environment. Provide photos of the plant (unhealthy and diseased portions of the entire plant, etc.), of the insect or other animal, and the area where the problem is occurring. Be as detailed as possible using text and photos.

The OSU Extension Catalog https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ has detailed information for many of your gardening questions.