COUNTY DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE - The service is free of charge. Basic diagnostic work can be done in our office, but if isolations and other more extensive diagnostic testing needs to be done we usually suggest the for fee service offered by the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic lab at Cook College. Normal response time is two weeks or less, but in the height of the growing season response time will be longer. Routine identification includes lawn samples, plant identification, insect identification, plant pest problems and tick identification.
Tick samples take priority and staff or volunteers will insure quick turnaround time. Samples can be dropped off or sent to our office. If samples are sent, it is important to secure insects/ticks samples in a crush-proof container and plant material should be placed in a plastic bag/plastic wrap/wax paper inside an envelope. It is important to include enough plant material (i.e. plant disease - good and bad tissue, plant ID - leaves, stems, flower, fruit) so that we can make the most accurate diagnosis possible. If plant samples are very wet, dry them between sheets of paper to minimize deterioration of the sample in shipment.
All samples must be accompanied by a detailed description and if possible a completed sample form.

RUTGERS PLANT DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY - This is a fee service offered by Rutgers University. A more detailed analysis can be performed and results are usually sent out within a week of receiving the sample. If further analysis is needed, they will call and inform the customer. The services the lab offers include Golf and Landscape Turf, Plant Identification, Plant Disease and Insect Problems, Insect Identification, Mold Identification, and nematode detection (primarily commercial growers). They require forms be completed and submitted with the sample to provide them with as much information as possible. How to prepare the sample, where to send it and the fee is on the reverse side of the form. For more information about the diagnostic service, feel free to contact our office. We can send out the information and forms.
To learn more about the lab visit their website at http://www.rcre.rutgers.edu/plantdiagnosticlab

You can also visit the Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension website at www.rcre.rutgers.edu.

SOIL TESTING SERVICE
Soil Test Kits can be purchased from our office for a nominal fee of $15.00. Requests for kits can not exceed 10 per person. Kits can be picked up at our office or we can send them to you. If they are sent, you must submit a check with your request and checks must be made out to Middlesex County Advisory Council (MCAC). Directions on how to take a sample and where they should be sent are found on the sampling bag. Samples should be sent directly to the Soil Testing Lab. Make sure you accurately complete the enclosed sheet. The soils lab runs other tests at an additional fee. For more information on the type of tests they can run, you can call our office or contact the Soil Testing Lab directly (932-9295). Or visit http://www.rcre.rutgers.edu/soiltestinglab

They do not test contaminated soils (i.e. petroleum products, PCB's, certain heavy metals, etc.).