• Follow sample collection guidelines specific to your crop (Grapevine, soil, alfalfa hay, fruit/nut tree, etc.)
• Place each sample in zip lock bag
  • Length of the cuttings dictates the bag size size (4-inch fit into sandwich size bag)
  • Use bigger bags (trash bags) for whole vine sample (i.e. samples for fungal disease tests)
  • For virus testing on the rooted nursery vines, please cut off the root-portion on the vines, approximately 4 inches below the graft union or the top of the vines). Discard the roots. You may use up to 10 nursery vines per sample.
  • Label bag accordingly (Sample #1….or specific location, row, vine number)
  • Make sure number of the cuttings in the bag does not exceed 10
  • Paper bags are not recommended as they can speed up the rate of desiccation.
• Fill in our sample submission form and submit together with your samples
  • Download it from our website or email us if you need a copy sent to you.
  • Contact Information, phone number and email address where to send the results to, also email address and contact for invoicing if different from the senders email
  • Check that sample IDs on the sample submission form match those written on the sample bags
  • On larger sample sets, we appreciate simple sample numbers (e.g. #1, 2, etc.) or submit an Excel or Word -file of the sample IDs by email. Also, for larger sample sets, please group them in an order. (It takes enormously long time to fish sample bags among hundreds other bags in the same box.)
• Place sample bags into a second larger bag, and place that into a shipping container.
  • Please refrain from using packing peanuts.
  • During warmer summer months, make sure to add some blue-ice packs to keep samples from deteriorating and do not allow the ice packs to directly touch the samples. Wrap each pack in a paper towel before shipping.

If shipping samples from out of state of California, include or USDA permit with the shipment (download it from our website). Outside of the box, write: “Plant samples form state of….e.g. Oregon”). International shipments require additional permitting, so please contact our lab first before sending any packages.