Many letters include plant or insect specimens with a request for help in identifying ' the problem'. Unfortunately, not all samples arrive in good shape. To make our lives easier, and to help us identify your problems effectively, we've put together some do's and don'ts for sending in specimens. Tell us what you first noticed and when. Send samples from different parts of the plant, old and new, healthy and diseased - we can't tell much from a dead twig, or a single leaf.
Tape leaves, by their stems, to a piece of paper or card.
Mark clearly which part of the plant they are from. Place in a large, dry polythene bag, then in a large, brown envelope. Do not squash flat. If you can, use one of the large polythene-lined, padded jiffy bags. They make excellent sample containers.