TerraEvidence
Original private record · pilot v0.1

Record the plant problem before naming it.

Preserve what changed, where it appears, when it started, root-zone conditions, recent actions, photographs, and uncertainty. Then print a clearer record for a local Extension service, plant clinic, laboratory, or other qualified professional.

Start an observation recordRead the university-source guide
Use boundary

Observation and referral—not diagnosis.

This record does not identify a pathogen, insect, nutrient disorder, herbicide injury, or other cause. It does not assess food safety or prescribe a pesticide, fertilizer, amendment, disposal method, or quarantine action.

Observe

Describe visible changes without converting them into a cause.

Map

Record patterns within the plant and garden.

Contextualize

Keep site, weather, moisture, and recent actions attached.

Refer

Share a structured chronology when qualified help is needed.

Current private record

New observation

Record IDAssigned when saved
1

Plant and record identity

Name the plant as specifically as you can. Variety, age, and exact location may matter.

2

What changed?

Describe the visible symptom or sign before interpreting it.

3

Pattern and distribution

Patterns guide investigation, but do not prove cause.

Within this plant
Across the garden or group
4

Timeline and progression

A chronology helps separate observation from recollection.

5

Root-zone moisture and site context

Wilt alone is not a moisture diagnosis. Record method, depth, location, and result together.

Use the root-zone moisture checking workflow if moisture has not been checked.

6

Recent actions and disturbances

Record what happened without assuming it caused the problem.

7

Photographs and sample readiness

This tool stores filenames and descriptions only. It does not upload or analyze images.

8

Questions, hypotheses, and next checks

Keep these separate from observations. A suspected cause is not a finding.

Escalate when consequences are high

For severe, rapidly spreading, high-value, regulated, food-safety, animal-safety, or unresolved problems, contact an appropriate qualified local authority. Follow its sample instructions and all product labels. Do not move potentially regulated material based on this record alone.

Scientific basis

Why these fields are here

The record operationalizes the reviewed university and Extension guidance already documented in the TerraEvidence evidence ledger.

Identity and pattern

Penn State guidance emphasizes correct plant identity, symptoms versus signs, site history, pattern, distribution, and consideration of both living and nonliving causes.

Context and chronology

University diagnostic intake guidance preserves water, weather, soil, management, pesticide, fertilizer, and disturbance history with the visible problem.

Useful photographs

University of Minnesota guidance supports both setting and close views; an image may still be insufficient without dialogue, examination, testing, or a physical sample.

Review every source and the limits of this translation