Table 25. Guidelines for collecting leaf and plant tissue for analysis.

Crop	Growth stage	Plant part	Number of plants or leaves to sample
Asparagus	Mid-growth	Mature fern from 18 - 36" up	10 - 20
Beans	a) Seedlings less than 12" b) Prior to or during initial flowering	All above ground portions Two or three fully developed leaves at the top of the plant	20 - 30 20 - 30
Beets	Prior to root enlargement	Center Mature leaves	20 - 30
Cabbage	a) Prior to heading   b) Head grown	First mature leaves from center of whorl. Young wrapper leaf; 2 leaves/plant	10 - 20   10 - 20
Carrot	Prior to root enlargement	Center Mature leaves	20 - 30
Leafy greens*	Mid-growth	Youngest mature leaf	35 - 55
Melons **	Early stages of growth prior to fruit set	Mature leaves near the growing tip	20 - 30
Onions	Prior to bulb enlargement	Center Mature leaves	20 - 30
Peas	Prior to or during initial flowering	Leaves from the 3rd node down from the top of the plant	30 - 60
Peppers	Prior to or at bloom stage	Most recently mature leaves	20 - 30
Potato	Early flowering to tubers grown	Upper most mature leaves	20 - 30
Sweet Potato	Mid-growth	Most recently mature leaves	20 - 30
Sweet corn	a) Prior to tasseling   b) At tasseling	The entire fully mature leaf below the whorl The entire leaf at the ear node	20 - 30   20 - 30
Tomato    Field      Greenhouse	Prior to or during early bloom   Prior to or during fruit set	Third or fourth leaf from growing tip a) Young plants: leaves adjacent to 2ndand 3rd clusters b) Older plants: leaves from 4th to 6th clusters	20 - 30   20 - 25     20 - 25

*Leafy greens= lettuce, spinach, turnip greens, collards etc.
**Melons = watermelon, cucumber, cantaloupe etc.

Source: Plant Analysis Handbook for Georgia by C. Owen Plank

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