Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ > Well, good evening and welcome to Making It Grow .

We are very happy that you can be with us today.

And I'm Amanda McNulty, a Clemson Extension Agent from a long, long time ago.

And I get to come here and be with my cohost, also a Clemson person, Terasa Lott.

Thank you so much Terasa, for everything you do for us.

> It is absolutely my pleasure.

In fact, I was visiting with a new agent recently who asking me about... you know, what's my favorite part of my job?

And I said, "It probably is Making It Grow " because of all of the people that I run into when I'm out and about, and they tell me they enjoy watching the show.

It just makes my heart smile.

Amanda> One time somebody recognized my voice and went like, "You're the person behind that voice."

Uh, you know... (laughter) I probably had on a pair of, you know, dirty clothes and dirty shorts and tennis shoes or something.

Terasa> That's right.

There's no such thing as being incognito.

Amanda> Yeah, it is kind of fun.

Anyway, we're going to have a fun time tonight, I think.

Jonathan Windham, you're the Greenhouse Manager at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center, over in Florence.

Y'all have a lot going on over there.

It's a big ol' place.

> It is.

It's 2,300 acres.

And it's been there or it's existed since 1911.

So, a lot of heavy AG research going on.

We've got our Field Day coming up August 28th from 9 to 12:30.

We open up the center to the public, come out, learn, meet our researchers and we feed you a lunch at the end of the day.

We've got a lot of grad students visiting and doing their research projects and pursuing their degrees there.

And we've got some really interesting projects going on at the REC.

Like, we have one researcher looking at indigo production for South Carolina for home gardeners.

Ornamental indigo.

Amanda> Ah, ornamental indigo.

Ah, gracious.

I'll have to see- Jonathan> Lots of fun stuff.

Amanda> Sounds fun.

Yeah.

And, it's beautiful property.

Goes back to a river or something.

I mean it's- Jonathan> Dargan's Pond.

Amanda> It's really beautiful property.

Jonathan> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Okay, okay.

And, you know, we're always talking about Jackie because one day we're going to come and film her office because it's full of plants.

But I think yours is, you have a lot of plants in your office.

Jonathan> I do, yes, as many as I can fit right now.

Amanda> Okay, well send us some pictures and Terasa will put them on Facebook or something.

Jonathan> Alright.

Amanda> Yeah, that'd be fun.

Jackie Jordan is a Hort.

Agent in Fairfield, Kershaw, and Richland.

And, Jackie, you also teach Master Gardeners, I think.

Jackie> I do, I do I have, two classes coming up.

I'll have a class for Kershaw County Master Gardeners on Tuesdays, September 11th through November 11th.

Amanda> All righty.

Jackie> And then... one for Richland County, which will be on the Thursdays of that.

So... the 13th?

Amanda> Okay.

It's whatever.

Jackie> I have to look at the calendar again for the dates.

But yes, two classes coming up soon.

Amanda> And, I bet y'all have a good time because I think you're fun to be with.

And you like to do little things with hands- I mean, you like to make it not just- (making monotonous sound) Jackie> I try to make it as hands-on as possible.

There's a lot of material to get through though.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, we're glad you squeezed us in today.

Thank you so very, very much.

And, Daniel Livingston, we are so happy that you found us, and we found you.

You're the Director of Horticulture over at Moore Farms Botanical Garden in Lake City.

And I don't think there's a lake there.

I don't know how it got called Lake City.

> We do have a lake now, It's a small lake... call it a large pond.

Amanda> Okay.

(laughter) Can you fish in it or anything?

Daniel> Yeah, absolutely.

Fishing, kayaking, absolutely.

Amanda> Oh, so it's really used- Daniel> It's a good green space.

There's a, playground and places for people to gather.

Absolutely.

Amanda> So it's not just, you know, fenced off and you can't come and do it.

Isn't that nice that you've got a place where people can go?

<Absolutely.> That's great, great fun.

Okay.

Have y'all planted some things out there?

Daniel> Oh, yes.

Yes.

We have, planted some trees, a lot of Magnolia grandifloras.

Some Quercus oaks.

<Yeah.> We've helped out- That's actually managed by the city and the Florence County REC.

But we've participated out there in the green space with them.

Amanda> That's delightful.

I'm so happy to hear that Lake City, is no longer dry.

Daniel> No.

Amanda> Okay, well, we have some fun things- Speaking of water, we have aquatic weeds.

with Doctor John Nelson.

And Venturi Fertigation, and that's with Cory Tanner and Zack Snipes and...

I could kind of follow it a little bit.

It's apparently pretty easy to do.

And it's a great way to get, fertilizer to plants.

Okay.

Well, Terasa, you usually have some fun things for us from people who watch the show.

Terasa> I do.

So they're not my photos, but they are your photos.

Things that you are doing in your yard, your garden.

Or perhaps you visited a beautiful space in South Carolina.

Sometimes we even get photos from our neighbors in bordering states.

Let's see what we have today.

We begin with Amy Windhorn, who shared the purple flowers of anise hyssop in her backyard.

From my area, Veronica Gallo-Bamberry sent in the pollinator garden in her backyard in Darlington.

Rebecca Milford shared the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and Rookery.

That's definitely a beautiful space.

It's a natural oasis and it's utilized by many wildlife species, of course, birds, because it is a rookery.

Deborah Hightower shared a myriad of what she called "thrillers, spillers, and fillers" in an old stock tank in Hartsville.

From Trip Haynes, we have a variety with Knock Out roses, Salvia, Sedum, lamb's ear and Iris.

And it looks like, Trip may have won "yard of the month" by the sign in his photo.

And last but not least, Deanna Mize shared lilies aplenty in Piedmont.

So I appreciate all of the photos that were submitted.

This is just a small random sampling.

I hope you'll visit our Facebook page and look at all of the other submissions.

And then when you see us make a call for "Gardens of the Week," post your photos right there in the comments for everyone to see.

Amanda> And it is fun sometimes because... even if you were just traveling and saw something fabulous, it doesn't have to be something in your yard.

I mean, you can share something fabulous that you saw somewhere.

Terasa> That's right, you might visit Moore Farms and take a beautiful picture, you can share that.

Daniel> We'd love to have you.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I do appreciate all the people who share with us.

That's so much fun.

Well, I bet there's some people maybe we could help who've got some problems or making some comment.

Terasa> Always, always.

There's never a shortage of questions.

So we have one from Tracy in Pageland that said, "Around early May, I see this wild rose growing all over.

Can I grow it in my yard?"

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

Well, Jonathan, I mean, I don't know if it's really a wild rose.

We have a couple of native roses, but there are also some that just proliferate too.

Jonathan> Right.

And it's fitting because June is National Rose Month.

Amanda> It is?

Jonathan> Yes, the rose is the national flower of the United States.

But this rose, I grew up calling it Seven Sisters Rose, that's not the true Seven Sisters Rose.

It's some sort of, escaped cultivar.

Anyway.

Yes.

You can stop, side of the road and take a piece home with you.

Should you?

I don't know, it is extremely susceptible to powdery mildew.

Amanda> Oh, this one?

Jonathan> This one- Amanda> It's not really Seven Sisters?

Jonathan> It's not really Seven Sisters.

It's some sort of- Amanda> It's just some- Jonathan> Escaped invasive, multi flora, hybrid.

If you do bring it to your yard, you run the risk of bringing something like powdery mildew or, you know, rose rosette to your garden.

So can you?

Yes, it will live in your yard.

Should you?

I don't know.

Amanda> Well and get some- There's so many wonderful things you can do.

I mean, rose is always a little bit hard.

<Right.> But there's so many that you could get that would be so much more rewarding, wouldn't you think?

Jonathan> Yes, very much so.

Amanda> And, some of them even have a wonderful fragrance.

Jonathan> Edible hips.

Yes.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

That's- Jonathan> You can do better.

Amanda> Nothing like smelling a wonderful fragrant rose.

Okay.

Well, thank you for saying don't pull off on the side of the road and risk getting run over to bring something awful home.

Okay.

Thanks a lot.

Terasa?

Terasa> From sort of the middle of the state, Camden, Bill has a question.

He says, "There's a shrub with white flowers that seems to be growing everywhere, especially along the sides of the interstate.

What is it?"

Amanda> Gosh, I've noticed this too.

What is it?

Jackie> Well, unfortunately, it is Ligustrum.

You get these white flowers, but this is... the Japanese, Ligustrum japonicum and Ligustrum sinense.

And the Chinese has the smaller leaves, and that is just highly invasive.

And one of the issues we have with invasive plants is that they reproduce so quickly.

You know, a lot of our natives can take anywhere from 30 to 50 years before they're ready to produce seed.

A lot of these invasive species go from seed to reproducing within seven years.

Amanda> And make a lot of seeds.

Jackie> And make a lot of seeds.

So this is one that we definitely are concerned about.

And there's a lot of great native choices.

If you're looking for an evergreen shrub that grows fast, the South Carolina Native Plant Society has a lot of suggestions.

And they break them down into areas that they would do well in.

So, whether you have shade and heavy clay or whether you have full sun in the sand, there's a plant that's going to grow well for you.

And it doesn't have to be this invasive species.

Amanda> And, you know, they're just they take up so much space and I don't know that they do anything for wildlife particularly.

And, I know that, at Swan Lake Iris Gardens here in Sumter, behind that, there's a wonderful swampy area that goes on forever and ever.

And it's full of the smaller privet because it makes so many seeds.

And then they- And it can, it's evergreen.

So it grows down there.

And so in the winter... or summer when other things would like to come up and have a little bit of sunshine, they can't get it.

So it's just, you know, it's sad.

Jackie> It is.

It is.

Amanda> Anyway- Terasa> So that's privet.

So I don't know if we said privet, we said Ligustrum.

And it's widely available and I'd just like to- This is one of the things, invasive species just- Amanda> This one we call Ligustrum we call the other one privet, right?

Yeah.

Terasa> Yeah, they're all- Amanda> They're all the same.

Terasa> So lots of better choices and I really want- Sometimes people get very frustrated and they'll say, "I don't see it spreading in my yard."

And so... but no, we see it in swampy areas.

We see it along- It depends on the plant they're going to take over whatever, you know, wherever is good for them.

So they take advantage of, that particular niche.

But just because you don't see it in your yard doesn't mean that it's not an invasive species.

And speaking of invasives, there's a tree that's probably flowering right now that's also, an invasive.

And, we have a sample of that, as well.

Amanda> Oh, everywhere... Jackie> Another one that you're seeing everywhere, Mimosa.

Another invasive species again something that grows quickly produces from seed and like we talked about the ecological value.

There's not a lot of insects that feed on these plants- Amanda> They're not, never larval food sources.

Jackie> Right.

And that's you know, that's another thing to consider is, these insects are food for our birds, our songbirds.

And so, there's a whole host of animals that are reliant on our native plants.

And not as many native plants available to them because everybody wants to plant all these other things.

Terasa> And incidentally, we were looking up some of the negative qualities about Mimosa.

So there's a wilt, now that will affect it.

So not only, you know could you potentially have this invasive species, but now you might run into problems.

And there's a chemical in the seed that is toxic to livestock and dogs.

<No?> If ingested.

<Yeah.> Amanda> Whoa!

Gah, that's no fun.

Oh goodness.

Well- Terasa> But there are lots of great options.

There are lots of great options.

Jackie> There are and a lot of pet safe plants too.

Amanda> Okay.

Wonderful.

All right.

Okay.

What you got for us?

Daniel> Well, speaking, since we're talking about invasive plants.

I want to show off a plant that we have recently discovered at the botanical garden.

This is Croton alabamensis.

Very... distributed very, in Alabama, <Yeah.> parts of Texas, maybe parts of Tennessee.

It is a- Amanda> We don't want it?

Daniel> No, no, this is a- Amanda> This is a good- Daniel> This is a good Southeastern native.

<Okay.> Sort of an open, formed shrub.

It is in the Euphorbia family.

The spurge family.

It is closely related to the tropical Crotons that everybody likes to use in the fall or Thanksgiving.

Has these beautiful, silvery under leaves.

Amanda> It is pretty on the back.

Daniel> Really neat, yellow Lantana-like flowers.

Amanda> How big's it gonna get?

Daniel> Can get up to eight feet tall, but in our garden and probably around South Carolina would probably stay more in the five to six foot range.

Amanda> Okay.

Daniel> But a fantastic plant that is native- Amanda> Evergreen?

Daniel> It is evergreen.

Amanda> Well, I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'm Sad.

I've never heard of it.

Where can you find it?

Daniel> Twice a year, we have plants available at the farm.

Amanda> Oh, you do?

Daniel> You can come and find this plant at Moore Farms Botanical Garden.

Amanda> I'm sure you have a calendar or something, so we can see what's going on.

Daniel> Check on our website and sign up for email alerts.

Absolutely.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Well, that makes it easy.

Daniel> moorefarmsbg.org Amanda> All right.

Thank you so much.

We appreciate it.

Can I see it for a second.

Daniel> Yes.

Amanda> Okay.

Gosh, it's really attractive.

And look at that lovely- I mean the backs really fun.

Daniel> The silvery underside is gorgeous when it's blowing in the wind.

Amanda> Okay.

Full sun?

Daniel> Full to part sun.

I would definitely suggest in part sun though.

<Okay.> Up under some pine trees would be ideal.

Amanda> I'd like to sit under pine trees sometimes too.

Okay.

Doctor John Nelson comes to see us, not frequently enough, but when he does, he usually brings fun things.

But, recently he came and talked about aquatic weeds.

I'm here with Dr. John Nelson, my former professor at University of South Carolina and longtime curator of the A.C. Moore Herbarium up there and still out collecting plants all the time.

> I love doing it.

And in fact, I got to do some this morning before I showed up here at the studio.

Amanda> Okay, John, we have so many wonderful waterways in South Carolina.

We are blessed.

People love to boat, fish, swim.

I love to swim- Dr. Nelson> That's right.

I think there's boating and swimming and fishing are really high on recreational aspects of the state.

So there's a lot of money in these things and that's good for our economy.

There's a downside to some of the aspects of this recreational offering that we do have, which comes from the presence of introduced weeds, especially aquatic plants that really aren't supposed to be here, but for whatever reason are now with us and they don't seem to be going away.

Amanda> What problems do some of them cause?

Dr. Nelson> Well, there's a good many different problems.

I tell you, if you are a fisherman and you go out to a pond and it's covered with water hyacinth you're not going to be doing much fishing.

Same thing if you want to be paddling a kayak around or even a motorized boat.

Lots of problems with- Amanda> Oh, they get caught up in everything.

Dr. Nelson> Right.

I mean, the physical obstruction of having these things.

And then the plants wrapping around propellers and...

It's a real mess.

Amanda> So they can be pretty dense.

Dr. Nelson> That's one of the big problems, is some of these plants are so good at reproducing vegetatively, they can produce thousands and thousands of individuals in a very short time.

And that really kind of clogs up a number of very otherwise easy to navigate waterways.

Amanda> Yeah.

I mean, if you're in your kayak and you've got all of this junk stuck- Dr. Nelson> Yeah, right.

It's not easy.

Amanda> Well, let's see what we can learn about these and talk about what's being done to try to keep them under control.

Dr. Nelson> Let me say before we start looking at these herbarium specimens, we only have...

I think we have six things in here to look at, which is just the tip of the iceberg I'm afraid, that there are dozens and dozens of aquatic or wetland, aquatic species that are a very big problem.

And some of these are actually illegal to transport as state law or even federal law.

Some of these are just really serious pests.

The first one we've got is one that a lot of people know about Hydrilla, and it's, that's the genus name and it's also its common name.

So we call this Hydrilla.

It's a real... funny looking plant.

It's got rhizomes that are found down, they go down at the bottom of the pond or- Amanda> Whoa, hold on at the bottom?

Dr. Nelson> Yeah, yeah.

And then it'll make these- Actually, they're rather handsome, I think, series of branches with these whorled leaves.

Now, the thing about these leaves is that the midrib is a little bit prickly.

Amanda> Whew!

Dr. Nelson> And when you get into a... (Dr. Nelson laughs) a big place, if you happen to be swimming around in this stuff, you will feel it.

That it's very prickly and kind of, kind of awful thing to be feeling, at least whenever that's happened to me.

But it is a flowering plant and it produces male and female flowers.

It's a little bit complicated.

Amanda> On the same?

Dr. Nelson> Sometimes on the same plant but more often on different plants.

Amanda> Does it stand up above the water at all?

Dr. Nelson> No.

It's really usually, usually I say submersed and just below the water surface.

So it doesn't really break the surface too much.

I'll guess you could find it that way, especially if it's stranded on the edge of a pond or something.

Amanda> So like the Santee Cooper Lakes are they shallow enough that it would be found there?

They could be- Dr. Nelson> Oh Sure.

Amanda> From the bottom, and come all the way up?

Dr. Nelson> Right.

Amanda> Really?

Dr. Nelson> Now this is the- You haven't asked me where did this thing come from?

Amanda> Oh!

Well, where did- Dr. Nelson> Well, I think my research...

I found out that it has actually showed up, first of all, in North America, as far as we know in Florida, and this is back in the '50s Amanda> Florida is kind of the gateway for a lot of exotics- Dr. Nelson> That's right.

And a lot of these things- Amanda> Not on purpose.

I mean, they fight it more than we- Dr. Nelson> A lot of those pest plants are like funneled up north through Florida.

But as an aquarium plant, this is just a wonderful thing to have.

The problem is and we presume in Florida somebody like threw this stuff out from their aquarium into a creek or something and boom, it just went everywhere.

Amanda> Whoa!

Just from that simple- Dr. Nelson> And you've got to think that, that was maybe not just one episode, but people are still doing that.

It's not like there was only one instance of that happening.

Anyway, when these little plants get, the stems get broken up, each little piece can start up a new plant.

(both laugh) Amanda> Gah!

This is real... Dr. Nelson> So it is a mess.

Let's look at the next one.

And like I said, these specimens- Amanda> There's some flowers.

I see a flower.

Dr. Nelson> These specimens were kindly donated by the curator of the herbarium, Dr. Brown.

Amanda> Dr. Herrick Brown.

Dr. Nelson> We're taking good care of them.

<Yeah.> This one looks like Hydrilla, a little bit.

Amanda> It does kind of.

Dr. Nelson> It's got these kind of whorled leaves again, dark green and kind of pretty it looks, feathery.

It looks like it would make a great aquarium plant, too.

And it does.

It also- Amanda> It has flowers.

Dr. Nelson> And this one has flowers.

The thing about this one is that the leaves are a little bit larger than what we found in Hydrilla.

And they don't have those prickly prickles on them.

So if you feel this one, in it's favor, that if you feel this one, it's relatively smooth and it does make flowers, it being a flowering plant.

And of course, the flowers will be produced close enough to the surface that they can break the surface and they'll be on long stalks.

Amanda> It can be thick enough that you would see lots and lots of these little flowers.

Dr. Nelson> Thousands.

<Come on> If these things are in a... you could see this stuff for one thing, where the Broad River and the Saluda River come together just... Amanda> Right there!

Dr. Nelson> Outside... my neighborhood, and there would be tons of flowers.

They're real pretty too, Amanda> It almost looks like a carpet.

Dr. Nelson> Sort of, you know, and it sometimes is actually mixed up with Hydrilla in the same place.

But this is another one.

Like...

I was saying earlier that some of these things have been popular for aquariums, but this plant is a native apparently to Brazil.

And who knows how it actually got into this- Amanda> But it is here.

Dr. Nelson> -part of the world.

Okay, well, let's look at another one, which is a really cool one, a real pretty one, too.

And this one grows here in Sumter County.

And this one is called Uruguayan Water Primrose.

Amanda> My goodness.

Dr. Nelson> And this is a plant that can grow on solid ground, but it likes to be in a really wet place, like on the edge of a pond.

<Okay.> And it can crawl around on the mud and it makes roots everywhere.

And then it will send up fairly weak stems, gorgeous flowers, when it does bloom.

Amanda> I can see there apparently, if the colors stay true, the beautiful yellow- Dr. Nelson> And the petals fall off pretty quickly.

But they'll leave the, calyx will sort of a star-like calyx after the petals have fallen- Amanda> All these nice features.

Dr. Nelson> So this is Ludwigia Hexapetala which is also an import from South America.

Let me point out that there are some other species in this genus, Ludwigia, that are native and are wonderful to have.

And just because it's Ludwigia, doesn't mean that you have to, like, get jittery about anything that's in this genus, because this is another reason we have botanists.

Amanda> Are some of the other ones aquatic as well?

Dr. Nelson> Right.

Yeah, but not, not terrible like this one.

Amanda> Well behaved?

Dr. Nelson> Pretty well behaved.

Okay, here's one that everybody knows about, I think.

And this is... alligator weed.

and this is... again this is common all over the state.

Amanda> And it looks like it'd be hard to- Dr. Nelson> Maybe not quiet in the mountains, but it is a another import- Amanda> A larger range than actual alligators?

(both laugh) Dr. Nelson> At least right now.

Amanda> Right.

Yeah, will see.

Okay.

Dr. Nelson> But this is another plant that can grow on relatively solid ground.

But it really likes to be at the edge of a pond.

And if you've ever tried to, like, get your boat through this stuff, it's a mess.

Moreover, this will cover up small ponds and just be a total nightmare if you're trying to go fishing.

Amanda> Yeah, well, and also, there's no sunlight that can go into the pond.

Dr. Nelson> That's right- Amanda> Occluding all the light.

Dr. Nelson> And we didn't point that out earlier, but you're right.

And so what that does, it occludes the other native species that should be there, the other aquatic plants that aren't there aren't nearly as aggressive.

So this one also, even though it makes flowers and they're sort of attractive.

You'll see this blooming in the summer coming up.

They're... in the axle of one of the leaves of the node.

They're in opposite leaves.

Two at each node.

There will be a long stalk with the head of little white flowers.

They're very chaffy and white.

That's not just one flower.

Amanda> Like the asteraceae or something.

Dr. Nelson> Sort of.

Yeah.

And so it doesn't seem to make seeds.

It doesn't go away in the winter.

It might be knocked back, it'll be knocked back, become quiescent.

But when it warms up, boy, it's happy to start it all over again and start blooming.

And as far as I know, there aren't any wildlife species that appreciate this as a useful plant.

So alligator weed, you know, there's nothing, there's really nothing good about it around here.

I mean, it's native someplace, but not here.

Okay, let's look at this one, which is maybe one of the most beautiful aquatic plants there is.

Amanda> And guess what?

People will try to buy it whenever they- Dr. Nelson> That's right.

And it's called water hyacinth.

And this is not native either.

This is also from South America.

Now, this is in the same family as the plants that we like to call pickerel weed.

Which are native and they're very beautiful and they have purple flowers that are very attractive.

They also bloom in the summer, but water hyacinth is an import that floats.

This is a floater, floater and it is really cool the way it does it.

It's got a rosette or a cluster of leaves down at the base of the plant which are filled with this what we call aerenchyma that is, the tissues are nothing but cells that surround air.

Amanda> Whoa!

Dr. Nelson> So very spongy.

And of course, they float like- Amanda> So it's on... has its own inner tube.

Dr. Nelson> Yeah, it's got an inner tube.

(laughing) Amanda> What a clever plant.

(laughing) Dr. Nelson> Yeah.

Like one of those water noodle things, a pool noodle.

Anyway, when it gets ready to bloom, of course, it will send up a flower stalk between all of these bright green leaves.

And the flower stalk, of course, will have a bunch of flowers on it.

The flowers only last one day before they turn into sort of mush.

And they're actually kind of hard to make a specimen of, which is pretty obvious here.

And they also make connections between plants.

Look at this.

It's sort of a of an aquatic stolon.

So these things are going crazy, like making babies all the time and making a mat, it's all held together.

Can imagine how difficult it would be like, dealing with this thick, thick mat of stuff.

You see this in a lot of- Amanda> I mean you can't fish in it.

You can't fence in your line out to any of this stuff and bring it in.

Dr. Nelson> And unfortunately, a lot of people are vexed with having, having their ponds or something clogged up with this stuff.

They've got to spend a lot of money getting rid of this, this sort of stuff.

There's a lot of different horror stories going on in various ways.

Amanda> This is just... this is beautiful looking.

Dr. Nelson> And this is the last one, and this is- Amanda> But they're I mean, cupboards at the herbarium with other specimens of invasive aquatic plants?

Dr. Nelson> Right.

Amanda> This is just a sample.

Dr. Nelson> We only brought in six and there are plenty of other, species.

This one is, it's got a nice name, water lettuce.

Amanda> Oh, how lovely.

(both laugh) Dr. Nelson> Cause the leaves do look sort of like lettuce.

And the scientific name is Pistia Stratiotes.

This is actually a plant that floats and it very readily makes again, the little stolons that can like, makes lots of babies and a big bunch of roots underneath the plant, easily clogging up waterways and... the surface of a pond.

It's pretty, and it, has a place in your aquarium as long as it doesn't get out.

So I guess I didn't say that, if you feel it and we're not supposed to feel the specimen.

They're sort of fuzzy.

It's kind of unusual for an aquatic plant to be fuzzy, but they are.

And, it is a plant that is sort of... more or less related to Jack in the pulpit.

Amanda> Come on.

Dr. Nelson> Oh yeah.

It's got tiny little flowers and the botanists have determined that it's, it belongs in the same family as Jack and the pulpit and Philodendron.

Amanda> John, I would imagine that places like Santee Cooper that... that are in charge of these lakes must spend millions and millions of dollars trying to keep these under control because this is such very important recreational spaces.

Dr. Nelson> Right.

And I don't think it's restricted to Santee Cooper.

But, you know, Amanda, there is plenty of information out there for the public.

If you're a boat owner or, you know, a recreational aquatic person, please check out the information that Clemson has on aquatic plant species, as well as DNR.

I know they have lots to tell the public and to pay attention for one thing about carrying aquatic weeds from one water body to another one.

This is one of the, one of the worst aspects of getting these things moved around.

And we were talking about how easy it is for portions of these plants to break off and get snagged on to your boat someplace.

Amanda> And they just reproduce vegetatively and there they go.

Dr. Nelson> In the next place that you put your boat so that if you are taking your boat home, be sure you do an inspection before you go off into another boating experience and make sure it's a clean boat.

Amanda> Okay.

And I will say that while you're out there boating, you can take a bag and you can collect floating litter at the same time.

Dr. Nelson> That would be a nice thing to do.

Amanda> Let's all, you know, it's not somebody else's job.

It's all of our jobs.

Dr. Nelson> You know, Amanda, you've told me that if everybody would just pick up one piece of litter, there wouldn't be any litter.

Amanda> Well, it'd be a lot less wouldn't there?

(laughing) And I do that.

I do pick up, particular- Dr. Nelson> So do I. Amanda> I love my state.

Dr. Nelson> I do, too.

Amanda> I want it to stay as beautiful as it can be.

Thanks for telling us all this today.

Dr. Nelson> It's been a lot of fun, Amanda.

Amanda> There are some things you can do.

Washing boats before you carry them to a new lake.

You know, please try to do that because, it's just a lot of trouble for people to have to try to go out and manage that.

And our water is so important.

Our waterways.

So, be careful of all of that.

Terasa> Our Water Resources Agent- I didn't mean to interrupt you, but we have Regional Water Resources Agents across the state, and that's one thing that they can help with.

If folks have, a pond in their yard and are having trouble with weeds, we can help with the identification and control strategies.

Amanda> Okay.

Wonderful.

Thanks for sharing that.

Terasa> You're welcome.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

We have a lot of people doing a lot of things to help people.

Terasa> We sure do.

Amanda> Well, hats, hats.

I just think eastern red cedar is the most overlooked thing in the world, and it's just such a fabulous, fabulous, fabulous plant.

And so... Sean's going to get mad at me, but I'm going to take it off.

And so it has these, if you have, it's females and, it has these little berries on it that are, I forgot fruits or something.

And you can cook with them.

I always put them in hamburgers and things like that.

I just love them.

They have a wonderful flavor.

Give your mouth a nice feel.

And then, and then they're just fabulous for wildlife.

Fabulous for wildlife.

Just the, apparently the structure of the tree is such that many things go in there for protection, in the wintertime.

And now I think we have a lot of cultivars that, if you didn't want a whole one in your yard, you could get a cultivar isn't that right?

Daniel> Yes, yes.

That's correct.

There is, one in particular that we're very fond of.

Juniperus virginiana Taylor which, back in the day, a lot of people liked Italian Cypress for that look, and the Italian Cypress does not do very well in our Coastal Plain, southeast part of the state.

Amanda> It doesn't do anything for anybody else.

Daniel> Doesn't do anything for anybody else either.

But the, Red Cedar Taylor can get that look, but still stay in the native, the native realm.

And it'd be beneficial to all of our, organisms, biodiversity and- Amanda> And you can get the little things to plant.

A friend of mine planted about a thousand of the little things just with the dribble or dibble however you say it.

And every one of them lived and they're on the sandiest soil imaginable, imaginable.

It is just stunningly adaptable and again just so wonderful for wildlife.

So I wish people- Daniel> Clay, sand, sandy soils, clay soils.

Anything but super damp, and even then I've seen them in soft swamps before.

Amanda> Yeah.

I mean, they're so adaptable.

And then, Campsis radicans, which, is wonderful if you've got a junkyard.

I mean, and it's, you know, it's native, and it, has flowers all summer long.

I just think it's beautiful.

And, again, a nice native, very vigorous I guess we could say plant.

And then, over here I have, an Amaryllis that was in my yard.

And this one had a seed head on it, and our friend, Tom Nelson from up there... in Greenwood.

He likes to save the seeds and plant them, but honestly, it takes forever, and you don't know what you're going to get.

And, if you're going to have this in your yard there's so many wonderful cultivars you can get.

I mean, you know, I mean, it's not native, but it's just fabulous.

But also, if you like to use to do flower arrangements, you need to know this.

So, the stem is hollow, okay.

And it curls up as well.

So if you want to use it in flower arrangements, you have to put a stick up it so you can stick it in the, in the oasis or whatever.

And you also have to put a piece of tape around it because it'll just roll right up.

So it's kind of a cool thing.

And one thing is if you're going to decorate with it, it doesn't have to be in water.

The flower is perfectly happy for, a day or so just sitting out.

So if you have, you know... if you have a lot of them, and you just want to put one by the roast beef tray at somebody's wedding or something, you can do that.

So, you know, plants are cool aren't they?

And especially to think that they would roll up and, that you have to stick a stick a dowel up them.

Fun things to know.

Anyway.

Maybe, maybe not.

Anyway, so that was enough about that wasn't it?

(Amanda sighing) Okay, Terasa?

Terasa> I thought it was about time to get back to a question.

We have one from Shannon in Oates, who said, "Something weird is going on with one of my Formosa lilies.

Please help!"

And we do have, photos to accompany that question.

Amanda> Okay.

Weird, weird, weird.

Okay.

What is it, Jonathan?

Jonathan> So this is actually really cool.

It's not a disease or anything.

Amanda> Really?

Jonathan> This is a natural mutation that occurs in plants called fasciation.

So instead of growing up, right, like a plant's supposed to, plants grow out sideways.

So you get this flat ribbon-like growth.

And, the cool thing is this can happen in any plant.

A lot of times a homeowner will see it in their yards in dandelions, especially after they've sprayed something.

Terasa, I think you actually found a really cool example.

Terasa> I did.

I did.

Jonathan> So you can see this is a fasciated daylily.

You get that flat ribbon-like growth.

Shannon, with your lilies, your Formosa lilies.

Those die back in the winter time.

There's no issue.

just let it die back.

Amanda> It's not gonna spread or anything.

<No.> It just got, genetically off track a little bit.

Jonathan> And I think by next season it will be back to normal.

But really cool photo.

Amanda> Yeah, it is fun.

Terasa> I brought the, from just a normal growth pattern so you can see how, how dramatically different that fasciated stem is.

Amanda> I think it's really cool.

Terasa> It is cool.

Amanda> So you weren't disappointed.

Good.

And it still bloomed.

<Yeah.> Look at that, okay.

Well that's fun.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

So what's next Terasa?

Terasa> What's next?

Amanda> Blah, blah, blah, blah.

Terasa> We're going to try to help Grayson who has an identification.

So we've got a photograph.

It says, "What is this plant?

It looks like a hydrangea, but it's a little bit different than anything else I've ever seen."

Amanda> Jackie, you like a lot of different plants.

Have you ever run into this one?

Jackie> I have, so this is called Chinese Evergreen Hydrangea.

It used to be Dichroa, but now it's moved into the Hydrangea family.

So it's... been in that same family, but now it's under the Hydrangea species.

But, same thing, like with normal Hydrangeas can go from blue flowers to pink flowers, depending on the soil pH.

<Okay.> So... just another beautiful option that you can add to the shade garden.

Amanda> What size is it going to be?

Jackie> Going to get about three to five feet tall.

Same thing in the width.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

Are there some Hydrangeas now that are color specific?

A few of them?

Jackie> There are.

Actually and there's a really cool new introduction called Eclipse, that has black leaves.

Amanda> Well, if you want black leaves.

Jackie> Oh, it's cool.

I got one for my garden.

Amanda> You just want everything- Jackie> And the flowers are white with tinged on the edge of the petals with, like a... almost purply.

So purple at the edges, white towards the center with black leaves.

It is dramatic.

Amanda> Ooh, it sounds like it.

Terasa> I think you only want like a specimen.

Jackie> Right.

Right.

Yeah, I wouldn't want a whole bunch of them, but one's cool.

Daniel> Or a cut flower arrangement.

Jackie> Yeah, yeah.

Amanda> That's a lot of fun.

Well, thank you so very, very much.

Terasa> How about Belinda in Effingham sent in a photograph and said, "What are these bugs on my yucca?

And what can I do about them?"

Amanda> Oh, goodness.

Yucca, yucca, yucca.

(laughter) Daniel> So the yucca bugs, they show up from time to time, usually late spring, early summer.

On your yucca, selections.

Usually a good insecticidal soap will take care of them.

Or even a heavy stream from your hose.

Amanda> Well, that sounds easy.

Daniel> Yeah, they typically are easy to get rid of, but they can be repeat offenders.

Amanda> How much damage does it do?

Daniel> They are sucking, piercing insects.

So they will, they will suck the... the green material out of the stem so they can do some damage pretty quick if not, if not caught at an early time.

Amanda> Okay.

I just love Yucca filamentosa.

First, I like to say it, and I don't think it's used all that often.

And I think there's some different cultivars and things.

So talk a little bit about Yucca filamentosa.

Daniel> So, one of my favorites and it's readily available at most garden centers is Color Guard is a... new selection, somewhat new in the last decade or so, but instead of needing this really sandy, dry soil, that filamentosa, typically you found in its native habitat, this plant lends itself fine to normal garden settings.

Containers, mixed beds with other flowering plants, so.

Amanda> And tell people why it's called filamentosa.

Daniel> So filamentosa.

So it gets these little hairy, hairlike things on the stems and on- Amanda> Like threads.

Daniel> Threads on the plants.

So that is very indicative of filamentosa.

Absolutely.

Amanda> Okay.

I think... that you have someone in your family who is a long-time fan of the show.

Daniel> Yes.

And I would love to give a special hello to my soon to be 99-year-old grandmother, Skippy Lloyd.

Hello, hope you're doing good and see you soon.

Amanda> And she went to Washington during the war and worked for the Defense Department?

Daniel> She did.

She did.

Amanda> Good for her.

What a fine person.

Okay.

Daniel> Big gardener, loves gardening.

Amanda> And how'd she get called "Skippy?"

Daniel> Well, her name... her original name is Arminta.

And so that was very difficult for, some of the people that she worked with in Washington, DC.

And so apparently, the way she walked back in the day, she kind of floated down the office- Amanda> Oh, floated.

Daniel> They called her "Skippy."

And so that name stuck- Amanda> Oh, that's cute.

Daniel> Throughout that entire time, we've always called her that.

Hey Skippy.

Amanda> And where does she live?

She has just recently moved to Texas.

Amanda> To Texas?

Daniel> Texas, yes.

But she is a North Carolina, South Carolina native.

For the last... 60 or 70 years.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, we're happy to learn about her and glad that she likes the show.

Daniel> Thank you.

Amanda> Fertigation is a fascinating thing.

And it's a wonderful way to get fertilizer to plants in just the right amount.

> Hello, I'm Cory Tanner with the Clemson Extension Horticulture Team.

And with me here is Zack Snipes, agent down in Charleston County.

And, Zack, it looks like you brought us some plumbing contraption.

What do we got going on here?

Zack> Yeah.

This, does not go in your bathroom, so.

Cory> That's good.

Zack> Yeah.

Cory> No, this right here is what we see a lot on, a lot of small farms, even big farms.

And I'm kind of showing it here today to potentially, encourage some homeowners to maybe invest in this type of, setup.

This is a, irrigation system, but, more specifically, this is a Venturi Fertigation system for irrigation.

Cory> Now, it sounds kind of like fertilizer, kind of like irrigation.

What does that mean?

Zack> Exactly.

So it's not a Latin term, but, fertigation basically means putting fertilizer through your drip irrigation system.

Cory> Okay.

Zack> And so, what this allows us to do is if we have an irrigation system set up, we can run liquid fertilizer through it, and we can really dial in how much fertilizer we're using and when we use it.

And so we're a lot more efficient and effective at taking up fertilizer, versus other methods like broadcasting fertilizer or sod dressing or something like that.

Cory> Okay.

Yeah.

So... a lot of gardeners probably use liquid fertilizer in like a watering can, I call it the blue water... method.

<Yeah.> So, I think a lot of people are probably familiar with that for maybe like houseplants or vegetable transplants.

But how would this work in, in a landscape?

Zack> Yeah.

So if this is an a landscape or even a medium to a larger size garden, you can, basically hook this into your, your existing irrigation system.

So your lines would come in here and they would exit there.

And then you would have this system.

And what happens is, your irrigation water comes in here.

And when you're not fertigating because you're not always going to put fertilizer through the drip system, it would normally run through here and out into your lines.

Cory> So this valve will be open.

Zack> Correct!

That's just a gate valve.

So it goes up and down.

So we would leave that open, But if we wanted to run fertilizer, what we would do is we would close the gate valve here, which would then direct water here, through here.

We would open these two valves here.

So now, we have water going this way.

And then this is the critical piece here.

This is called a Venturi.

And what happens is we have, low pressure and then it comes down to a higher pressure.

And what that does is it creates a suction for us.

Cory> Right.

Zack> And so we're able to use a liquid fertilizer in a five gallon bucket.

And then we put our tube in there and it actually creates a vacuum.

And will suck up the liquid fertilizer and inject it into our drip system.

Cory> That is really cool.

So basically this Venturi, it kind of squeezes the water in so you get like a fast jet of water in there.

Is that right?

And then that pulls the suction.

Zack> It pulls the suction and then it mixes- You have this little dial here that kind of can control how much it's sucking up.

And it injects it in the water.

And as you see, there's lots of bends.

There's lots of filters that it goes through.

So in that process, it's getting mixed up in the water.

And so when it goes out to your plants, you have pretty much, a homogenous, liquid solution that's going out to your plants.

Cory> And how do you know, like how much fertilizer is going in?

Zack> Yes.

Really good question.

So, you know, the whole the whole reason for doing this is we really want to dial in how much fertilizer we're using and to not over fertilize.

Cory> Okay.

Zack> So we've created a drip fertigation app on Clemson's website.

Cory> Oh that's cool.

Zack> So yeah, you just put in your crop, from a selection, you put in the type of fertilizer that you're using.

And then you put in your acreage or your, how many row feet you're fertilizing, and it tells you exactly how many gallons or ounces of this product to use in an irrigation event.

Cory> Okay.

Zack> So we can really dial that in.

So it's a very efficient way of feeding our plants.

Another cool thing about this, is we're putting the right amount of fertilizer out when we need it.

So as you know, as plants get bigger, they have more fertility requirements.

Cory> Right.

Zack> So we can spoon feed our plants a little along so they're never without fertilizer in the process.

Cory> Basically with the app, with the way you would use that is, you would use that to determine how long the irrigation runs to determine- So you'd measure out your fertilizer, and basically run the water until that fertilizer is gone.

Zack> Correct.

And so what we tell people, depending on your soil type, you have to charge the system.

So what you would want to do is you want to, turn your irrigation system on for 10, 15 minutes to get the soil wet, to make sure the lines are charged.

Then you would want to fertilize with your fertilizer for about 15 minutes.

Cory> Okay.

Zack> Then once your fertilizer is completely empty from your bucket, then you would close these valves like so, and then you'd open your gate valve back up, and then you would run fertilizer- or water through the system to flush the fertilizer out.

Because the last thing we want to do is leave fertilizer in those tube, or those lines.

If we do that, it can precipitate out and clog our emitters on our drip system.

Cory> Yeah, that's not good.

Zack> No, it's not good.

Cory> So if I didn't use drip irrigation could I use this with like a sprinkler?

Zack> Yes.

Yep.

You could do that.

And it would be the same process, except instead of a drip irrigation, it would be a sprinkler at the end.

Cory> But there are possibly more waste... doing it that way, right?

Zack> Correct.

Correct.

So drip irrigation, especially for flowers and ornamentals and vegetables, is going to be a lot more efficient.

Cory> Okay.

Zack> Water-wise and then fertility-wise as well, we really want to put the water where the plants can take it up.

Cory> Right.

Zack> Because, we don't want to fertilize weeds.

Cory> Exactly.

Zack> Another thing that I want to talk about is the type of fertilizer that we use in these systems.

We want to make sure that we're using fertilizer that's soluble, water soluble.

Because again, the last thing we want to do is clog up those emitters.

And then we have a huge... nightmare or maintenance problem.

So what I like to do is use ones, that are, you know, NPK, our three nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.

We want to make sure that there's no phosphorus.

<Okay.> Zack> We have plenty of phosphorus in our soils most of the time in South Carolina.

And phosphorus also can precipitate out with some of the water that we use.

And so we don't want it forming basically rocks or crystals, in our drip system.

Cory> So how would they know looking at that label that it doesn't have phosphorus in it.

Zack> Yeah.

So this one here is 10-0-10.

So the middle number is phosphorus.

So zero means it's 0 percent phosphorus Zack> So, we're using a 10 percent nitrogen 0 percent phosphorus, and a 10 percent potassium product.

Cory> Right.

So those three numbers on a fertilizer bag, container, bottle, whatever, when those three numbers are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium Zack> Always, always.

And so this, this works really good.

It's, a very efficient way to fertilize, your plants.

And, a lot of folks are doing it on small farms and even in homesteads and backyards.

Cory> So in addition to phosphorus... precipitating in these systems and causing problems that way, and many of our soils, having enough phosphorus, are there are other problems with phosphorus use in the landscape?

Zack> Yeah.

If you have too much phosphorus in the soil, phosphorus stays in the soil.

It doesn't, move readily in the soil like our other nutrients.

And so you can get some, phosphorus toxicities, more so than the toxicity, it impedes other nutrients from being taken up.

<Okay.> Zack> And then phosphorus is not a good thing to have excess phosphorus in our environment.

Cory> It can cause problems, particularly in waterways.

If there's too much phosphorus making its- leaching out of landscapes and moving into to water bodies and, and creeks and that sort of thing.

Well, that's really interesting.

Anything else folks should know if they want to give this a shot?

Zack> Yeah, just, let us know we can help you, set one of these up.

I think the key for these is sizing it for how big your space is.

<Okay.> It's not going to work right, if you don't have the right pressure and flow rates and you have to have back flow preventers, by law, so that the fertilizer doesn't get in the water system.

And so there's a lot of nuances that we can help you, kind of, navigate in this process.

But, you know, once, you get one of these set up, I think you'll really enjoy it.

And they're fairly inexpensive because they last a long time.

So a setup like this will be a couple hundred dollars.

Cory> Okay.

Great.

Well, Zack, thank you very much.

Really interesting information that hopefully folks can use out there.

And, I might give it a shot at my house.

Zack> Absolutely.

Amanda> Cory, is our Hort.

Team Leader and... yeah.

And Zack is the Assistant Leader and both of them do wonderful jobs.

And Zack's down at the Coastal REC and he...

Boy, he's, and these farmers down there are really looking at lots of new things to plant and having a great time.

Thank them both for coming on to the show.

We really appreciate it.

Well, I think we have some show and tell.

Daniel> Yes, yes.

So first off, we have, I am... just fascinated with these, these newer plants that have come out in the last couple of years.

This is an intergeneric hybrid of man- of Agave and Manfreda.

And so they're called- Amanda> The shine on the leaves is beautiful.

Daniel> Beautiful glossy.

This particular one is called Snow Leopard.

Has this wonderful variegation.

There are- Amanda> Is it a houseplant?

Daniel> It could be a houseplant.

They're a little tender.

Zone 8A, Zone 8B.

Depending on selection.

So with some protection, great container plant.

We use them in our seasonal displays.

They come in a myriad of shapes, colors- Amanda> Come on.

Daniel> And most of them stay within a foot, 18 inches tall, 18 inches wide.

Vigorous growing.

Full sun.

Amanda> Full sun?

Daniel> Yes ma'am.

Amanda> Gosh, it is stunningly beautiful.

Whoa.

It's got not anything that's going to hurt you?

Daniel> The beauty of most of the Mangave collection is that you can hug- Amanda> The spines are not spiny.

Daniel> You can hug them.

But there are some that you need to be that you need to be careful with.

Amanda> This one is just gorgeous, and this beautiful tip the tip is very, very soft too.

Daniel> Blooms the first year.

Amanda> Blooms the first year!

Daniel> Which is very different than most Agaves.

And it's amazing to me how a small little plant will be able to put up such a tall, up to six feet tall bloom stalk.

Amanda> Whoa!

Okay.

And then what else have we got back here?

Daniel> And then we also have- Camellias are obviously, grown all over the state of South Carolina.

And most people are familiar- Amanda> But they come from?

Daniel> But they come from Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan.

And this particular one, there are tons of species, Camellias.

This one is, Fraterna.

And most of your species Camellias are small, simple white flowers, some with some pink variation.

And they- Amanda> Got twenty seconds.

Daniel> They have beautiful form, arching flowers and perfect in the shade.

Amanda> Whoa!

And the whole stem is covered with- Daniel> The whole stem usually in January or February.

Amanda> Gosh.

And then the pollinators come.

Daniel> They love'em.

The bees adore these plants.

Amanda> And tell us which one this is again.

Daniel> This is Camellia Fraterna.

Amanda> And is that available when y'all have open house down there?

Daniel> It can be available sometimes when we're open.

Amanda> All right.

Okay.

Well thank you, thank you, thank you.

Okay.

Well, thank everybody for being here.

This has been so much fun.

I learn so much, when y'all come.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And to all of you at home.

Hope you join us next week.

Night night.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.