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 sure are glad you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson Extension Agent, and I get to come here with my co-host, and fellow Clemson person, Terasa Lott.

Thanks so much Terasa, for all you do for us.

> It is my pleasure to be a part of team Making It Grow.

And it's become a regular occurrence, it seems that no matter where I go someone stops and says, "I love your show," or "Are you that person?"

But it just makes my heart happy to know that people are out there and they are appreciating Making It Grow and taking hopefully the advice and information and using it in their own backyards.

Amanda> And Terasa, always looks very nice when she goes out unlike me.

People are like, "You sure that you're the same person?"

(laughter) Terasa> I don't know about that.

It doesn't seem to matter.

I'm just, sunglasses, you know, no makeup on.

Amanda> La, la ,la, la.

Anyway, thanks for being here.

I always appreciate it.

<Mhm> Jackie Jordan, you're a Hort.

Agent in Fairfield, Kershaw, and Richland.

And you told me one time that you learned everything you could about turf grass because people would call up and say, "Are there any of those smart men there who know about turf grass?"

(laughter) > Mhm, that's right.

Amanda> And so you do kind of- You really have specialized in that.

> I did, yes I do have my Bachelor's in Turfgrass Science.

Amanda> Isn't that fun?

Yeah.

And of course, now we're telling everybody to shrink the size of their lawns.

Jackie> Yes.

Well, I like to tell people think of your lawn as an area rug that sets off the rest of your plants in your landscape.

Amanda> Okay.

And if it's smaller, you can spend- If you want to have, you know, no weeds or anything.

If it's smaller, you could more easily accomplish that.

Jackie> You certainly can.

Amanda> Okay.

Good idea.

Thanks.

Okay.

Vicky Bertagnolli, you're down in Aiken, but you help a lot with HGIC.

And, you told us one time of some funny things that y'all have happen, but do y'all, get people, can send you pictures y'all can email back and forth and talk on the phone.

> We can, so, along with the... almost 1,000 fact sheets that are online, <Yes> you can call or you can email and talk to a human.

Send us pictures.

And you'll talk to a human.

Amanda> So you're putting yourself as a, in the human being category.

Vicky> We do.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, we'll let you stay there.

I think that was a correct identification.

(laughter) Davis Sanders down from South Pleasantburg Nursery on the banks of the... Davis> Reedy River.

Amanda> Yeah, how bout that.

So, we've had a lot of rain recently.

Y'all been okay?

> Yes.

In fact, even during the hurricane, the river really didn't jump its banks because the, the bank on our side is a little bit higher than the other side.

So, we've never really had a serious flood other than, actually stormwater runoff from South Pleasantburg Drive running down into the storm drains.

Amanda> Do you have any plants that haven't liked all the rain we've gotten this summer?

Is there anything- Not much you can do about it.

Davis> There's not a whole lot you can do about it.

And, fortunately, being a container nursery, even when we do get inundated with a lot of rain, they all drain real quickly.

So it's really not that big a deal.

We have had some issues with, with our customers who have plants in the ground, that have dried for years and years, you know, deep rooted Camellias that are all of a sudden drowning because the water table has gotten up.

That kind of thing.

Amanda> Really?

Golly Pete!

Ah.

I'd hate to lose one of my wonderful Camellias.

Davis> Yeah, well, that's nature.

There's nothing you can do about it.

Amanda> Well, and y'all have... Y'all have, more clay in your soil up there, I believe.

Davis> Definitely, definitely.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thanks for coming down and being with us.

Davis> Thanks for having me.

It's always a pleasure.

Amanda> Okay.

So we have some fun things for you today.

Well, winter forages, which can just be beautiful.

And Nicole Correa, talks with Kenny Mullis about that.

And so it's just beautiful to go by a field in the winter and see it so green and lush.

And then bats in South Carolina.

DNR, we have our own bat specialist and she is just as nice as she can be.

Her name is Jennifer Kindel.

So you're gonna have a real good time learning about that.

So Terasa, do we have some "Gardens of the Week?"

Terasa> Well, we do, but we have a little bit different take on "Gardens of the Week" today.

So normally we take kind of a field trip in our viewer photos.

But this edition, is a collection from one of our former interns, Amelia Cornell, and she now volunteers at Brookgreen Gardens.

I know you've been there, so there are lots of pretty pictures that she has to share with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amelia said her volunteer work here at Making It Grow really is what made it possible for her to do that volunteer work at Brookgreen Gardens.

This is where it all started.

So what a wonderful story.

Glad to hear that she's, was able to absorb some of that information from when she was helping us out.

Amanda> Oh, she's smart as she can be.

So I'm just going to say.

"Hey there, Amelia.

Come by and see us sometime.

We really enjoyed having you here."

What a nice girl.

Well, she was just a kid then, now she's all grown up.

How about that?

And isn't fun that you're down there at Brookgreen.

Good for you.

Okay.

And Sean, said to tell you "he misses you as well."

Okay.

Well...

I guess now we're ready for some questions.

Terasa> We are indeed.

We are starting with Joyce in Columbia who said, "My Calathea is brown and crispy around the edges.

Is this too much water, not enough water or something else?

And luckily, we do have a photo to go along with that.

Amanda> Well, that's a help.

Well, Jackie, what do you think?

Jackie> Well...

This, is not too much water, too little water.

This is an issue more of humidity.

A lot of our tropical houseplants need higher humidity, and the Calathea is one that does require higher humidity.

And we really don't think about it with our houseplant humidity levels being 20 to 30, especially, when we're running heat in the winter months or when we're running the air conditioning a lot in the summer months.

But humidity is a measure of how much moisture is in the air, and with lower humidity, the plants are losing a lot more water, but you don't want to water them too much because these plants also do not like to sit in a lot of water with those potting mixes.

So the best thing to do is to raise the humidity in the room.

You can do this by getting a humidifier.

That's probably the best thing.

<Oh, okay> Also, they have the glass cloches that you can put a plant under if it's one that really likes a lot of humidity.

But things that don't work, they tell you to mist around your plant.

That's misinformation.

Amanda> You'd have to live in there... Jackie> You would, you'd have to stay there all day, misting, to keep it up so that it's just temporary.

Amanda> But a humidifier, that'd be easy.

<Mhm> If it's a room that you can seal somewhat.

Or I guess if it's just running in that area, you think that would be enough?

I mean, some people can't- Jackie> They make really small, portable ones now that you can charge.

So you can have a tiny one that you can put around the plants.

And another thing you can do is group your plants together.

So instead of having one plant by itself, out on a desk or on a ledge, try to group a few different plants together because that will increase a little bit of humidity around those plants.

And then you can get a little tiny humidifier.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, cool.

I didn't know they made those little things.

And they can be, you can recharge them.

Jackie> Yeah.

You can find anything these days.

Amanda> Golly Pete.

Woo, isn't that something?

Okay, well, that was fun to learn about.

Thank you.

Okay, Terasa?

Terasa> Let's see what we have next.

Oh, this is fun.

It just so happens that the question came from Davis Sanders, (laughter) at South Pleasantburg Nursery.

Who sent a text to Vicky and, said, "I've got this five eighths inch long...

It's on my Spirea, lots of eggs" and was looking for an answer.

And Vicky is absolutely the right person to get that identification.

Amanda> Well, I'm so glad that you said something to her that she could help you out.

(laughter) So tell us what you told Davis.

Vicky> This was kind of unusual for me, and I only learned about these, maybe last summer.

Because it's not something that I had seen... <Yes> often.

And I had a client bring in some samples last summer.

There were cocoons all over his house in the low country.

And it just happened that last year, there was, one of those population cycles of Tussock Moths.

<Ah!> And the caterpillars are very hairy.

And though they have, they're covered in these little urticating hairs.

And when they go to pupate, they make their cocoon, they incorporate those hairs into the cocoon.

And the picture that Davis has, has the leaf... there.

You can see the cocoon and the hairs.

So Davis sent this picture and I had to...

I enhanced it a little bit so that I could see some definition.

And you see the leaf in the background.

And then there's the cocoon that's covered in hairs, and then there's the eggs, and then there's the female moth sitting on top.

I can't tell which one it is, but it's one of the Tussock moths because I can see, the hairs that have been incorporated into her cocoon and they don't, they're wingless, or they have very small vestigial wings.

And, so she's not going to go far from her cocoon.

So she'll emerge- Amanda> Really?

Vicky> And they'll, she mates right there.

And then she lays the eggs right there on top of her cocoon, and she stays right there.

Amanda> Mercy!

Vicky> One of the more common ones that we see is the White-marked Tussock Moth.

Amanda> Okay.

So she's not going to go anywhere.

She's just sits there- Vicky> Nope.

She's just going to stay right there local- Amanda> And mate again.

Vicky> Well I don't know.

I don't think she's going to mate again.

She'll, just do it that one time.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Vicky> We know that that's what it is because... she's, the cocoon is there.

<Yes> The eggs are there.

The hairs are there.

She's there.

Amanda> I was thinking she'd emerge from the cocoon, but the cocoons still there.

<Yeah> So tell us about touching them and that you need to be careful- Vicky> Because they're covered- Tussock moth caterpillars are covered with all these little hairs.

And those hairs- Amanda> So, don't pick- A lot of hairy caterpillars you're not supposed to pick them up.

Vicky> I tell people, if it's hairy, spiky, anything like that, err on the side of caution and don't pick it up with bare hands.

<Okay> And these Tussock moth caterpillars are one of those.

Those hairs can break off and irritate your skin.

It's slightly venomous, but it's... more of the hair itself irritating your skin.

So you don't want to touch them with bare hands.

Amanda> And, there's some of them that are even, sometimes have stronger poisons or whatever's on the... Vicky> There are a number of stinging caterpillars, rose slugs, hag moth caterpillars, things like that.

Very, very common saddleback caterpillars.

We see them in the landscape.

But these you would think, oh, it's just a little it's a little punk, punk rock haircut.

And, think it's not that bad, (laughter) but, those hairs can really irritate your skin.

Amanda> Okay.

So, if people wanted to collect one, they need to get a container of some sort and put it in there, and then- Vicky> I would rather, I would rather you didn't touch it.

Take lots and lots of pictures and send those pictures to me and I can identify it that way.

Amanda> Well, thanks a lot.

Okay.

Well, don't leave that here.

Vicky> I'm not.

I'm gonna take it with me.

(laughter) Amanda> Okay.

Davis, what you got for us?

Davis> I have some native plants.

This... selection, I have brought today, we brought from, I brought these down to help support one of our favorite suppliers, Carolina Native Nurseries up in Burnsville, North Carolina.

Amanda> They were flooded out.

Davis> They almost, they almost lost their entire nursery.

But they have really rebounded with a vengeance.

And right now, they're selection of native perennials is as good as I have seen it.

Amanda> Good for them.

Davis> The... two that I've got up here right now are woodland natives of the, of the Southeast.

This one is, is the...

It's called the "Tall Thimbleweed."

It's actually a native Anemone.

It's Anemone virginiana.

Amanda> Now, these are for shady spaces?

Davis> Right.

Uh-huh.

And it gets its name- It does get those really pretty little delicate, Anemone flowers with white petals.

But as the petals drop, the seed head that's left behind looks like an old-fashioned sewing thimble.

Hence the name Thimbleweed.

<Yeah, cool!> And this one is, Zizia or Golden Alexanders.

This is another one that's, it's an excellent soil stabilizer, especially in moist areas like creek banks and that kind of thing, because it does develop a pretty, pretty significant root system.

Beautiful little yellow flowers.

This one still has a few left, but typically they bloom more in May, and early June.

But these are just two of the many examples- Amanda> The foliage is just lovely now, so I wouldn't, you don't miss the flower particularly right now.

Davis> And that's the case with a lot of our woodland natives, the flowers are there that get your attention, but even when the flowers aren't there, you can just see the wealth of foliage forms that we have in our native habitats.

Amanda> Okay.

And these are relatively carefree, once they're well established.

Davis> Once they're established.

Yes, they are... they like moisture, but they can tolerate periods of drought once they're established.

Amanda> And so the name of the nursery is?

Davis> It's Carolina Native Nurseries.

Amanda> And they supply to- They're wholesale?

Davis> They're a wholesale nursery.

Well, and they actually do have a retail division.

So, if you're ever up around Burnsville, they're out on Prices Creek Road.

Amanda> We're so happy that they've made a such a good- That was, gosh, not everybody, the story is not always that happy.

But that's why it's up there.

<Right> Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well I'm glad that you brought those and told us about them.

Davis> Well thank you.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, winter forages, they say, you know, in the winter when you go by these beautiful green fields, they're there for a purpose.

And, they stabilize the soil and some of them enrich the soil.

But you're going to learn even more because our Forages Agent, Nicole Correa is going to tell us.

♪ ♪ > Hi, everyone.

Thank you for joining us today.

My name is Nicole Correa.

I work for Clemson Extension and I am a County Livestock and Forages Agent.

Today I'm here in Richland County talking to Mr. Kenny Mullis about his cattle operation and also, all of the help that he does with the South Carolina Forage and Grazing Lands Coalition.

Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Kenny.

How are you?

> I'm doing great.

We're glad you could be here today.

Nicole> Can you talk to us a little bit about your partnerships with Clemson and also with the South Carolina Forage and Grazing Lands Coalition?

Kenny> Sure.

I've always throughout my life worked very closely with Clemson Extension.

They provide a very, valuable resource, technical information on how to do a better job on your farm.

Forage and Grazing Lands Coalition, I'm the current president of that organization.

It's a nonprofit organization.

We provide educational opportunities for producers around the state.

We work very closely with the USDA, NRCS, a good portion of our funding comes from NRCS.

We also work very closely with Clemson Extension, and some other organizations.

Have some joint projects with Clemson.

We help fund a forage demo, demonstrations around the state.

We have a number of Clemson Extension personnel on our board to help us, guide us and help us do a good job.

Nicole> Yes, we sure do.

There's a few of us there.

We've got Dr. Scharko, Dr. Silva, Chris LeMaster, Mr. Brian Beer.

And we appreciate all of the help from South Carolina Forage and Grazing for our demo plots.

I've got one planted in Calhoun County right now.

Can you talk to me a little bit about, some of the... folks that we have behind us?

Kenny> Okay.

These are all steers that I'm finishing for processing.

They're various ages.

Some are getting close to being ready.

Some are still pretty young.

They're predominantly Angus.

Got a little Simmental mixed in, maybe a little Charolais, but they're all black, black steers.

Nicole> Very, very nice.

They're very friendly.

(laughter) Kenny> They like, they like me because they associate me with food.

Nicole> Can you talk to us a little bit about, what the cattle are grazing behind us?

If we're talking about winter grazing and winter demonstrations.

Kenny> Yeah, these are all winter annuals that I had planted back in November.

They were planted a little late because of the drought in the fall.

There's annual ryegrass here.

There is cereal rye, which is a type of grain, but it's a grass as well.

There is, crimson clover, which is a legume which fixes nitrogen in the soil.

And then there are radishes that penetrate the hardpan, and they have deep roots.

They can mine nutrients down from deep in the soil and bring it up where the other, other forages can utilize it.

Nicole> That's fantastic.

So it sounds like planting all four, four different types is very helpful to soil health.

Kenny> It is.

And they kind of complement each other.

The cereal rye comes in early, and it's starting to reach the end of its life right now.

But the ryegrass, is really kicking in and it's a real high nutrient value forage.

And then the crimson clover is, starting to kind of Peter out a little bit too.

Clover and the radishes didn't fare that well this year because of the drought.

And I think, maybe they're getting out competed by some of the, some of the grasses here.

Nicole> Yes, you've got some beautiful- I see a lot of ryegrass here.

I mean, it seems very long to me.

How do you know when to graze it?

Kenny> Typically you want the grasses to get up around eight or ten inches, and then graze them graze about half of that off, so that when they get down to around four or five inches pull them off and move them to the next, next pasture and let that grass recuperate and regrow.

And if you graze it down to close, you won't, you'll kill the grass before it's, before it's intended to die.

Nicole> Okay, so that would be considered overgrazed.

Kenny> Correct.

Nicole> Okay.

Wow, so, I mean, it sounds like what you're doing here is what people like to call "regenerative grazing."

Kenny> Yes, a lot do.

A lot of people call it "regenerative grazing."

Nicole> Okay.

Can you talk to us a little bit about this farm in particular?

You know, is this your family's farm or is it leased land?

Kenny> This is my family farm.

My family's been here since, well before the Civil War.

My daughter lives on this farm.

She's a seventh-generation here.

Sherman's troops actually came through here, during the war and burnt the house that was, that was here.

<Oh, wow> And then, we, my great-grandfather built another house.

It's close by here.

That's been here since the early 1800s.

And we use that house now for, different family functions.

Nicole> Okay.

And has it always been in farmland?

Kenny> It has.

My, grandfather, which is...

I have personal knowledge of what he did.

The others, I'm not sure.

But I know he had cotton back when cotton was the big, king, back in the '40s.

And so he, a lot of this land was cleared and planted.

And then after... farming kind of took a lull.

A lot of it was planted in pines.

<Okay> And then some of it has been reclaimed back into pasture land now.

And I'm, actually reclaiming some now around my home.

So, in South Carolina, I know a lot of folks feed hay.

Is there a reason why you would choose to graze the land instead of feeding them hay?

Kenny> Generally grazing is a good bit cheaper than hay when you're, when you're growing hay, you have to have a tractor and you have to bale it, rake it and bale it, and there's a lot of man hours involved.

Here, the animals are doing the harvesting.

So you don't have that, that cost.

And they're also introducing manure and urine back into the soil which is a natural source of fertilizer.

Nicole> Oh that's fantastic.

So what you're saying is, what's best for animal welfare is actually fantastic for the land and for your pocketbook.

Kenny> Correct.

Nicole> Well, thank you again, Mr. Kenny, for having us today.

We appreciate all of the hard work that you and your family do to, you know, care for these cattle and care for the land around you.

And, we can't wait to come out and visit again in the future.

Kenny> Glad you could make it.

And again, we really appreciate the partnership, working together to try to make things better for South Carolina.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, isn't it nice that people plant things that they don't have to go and purchase so that their animals can eat during the winter?

Yeah, good for them.

And it's so pretty.

Well, Hats, hats, hats.

So I was out at Ann Nolte's of course, where I get everything because Ann does everything in the world.

And she has dahlias some, you know, they do better up in North Carolina and other places.

But hers are always so pretty even in the middle of, the summer.

And so I get some dahlias, and this was in the front yard.

Nobody knew quite what it was.

But we think it's Patrinia.

Anyway, we looked it up, and if you have a better idea of what it is, let us know.

But I wanted to tell y'all, I have some swamp milkweed that Laura Lee gave me.

Laura Lee Rose.

<Yes> And it's just done beautifully.

And last year, the monarchs just ate it to the ground.

And this year- Vicky> There was some competition.

Amanda> I mean, the monarchs, aren't even coming through- When did they usually come through?

Much later.

Anyway.

And these dang beetles are on it.

And, let me see if I can put them on this.

And, anyway, and I don't, I haven't seen the egg cases.

There will be like two and, you know, I squish them and then there will be three the next day, sometimes just one.

But this is what they've done.

I mean, this is the top of the plant.

Vicky> They're denuding your planet.

Amanda> I know.

So I put them in the- I had a, I save the pimento cheese jars, which is good to do because you can put insects- Vicky> Those are excellent insects sample jars.

Amanda> And then you can put it in the freezer and bring it over here and get y'all to help me with it.

But anyway, So apparently this beetle, there's several beetles.

This is a specific- We think it's the Swamp milkweed beetle.

And he's just eaten the heck out of this and I squish him.

And dang, if they don't keep coming back and this is just, aww, anyway.

Terasa> It's sort of sad.

But at the same time, a little fascinating that monarch caterpillars and these beetles have, developed ways that they can eat things that are toxic to other, you know, insects, animals.

Amanda> They cut the vein that the... sticky, latex.

Vicky> That the latex.

Amanda> Smarter than we are in some ways, I guess.

Anyway, they've been here a lot longer than we are and probably will be here long after we're not.

But anyway- Vicky> Yeah, the coloring of these beetles is highly variable.

Similar to... the multicolored Asian lady beetles.

<Yes> It's variable, so it may or may not be that pattern.

Amanda> I see.

Okay.

Vicky> It could be a little bit different, but their, their shape is the same.

Amanda> Yeah, it's definitely a beetle, but it's a native.

Vicky> It's a, mhm... Amanda> Anyway, So, I don't know.

Anyway.

So much for the milkweeds this year, when they come through, there's no supper waiting for them.

Anyway.

We'll see.

Anyway, as you say, things all happen for a reason.

Alrighty.

Terasa?

Terasa> Oh, goodness, I almost, I got so enthralled by the beetle, I forgot we might have something else.

This question comes from Grant in Camden, Who said, "What-" And sent a photo.

"What are these spots on my Hydrangea leaves?"

This is a common, common question.

Amanda> Okay.

Jackie, what's going on?

Jackie> He's got Cercospora leaf spot on his Hydrangea.

It's a common leaf spot disease we see, especially with all this rain that we've been getting.

And then the other thing that you need to do is make sure that your overhead irrigation is not hitting your shrubs multiple times.

We always talk about good deep watering.

Calibrate your sprinkler system, make sure that you are delivering an inch a week, half an inch twice a week for those sandy soils out in Camden.

You know, good deep watering is much better than multiple waterings throughout.

Amanda> Oh, yes.

Jackie> Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot that you can do now because the leaf spots are already there.

Just a good clean up in the fall.

And just realize that this is not a very serious disease.

It's not going to kill the plant.

It looks worse than it is, as some spot diseases are.

Amanda> It's just this year- Jackie> It's just this year with all the rain.

So you're just going to see it and just do a good cleanup job and... Amanda> Yeah.

Maybe next year- Vicky> So when you're talking about a clean up job you're talking about, when the leaves fall off of it.

Jackie> Exactly.

Vicky> Rake those up.

Jackie> Rake those up.

Get rid of them.

And then put out fresh mulch because you may not catch all of the leaves.

Vicky> So we should not be composting those leaves in that pine straw.

Jackie> No, no.

Vicky> Okay.

Amanda> But it's kind of been, I mean, it's out there.

Jackie> It is.

Amanda> It's out there.

So even if you do all that, if you have the right conditions, you gonna have it anyway.

Jackie> Right.

I mean, and to prevent it, you'd really have to spray a fungicide ahead of time.

And you'd have to consistently spray and who wants to do that.

Because then it's like every week you're spraying.

Amanda> Ah, la, la, la, la.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And usually- Well, I'm not going to fuss because it's been nice not to have to water and, you know, pay big water bills.

Anyhow.

Well thanks for telling us about it.

Okay, Terasa?

Terasa> Next up... this question comes in from North Augusta.

Frank wrote in and said, "I found these carpenter bee larvae outside of the nest.

What is going on?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Whoa.

Vicky> So, this is relatively unusual.

And Cory Tanner... the Horticulture Program Team Leader was on here- Amanda> Came and talked to us- Terasa> ...Was back in May.

Vicky> -Talking about carpenter bees.

So, we know about carpenter bees, how they'll, they burrow into the wood and then they've got all these chambers.

It's unusual for you to see larvae outside of the nest.

And there's a reason for that.

So, something happened inside the nest.

It could be that the humidity was not correct inside the nest.

And so... the larvae aborted.

It could be that the entrance was not sealed properly.

That the female did not finish it.

She abandoned it, did not take care of, or provision the nest site properly so it aborted.

Could be that there were disease, and that the female decided something was wrong with these larvae and she might have pulled them out.

It could be that, another female carpenter bee decided I want that nest site.

And she could have pulled them all out so that she could use that, that nest site.

Amanda> Well, whatever, I mean, it's like the stars were in alignment for whoever's house it was.

Because, there's nothing good about having the carpenter bees in your woods.

Vicky> Yeah.

So there was...

I don't know what's going on, but something was not right about this nest site- Amanda> But we're not worried.

Vicky> -and those larvae.

Amanda> We're not worried.

We're happy, in one case.

And the best thing to do, I think, is just... stain, I mean, to paint the wood or seal it.

Vicky> Painting the wood, <Helps> tends to deter their, wanting to nest there.

That's different than staining.

Amanda> Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

Vicky> It tends to deter them.

It may not stop them but it might deter them.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thanks a lot.

It's always cool to see what it looks like isn't it?

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay, Davis, what are we going to look at?

Davis> Well, I've got a few more samples of, of some native plants from our friends Bill and Shelby and all their staff up at Carolina Native Nurseries.

This first one is... this is Chrysogonum Pierre.

It's also known as Green and Gold.

It's a, semi-evergreen groundcover.

The further south you go, the more evergreen it is.

Loves wet soil, loves the shade.

It can, adapt to periods of drought.

These are blooming a little bit right now.

It's a little bit out of season.

Typically they are very heavy bloomers in April, May and early June.

But to see them in flower in July, that's just, another sign that the weather's been kind of weird.

Amanda> And I see it often- When we used to be in the mountains, trekking around, like on the sides, right by the paths, <Uh-huh> seems like it'd be covering those frequently.

Davis> Right.

And, a lot of that has to do with the fact that, that with the paths, the soil has been compacted and this needs a good deep soil.

So, it's growing where it's getting better drainage.

<Yes> I also have some, Appalachian Mountain Mint, since you mentioned the, since you mentioned, the paths in the mountains.

<Yes> This one is a native mint.

So it is going to be a bit aggressive, but, since it is a native, there are going to be limiting factors in the environment that would keep it from becoming invasive, like some of the cultivated mints.

This one is also one of the best pollinator magnets that you can put in your landscape.

Amanda> It's just unbelievable.

Davis> I'm surprised I didn't bring any, little, little critters in with me when I brought the plant in.

Of course, it spent the night in the car, too, so, no telling what's still out there.

Amanda> Fragrance is wonderful.

Davis> It's a wonderful fragrance.

Yes.

And last but not least, this one is, is one of the fleabanes.

This is Erigeron... pulchellus, I believe.

It's also known as Robin's Plantain.

This one is, is one of the most adaptable native plants I have ever seen.

It's all over the botanical gardens at Clemson, it's growing in all sorts of environments.

Full sun, deep shade, dry soil, wet soil, and everywhere it's equally happy.

You get these little, pretty little, pale lavender flowers, and, just a nice, dense little mat of foliage that stays very well behaved.

It's fairly slow to spread.

And, it's just...

I hope that more wholesale nurseries start propagating this because this is just, a wonderful plant for just about any application.

Amanda> Okay.

Does it have a relatively long bloom time?

I think this one does, doesn't it?

Davis> It will bloom sporadically.

Since it is, if I'm not mistaken, it is in the Asteraceae family.

Amanda> So it's not just once and done.

Davis> Right, right.

Amanda> Which is fun.

Davis> It will have several flushes of bloom.

Amanda> And it's fun to look at because it has that little purplish, pink-purplish tinge to it.

And that just makes it more interesting to look down on.

Davis> Right.

It's kind of a bonus because this one, the foliage is just magnificent.

Amanda> Isn't that gorgeous?

Vicky> I like the elevation change in it.

It goes from this low growing foliage to this... Davis> Like so many of the Asters.

Vicky> I like it.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, I'm so glad you shared that with us.

We appreciate it.

Davis> Well, thanks.

Terasa> Davis, you mentioned about the Green and Gold kind of flowering out of season.

In this case, it was later than usual.

But it seems like people have been reporting this year a number of flowers flowering earlier than usual.

So when Zack Snipes co-hosted, when you were on your trip to New Orleans, he had brought up a blue mistflower.

So I think that was in May.

And we normally see those late summer like August, September, I think.

And people have been telling me their golden rods are starting to flower.

So... it's complicated the things that initiate flowering.

And a lot of times, stress- So, it could be high fluctuations in temperature, or fluctuations in moisture, all kinds of things.

And then the plants can respond to that.

<Yeah> Vicky> I tell people all the time that the plants refuse to read the books or the calendars or the plant labels that we put on them.

Davis> Because they can't read.

Vicky> They just, they just do their thing.

Terasa> Same thing as the deer resistant plants.

Vicky> Yeah, they don't read that label.

Amanda> Yeah.

Vicky> They refuse.

Amanda> Well that was a good one to learn about.

Thank you.

And thanks, Terasa for telling us that as well I really appreciate it.

Okay.

All right, Miss Terasa?

Terasa> We're going to try another question?

How about... this one is from Elgin.

Mel said, "There are giant webs in the ends of my pecan trees or "puh-kahn" trees.

What are they?

And do I need to do anything?"

Amanda> Well, Terasa is really sweet like my sister and says "puh-kahn" and I say, "pee-CAN."

But it doesn't make any difference, but we all love pecans or "puh-kahns."

And, but...

I'd hate to think, I mean, the tree's pretty tall.

I can't climb a pecan tree.

Jackie> No, no you can't.

Fall webworms and honestly, probably the easiest thing to do is just try to get a stick and break up if you can.

Reach up there, open it up so the birds can get to the caterpillars, because it's just a bunch of caterpillars in there.

Amanda> But it's not going to harm the crop or anything?

Jackie> No, it's not going to harm anything.

So, it looks worse than it is.

Another one of those things that... Amanda> Just look at something else.

Jackie> Look at something else.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much.

Okay.

Jennifer Kindel came on and... told us about some new things they've discovered in South Carolina and what you can do to make your yard more friendly towards bats.

Well, I am so excited.

I'm talking with Jennifer Kindel and she's the bat specialist at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

And Jennifer, I just love bats.

Jennifer> And we are so lucky that you love bats.

Amanda> I just do.

I do.

But why are bats important?

Why should we all embrace bats, at least?

Jennifer> Well, bats do a lot for us whether or not we realize it.

So they really benefit us in terms of eating insects and keeping insect populations down.

So our agricultural industry really relies on bats.

Amanda> People say they eat all the mosquitoes.

From what I've heard, that's not a huge part of their diet.

But I have heard that, you know, I thought they had to go after things that were flying.

But I've heard that in an agricultural setting, they actually can take the insects off the plant.

Jennifer> Yes.

Amanda> And they do a tremendous amount.

And that's, you know, like millions and millions and millions of dollars.

Jennifer> Yes, exactly.

Yeah.

So it depends on the bat species.

So little brown bats actually do eat a lot of mosquitoes.

But we've got and so they'll eat 150 mosquitoes every 10 minutes.

Amanda> Whew.

Jennifer> Which equals about 6,000 to 8,000 insects in an evening, needless mosquitos... Yeah, so but big brown bats do either beetles and other larger insects and so they'll eat- What was it like 150 big brown bats can eat 1.5 million pests per year and prevent 33 million larva from hatching.

We've also got Brazilian free-tailed bats, which of course, is the fastest flying animal on the planet.

Amanda> Is it?

Jennifer> Yes.

And it's... a very common bat that we have in attics and, unfortunately, but also that use bat boxes and those can eat the corn worm.

I think it's called the the "corn earworm moth."

They eat a lot of those so that really helps- <How about that?> a lot of things Yeah they're, depending on the species they eat different kinds of things.

So it's nice to have a lot of species.

We have 15 different species here, which is pretty exciting.

Amanda> Didn't you just find a new one that is documented in South Carolina?

Jennifer> Yes.

We were really excited to find the gray bat, which is an endangered species that actually seems to be doing well.

I think one of the reasons it's still considered endangered is because their populations are and they like to...

They're a colonial rooster that come together in big caves.

So there's only so many caves that they exist in right now.

And so, you know, a natural disaster could potentially wipe them out, unfortunately.

But they seem to be doing well and they're not their populations aren't declining from white nose syndrome, which is nice.

Yeah.

So in any case, we found them just in a Blue Ridge ecoregion of South Carolina this fall, roosting in little crevices of bridges.

So it took us about four years to find them.

But we tried a lot of different things, it's a whole story, and we're really excited to finally add them to our list.

Amanda> Well, and we had a nurse colony in our attic.

Jennifer> Yeah.

Amanda> And they went in a soffit, whatever a soffit is.

But we- in the afternoon we'd go out and watch them emerge and we have clapboards and they look like mercury.

And then they just kind of... flow out like mercury and then they just take off.

Jennifer> Totally.

It's so fun to watch, right?

Because, like you said, it's a great description.

They're just like falling out and, and you know, it's really fun to watch them emerge from bat boxes.

It's kind of the easiest, most relaxing way to survey for an animal, I think, cause you'd sit back in a chair with your favorite drink and, you know, just watch them come out and estimate their numbers.

While, the sun's setting and it's really fun.

And then you're watching them eat all the insects around you, too, so.

Amanda> They're considered an indicator species.

So they're kind of, the health of the bat population in your area is somewhat indicative of the health of your ecosystem.

Jennifer> That's right.

Yes.

So bats do bioaccumulate chemicals just like birds do and other creatures.

So, one thing I always tell people is they're the natural predator of insects.

And so when you're spraying pesticides, you're, you end up hurting the natural predator of the things you're trying to kill.

So keeping an eye on... Amanda> Because they can't wash their food.

Jennifer> Right.

Exactly.

Yes.

Yes.

And so...

So yeah.

So, some of the numbers and I guess I didn't I didn't say those.

But in terms of what bats save the Ag industry, it's 23 billion dollars, they save the Ag industry for the U.S. every year.

And then in South Carolina, it's 115 million dollars that bats save our agricultural industry.

So it's a lot of money.

And they, yeah, they really help out our farmers.

So if you know, I know a farmer in Georgia who had pecans, put up bat boxes and because their bats protect pecans as well.

And so eating all the insects that destroyed pecans and so they were able to stop using pesticides because they put up a few bat boxes and had thousands of... Brazilian free-tailed bats- Amanda> Good heavens.

Jennifer> Eating those things.

So, I'm like yes.

That's such a great story.

Amanda> Pecans which are native to this part of the world.

And then the bats, gosh, it just all fits together beautifully.

Jennifer> It does.

Yeah.

Amanda> Jennifer, people are always concerned about bats and rabies, and rabies is an extraordinarily serious concern, but how often are bats carrying rabies and what's the protocol and what do you know about that?

Jennifer> Yes.

So bats are not riddled with disease as... people do think sometimes.

So less than 1 percent of natural bat populations have rabies.

But as you said, rabies is scary.

So it's important to understand it and what you can do around bats.

So for example, any... bat that's down on the ground is on the ground is probably not doing very well.

So it's always good to, you know, teach your kids and other adults never touch a bat, a downed bat because it's probably not healthy.

So if you get a bat in your house, for example, the first thing you need to do is once you see it in the house, make sure you isolate it, get everyone out of that room and isolate the bat and then call DHEC because they will walk you through the three potential exposure scenarios.

And if you're not, if none of those three things happen, then you can go ahead and let the bat out.

But if they had, then they'll talk to you about what the next steps are.

Amanda> Okay.

Jennifer> And so those three things are if you wake up with a bat in your room, it's possible a bat could have bit you without you knowing it.

So that's potential exposure.

The other is if you have you know, if you've picked up a bat or touched a bat with your bare hands, that's potential exposure that could have bit, you maybe would have known.

And then the third, of course, is if you have pets or children or anyone who might not be able to tell you that they've gotten bit by a bat.

So that's the third potential exposure.

So... Amanda> So, don't open the window and shove, you know, skew it off, wait, call DHEC and then do.

Jennifer> Yes, perfect.

I know it's the first reaction, but just isolate it first.

Amanda> No, we want to be careful.

Jennifer> Yeah, because that way they'll be able to test the bat.

And if it's negative, then you don't have any worries at all.

And if you do, if it is positive, then they'll help you learn more about getting the vaccine.

Amanda> What you need to do.

Jennifer> Yeah.

Exactly.

Amanda> Save your life.

You know, I said, I had a nurse colony of bats up in a soffit in the attic somewhere and I just didn't worry about it.

But I understand that... that probably wasn't the best response.

I needed to leave them as long as the babies were there, because, I mean, I didn't want to, do something and not let the mommas be able to get back to the babies or the babies when they could fly, leave.

But so, but you said you can call wildlife pest management.

Jennifer> Yeah.

Wildlife control operators, they know all about all the details for what to do.

So they will come in, look, look at your house to see where the bats are entering and exiting and then they'll put up, they'll close off some of those areas and put up a device that lets the bats out but not go back in.

Amanda> If I, but in my case, if I already had the babies, they could make certain that the bats couldn't come down in the part of the house that we were living in.

Jennifer> Exactly.

Amanda> And then they would have on their calendar when to come back, when the babies would all be gone and they could put something up to keep them from coming back the next year.

Jennifer> Exactly.

Amanda> And I, you could put up a bat house in your yard which would be a better place for them to live.

Jennifer> Very good.

Yes, exactly.

So, yeah, timing is key on that.

So you can learn more on our website.

But a good time to exclude is during early spring and during the fall.

Amanda> I am always trying to tell people to be less tidy in their yards.

I'm trying to promote Doug Tallamy's Home Grown National Park movement and all that.

And so I love Palmetto trees, which are not a tree, but it is our state tree.

Jennifer> Yeah.

Amanda> So many people go out there and tidy them up and tidy them up and tidy them up.

And I understand that some of our bats like to take shelter or roost under those old fronds that are hanging down.

Jennifer> Yes, exactly.

Yes.

So we had this beautiful bat called the northern yellow bat.

That's very rare, coastal bat.

And it's actually one of our largest bats and it loves to use those dead palm fronds, so it'll roost underneath those for protection.

So that's a good reason to leave them is, is you might have this very rare bat using, using the palm fronds.

Amanda> Since I love bats, I'd like to put maybe some bat boxes up if they're- Are they often used by bats?

If I put one up, you think eventually I'll have some bats in it?

Jennifer> Yes.

If you do it right.

So you have to put them up a certain amount of distance from the ground so they can fall out and catch the air.

So like 12 feet high.

It's a little challenging to get those up.

But once you do, they also well, they also need to have sun.

That's like six hours of sunlight.

Amanda> All right.

Jennifer> Probably closer to four on the coast because it gets pretty toasty, but that keeps the pups warm.

Which is really important.

So if you do all the right things and the bats need the habitat, they will use it.

But sometimes it can take up to three years before they start.

Amanda> There's someone in Traveler's Rest who just has been doing all kinds of wonderful things.

Jennifer> Yes.

Yes.

John Gillespie is the Batman of Traveler's Rest, and he has eight... Oh gosh, eight or nine boxes now on this old historic building that he was trying to keep the bats out of originally, which he did.

And then... the bats were like, great, we love these boxes.

And so there's like, there's a thousand, a thousand plus bats that end up coming out of all those boxes.

So he... he is an amazing guy and he builds bat boxes and we have a celebration of, of bats the end of October for "bat week" there.

So you can come see you can come see them any time, but they'll come out of the boxes.

Amanda> Now I guess there are bats everywhere, except Antarctica.

I don't know.

Jennifer> Yeah, right, exactly.

Yep.

They're worldwide.

Amanda> And lots of them are pollinators.

Jennifer> Yes.

Amanda> Some of them are big.

Some of them are fruit eaters.

<My goodness> Amanda> Tell me a little bit about them.

Jennifer> Okay, so... We have over 1,400 species of bats in the world and we have our Insectivorous bats here, which is the little guys.

But there are bats called flying foxes, which are amazing.

If you take a look, you will see on the internet a six foot wingspan is the biggest Amanda> That's huge.

Jennifer> And I like it...

It's scary when you first look at it.

But, but understand they are fruit bats and they help by pollinating and spreading seeds.

Amanda> Spreading seeds, of course.

Jennifer> Yes, yes.

And so we really benefit from them even though they don't live here in that they pollinate things like the agave plants.

So we can thank them for tequila.

They also pollinate banana plants so... you can thank them the morning with your breakfast banana.

And then they also spread the seeds of cocoa.

So also, think you can thank them for chocolate and they spread the seeds with pepper and I think 500 other... other species.

So they do a lot.

And then they also protect a lot of our crops, as we mentioned before.

So they'll protect cotton and corn and rice and coffee.

Amanda> Golly!

Jennifer> So yeah, you can spend a full day eating things that bats provide, help provide you between bananas and coffee and chocolate and tequila depending on your day.

Amanda> And so I imagine you've probably got a page on your website, DNR, about bats.

Jennifer> Yes, we do... And we have a lot on there.

So feel free to check it out.

But there's... some information about our Bat Watch program, which is a citizen science program.

If you know, if you have bats in a box and you want to count them, you can do that twice a year and put the number in- Amanda> Like the great American bird count.

Jennifer> Yes.

Yes.

So that's pretty fun.

And then, yeah, a lot of information about, you know, different species we have here.

Amanda> Reasons to love bats.

Jennifer> Yes, so many reasons to love bats.

Amanda> Jennifer, I want to thank you so much.

I hope that people will realize that these creatures were here before we were and that we have to make room for them in our, in our lives and that they can bring you a lot of joy.

Jennifer> They really can.

I mean, you would be surprised if you go out and watch bats coming out of a box.

You might be like, okay, that's kind of cool.

Amanda> Well, it was cool of you to come down and tell us.

Thanks so much.

Jennifer> Thank you for having me.

Appreciate it.

Amanda> Thank you, Jennifer, for what you're doing and for letting people know- Please, and you tell your neighbors as well, bats are our friends and you're not going to you know, you're not supposed to pick them up and all this- But if you take the right precautions, there's no reason in the world not to let them exist in the world, along with other things.

And they like to eat mosquitoes.

Alrighty.

What's you got for us, Davis?

Davis> Well, I have Cuphea micropetala.

<Yes> This is a, it is a hardy Cuphea.

Sometimes called a "Candy Corn Cuphea" because the coloration.

<Yeah> It's a, it is a hummingbird and butterfly magnet.

It's also winter hardy down to about five to ten degrees.

So it's going to grow in just about, just about every part of the state.

<Yes!> Just a beautiful little plant.

And, as, Doctor Harry Ponder at Auburn used to say, "Hummingbirds will shed their wings and crawl on their bellies from Mexico to get to this plant."

Vicky> I love it.

(laughter) Davis> And it is a, Mexican and Southwestern native.

So, it does grow wild in the, in some of the more- Amanda> The tubular shape is just perfect for the hummingbirds, is that right?

Davis> Yeah, it certainly is.

Terasa> I did not realize it was that hardy.

I had, it in a container one year, and I just treated it like an annual.

Now I'm disappointed.

Davis> Yeah, plant it in the ground next time.

Amanda> Now you'll know.

Vicky> Missed that opportunity.

Davis> But it really is a pretty plant, even when it's not in bloom, the foliage is really nice.

Amanda> It is.

Davis> And this is another one that, I know a lot of people are going to cringe when I set a Mahonia up here.

<Yeah> But this one, this one does have a really nice compact growth habit.

This one is called "Marvel."

It's not... supposedly it is sterile.

The flowers, yellow flowers- Amanda> That can be problematic.

Davis> It can be.

I have used this on, on several landscape jobs, and we haven't seen any volunteers.

We haven't actually seen much in the way of fruit.

The flowers seem to appear, and then any of the fruits that are left, tend to mummify on the plant before they even have a chance to drop.

But... it does have a little bit different texture.

It's not a coarse texture.

And the growers all tell us that this one is not going to be the next leatherleaf.

It's not going to spread everywhere.

Amanda> Let's hope.

Davis> Thank goodness.

But... Amanda> Tell us where it likes to grow.

Davis> It likes to grow in the shade just like most of the other Mahonias.

And, this one's going to top out probably about five to six feet with... maybe a slightly less spread.

Amanda> Now, there's several Mahonias in the trade, aren't there?

Davis> There are a number of them- Amanda> What's some of the others?

Davis> Most of the... the current ones, of course, the leatherleaf, which is invasive and it can be problematic.

There's one similar to the, leatherleaf that has a lot more spines on the foliage, and it gets huge.

It's called, "Winter Sun Mahonia."

It's just an incredibly floriferous one.

Just lots and lots of those yellow flowers.

<Really> And here again, I've never seen that one produce fruit.

Amanda> So you could have this gorgeous thing in the shade?

And big?

Davis> Yes, definitely.

And, there's also, several cultivars of the... of the Chinese Mahonias that have more of a Nandina like appearance.

Our favorite one is one called "Soft Caress."

Very soft leaves.

And it's got very long leaflets, almost compound leafs.

And they kind of droop down- Amanda> That sounds very attractive.

Davis> And beautiful yellow flowers.

Amanda> Gosh.

But the leatherleaf did get way out of hand.

Davis> Yes, yes.

And that, often is the case, when a plant is imported, you don't have the natural, environmental factors that might limit its spread, in its native environment.

There may be a fungus that affects it.

There may be... animals that eat the plant, or don't distribute the seeds, but you move it into an area that does not have those natural environmental controls and they... Amanda> Just explode.

Elaeagnus is another excellent example of that.

The Russian olive.

And I hate to say it, but Bradford pear.

Amanda> Yeah, I know, you know.

And the Bradford pear is everywhere now.

We have the bounty, that Clemson puts out, I think, Terasa, and several counties do that, don't they?

If you bring, if you cut your Bradford pear down, they'll give you a plant.

But, I mean, it's just everywhere isn't it?

It's just heartbreaking.

Davis> There's, there's a stand of them up near where I live, and it's up...

They are intact.

They haven't broken up in the winter.

It's a beautiful stand.

And everybody- Amanda> The ones that come from the, you know, sterile, from the seeds, have these spikes on them, just, you know, they'll just, I mean, you can't, they'll tear up tractor tires.

Davis> Well, and this esplanade, that's just off the road, near where I live is beautiful.

But if you look to the field just to the left of it, in the fall, you see all these little red tufts that have popped up.

Those are the seedlings that have come from that.

And one day somebody is not going to get out there to bush hog that, that field.

And, we're going to have another environmental nightmare.

Amanda> Well, today was not an environmental nightmare.

Most of it was a lot of fun.

Thank you all so much for being here.

I just thought we had a lot of fun and cool things.

And, so, we'll leave with this happy plant.

Yeah.

This beautiful flower, I'm gonna pick one off, and I can't be a hummingbird, but... (smacking sounds) I don't get any nectar, but I bet it had plenty any it for the hummingbirds.

Thank y'all all so much for being here.

And I hope you'll be with us here, 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.