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.

♪ ♪ ♪ > Good evening, and welcome to another episode of Making It Grow .

I'm Terasa Lott with Clemson Extension and happy you are joining us for what we hope will be an hour of gardening and Ag related information in a fun and easy to understand format.

Things are a little different this evening.

I'm over here in the host seat.

Do not worry, Amanda will be joining us again shortly.

And filling in for me this evening is Hannah Mikell, who is an Agronomy Agent in Williamsburg and Clarendon Counties.

But Hannah, in addition to those responsibilities, you have another media endeavor.

> I do.

Recently, we wanted a way to capture all these great speakers we have with Clemson and share that with the general public.

So, if you can't come to a meeting, a lot of the agricultural type stuff we do is seasonal.

And so if they're in a combine, picking, or planting or whatever, we've recorded some of our speakers.

And so it's called "Cultivate Ag Podcast."

It's with, the Center of Agricultural Technology under Clemson.

So it's another institute formed.

But I get to host that podcast and it's been an excellent way to provide some of our growers with more information that they might not be privy to if, if they were, you know, in the combine or planting or spraying.

Terasa> Take the information to where they are.

They can't always come to you.

I love it.

And it is a public podcast, so hopefully some of our viewers will listen as well.

Hannah> That's correct.

Terasa> Thank you.

And Drew Jeffers, Drew, you are in Greenville serving as a Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator.

It's been a long time since we've seen you on the show.

> It has, it's been a while but I'm happy to be here.

Terasa> Well, good.

I know one of your projects is the South Carolina Certified Landscape Professional.

And it just reached a milestone I believe, five years in operation.

Drew> It did.

We've had it for five years, and we just issued renewal letters, for the first round.

So we're very excited.

This is a program that you can, homeowners can search for, search these landscapers to see if they can help them out.

So you can actually go and verify certification, on our website.

If you search for SCCLP, it comes right up.

Terasa> What a great resource.

So we hope that you will utilize that tool.

And Jackie Jordan from the Midlands, Richland, Kershaw, and Fairfield Counties also serving as a Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator.

Jackie, what's the most unusual question you've had recently?

You just never know what to expect.

One day it might be insects, might be turf, it might- > You don't, all kinds of stuff.

We get all kinds of questions.

And so... it is, each of them are unique because, you know, it forces you to learn.

Which is the great thing about this job is, is you're always learning something new.

Red-bellied cricket, was a new one that I identified which was new for me.

One of... somebody sent it for me from their garden in Bethune.

And so I had to identify that.

So that was a new insect that I learned about.

Terasa> Now you've got another tool.

So next time you see it, you'll be able to identify it more quickly.

Right?

That is, one of the benefits of working in Extension is it's a continuous learning opportunity.

Being on the panel as well.

Jackie> Yep.

Terasa> Thank you, Jackie.

And right next to me we have Dakota Nettles from Forest Lake Greenhouses.

Close to where I live.

I'm in Darlington, so I enjoy browsing.

Forest Lake has a lot to offer.

> They do.

So Forest Lake is a family owned local nursery in Florence.

And we do a lot of the growing there ourselves.

We, also buy some things.

But... yeah, a really big greenhouse, that we just grow a lot of annuals.

Terasa> So there's something going on year round, and I'm looking forward to exploring some of the plants, later on in the show.

Dakota> Yeah, it's going to be really exciting.

Terasa> Mhm.

Well, for your viewing pleasure we have a few segments that I know you will enjoy.

One of them is a visit to Livingston Farms in Woodford, South Carolina.

And it is just a delight to the eye to see all of the beautiful produce.

You're also going to learn about a unique professional development opportunity for future leaders in the world of agriculture.

I know you won't want to miss that.

But right now, we're going to give you your time to shine through our "Gardens of the Week" segment.

Hannah, do we have some pretty photos to see?

Hannah> We sure do.

We've had several people that have submitted this week.

Ms. Carolyn Duggan, she has a praying mantis, camouflaged amongst some Zinnia foliage.

Those Zinnias are always so prolific, I feel like they last forever and ever.

And if you cut them back, they could come on out, I think.

Terasa> That's right.

Hannah> Right?

Yeah.

Praying mantis, that's cool.

Gayle Pace, she had landscaped area with several types of Coleus.

And, she reports that "They have performed exceptionally well this year."

Terasa> That's always a plus.

Hannah> I know, mine have done really well, too.

I put it right by the front door so I could see it.

Sabrina Myers, she had one of the swallowtail butterflies.

It looks to be, maybe a spicebush swallowtail.

It's very pretty.

And then, Ms. Lisa Brett, she has a landscape, bed in progress in Taylors, South Carolina.

And Lisa said, "It was a barren spot before this summer."

Terasa> Always nice to see people taking those first steps.

Hannah> I know.

Yeah, it's awesome.

And then, Ms. Alice Thomasson, she had a Luffa gourd in Charlotte.

And Alice said, "That she was only two miles away from the South Carolina border."

So it's nice to have some friends sending in some stuff from around the state and neighboring areas.

We look forward to having any other additional, "Gardens of the Week," next week.

So plant some stuff so we can see it in the future.

I'm always so excited, to view what all of our growers have around the state.

> Mhmm.

It is so much fun.

Thank you, Hannah, for sharing those.

Thank you all for submitting your photos and don't be shy when you see us make that call for "Gardens of the Week," post your photos right there on the Facebook page, and it might just be selected to be viewed on air.

Well we are most known, I think, for answering and troubleshooting problems and questions when it comes to gardening.

So do we have a question that we could help?

Hannah> We do.

I think we are going to... let's see, Drew, this is yours, okay?

It's Columbia, South Carolina.

We have, Ms. Edith called in, she has some Azaleas with tiny little white things on the leaves.

I think we've seen most of this around the state.

She thinks they might be lace bugs.

But what's the best way to treat them this time of year?

Drew> Sure.

So, Edith, the perfect way to test if they are lace bugs is to turn the leaf over.

If you see little black dots, that's the little poop.

So that's- The excrement, if you will.

That's, the telltale sign that they're there.

Lace bugs are usually more... prevalent if the Azaleas are in afternoon sun.

So if they're- So if you move the, if you actually move it to a place that is more morning sun, afternoon shade, you'll actually have natural predators will come in there.

But if you can't move it, probably gonna be looking at a systemic insecticide, something like Imidacloprid that you can, that you can treat with.

Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

What about the leaf litter down below any kind of airflow- Drew> Can certainly get rid of the leaf litter.

That's where all the eggs are going to be staying.

So get rid of all that and then- Yeah, increase the airflow would be much better.

Terasa> I'm so happy that one of the first things you said was about how to kind of identify and look for signs, because that identification is really the first step in any kind of problem.

Right, Jackie?

<Correct> I'm sure you talk to homeowners all the time about that.

Jackie> Oh, yeah.

We've got to figure out exactly what you're dealing with first and make sure you've got the correct identification.

Terasa> And sometimes it can be a process.

Right?

And so we... have to do a little bit of detective work to figure out what the problem is before we can begin addressing it.

All right.

Solid answers.

What else do we have?

More questions?

Hannah> Sure.

This one comes from North Augusta, from Charella.

She was wanting to know, "If dichondra is a good, lawn alternative?"

That's a good question.

Terasa> I think more and more people are asking this question.

You know, what could I put out there instead of my turf grass?

And I know Jackie, turf is kind of one of your passion areas.

So what do you think?

Jackie> Well...

I will preface it- Dichondra is good in certain areas, and I think we have to look at where we're wanting to use the turf grass alternative.

Some of them are not going to be able to put up with as much foot traffic.

So if you are... trying to cover an area where you're going to have dogs running around in the yard or children playing, then it's not going to tolerate that foot traffic.

Another common misconception is that they're going to require less maintenance and less inputs.

And unfortunately dichondra is... mostly evergreen for us.

And it has a very thin- So it's these little round, leaves that grow on a stem, across.

So you've got these little thin ground cover, in order to get it nice and thick and lush so you get a dense coverage, you have to fertilize it.

And you have to fertilize it actually more heavily than you would our normal warm season grasses.

So if you're looking to reduce your input, it's not a good choice.

And with any plant we always say "right plant, right place."

And so finding the right area, dichondra is a plant that likes moist soil, good drainage, but moist soil.

So, it will do well in areas that typically stay on the wetter side, or in areas where we get a lot of rainfall.

So if you're closer to the coast, it would be a better option.

If you were in Kershaw County, where rainfall is the lowest of the state, it's not going to be a good option.

So look at your rainfall amounts.

Look at where you are- Because if you're going to have to irrigate it to keep it alive, you're better off going with one of our more drought tolerant, warm season grasses.

So, I would say it really comes down to very... specific site conditions.

And also, unfortunately, a lot of the alternatives to grass for us don't work well because there's a season of dormancy where they go completely dormant.

And for, even for the dichondra which is mostly evergreen, if we get down below the 20s, it can go completely dormant.

And we still have those winters where we get down to nine degrees.

<Right> So occasionally you're going to have a bare lawn.

So if you're looking for erosion control, it's not going to be a good option.

So... Terasa> It depends.

Jackie> It depends.

And I would say in a very small area, it could work well.

And if you're looking for lawn alternatives, there are lots of great ground covers.

There's lots of great options.

I think we've all looked at expanding landscape beds, adding more plants.

So take that lawn area and shrink it.

Put in more flowers and shrubs, and that way you can feel like you're reducing your input and still have a lawn area that can be very low maintenance.

Terasa> I love that idea.

And interesting that this question was asking specifically about dichondra, because I think, Drew, I have heard people call in and they've got dichondra in their lawn and they're asking about, you know, how to eliminate it as a weed.

Hannah> Oh, no.

Really?

Drew> Yeah.

Well you know, it's funny, the lawn alternatives thing, I've even seen a lot of people looking at the micro clovers.

So, not just Dutch color, but some of the micro ones that are like really short.

Up in our neck of the woods, people often co-mingle it with fescue.

So that way it's, kind of keeps the fescue looking good.

Cause it is Legume.

Jackie> Yeah.

And I think that's another thing you have to keep in mind is temperatures, because in the upstate the micro clovers would work a little bit better.

But down in the Midlands through the Lowcountry, we're going to get too hot and they're going to fade out in the middle of summer, which is when you want some green in there.

Hannah> And the soil type.

So she's in North Augusta, so it's fairly sandy there.

Right?

<Yeah> So I don't know if irrigation unless it's just a low lying place in her soil.

Jackie> Exactly, exactly.

And looking at the topography of your site as well can all contribute to where it would be an ideal candidate.

Drew> But now bahia, bahia grass is a low maintenance grass.

Jackie> Bahia is low maintenance.

Centipede can be very low maintenance.

Terasa> So the moral of the story probably goes back to, the right plant for the right place.

Hannah> It depends.

Terasa> It depends.

But we do have lots of resources on our Home and Garden Information Center.

And those are accessible to you 24/7, through your fingertips.

If you do your, a favorite web search, you should be able to find it HGIC is that, Home Garden Information Center.

Well, the time has come, Dakota.

I am anxious to see what you have brought to share with us.

Dakota> So I did bring a couple of fun things to share.

Terasa> Nice.

Dakota> When the summer's over and all your plants are looking... mmm... gone, really.

Terasa> A little piqued.

That's how I feel when I go outside.

Dakota> Yeah, going into the fall, you're ready to change to that fall aesthetic, or you just want some color to put back in your yard, or in your pots, your beds.

I brought some fun things that you can use, in a container or in the garden bed that gives you that fall color.

And, this right here is a Fountain Grass.

<Mhm> And then I've got Cordyline Spike too.

And these both put in that, dark burgundy, that dark burgundy color that goes real nice with- Terasa> That Fountain grass, I love the texture.

And you get a little bit of height, adds some, some visual appeal to a spot.

Now tell me, I see green foliage and kind of that purple color.

Is there, is it new growth is going to be more of one or the other.

Dakota> So the new growth is most likely going to be this bright green at the top you see there.

And then it'll acquire these dark purple edges.

This will get, maybe like five foot tall as well.

Terasa> Okay.

So got to plan.

It's going to take up a fair amount of space.

Dakota> Yes, yes.

Really nice grass.

Terasa> And then comparing that to the Spike, now this doesn't look quite as full and lush.

Dakota> It doesn't.

So this is more ideal for containers.

So you want to have your thriller, filler, spiller.

This is a really good thriller.

And this will get quite tall as well.

Terasa> Okay.

Dakota> This can reach about two foot tall.

If you, have a big enough container- Terasa> Imagine, putting it in a container.

So would you locate that in the middle, towards the back.

Dakota> You know it really depends where you're going to put the container.

If it's going to be up against the door, I usually put the taller things in the back.

But I really like to go in the center and then lots of color all the way around.

Terasa> And how 'bout cold tolerance on these things?

Because, you know, we've had the dog days of summer, but it won't be too long before we hope at least, temperatures start cooling down.

Dakota> So, these are really great for fall, like I mentioned.

But going into winter time, these really don't tolerate our winters.

So a Pennisetum, that grass that you saw earlier that's going to be an annual grass.

Now, depending on how cold we get here, this may make a winter especially if you got it in a container on a covered porch.

<Mhm> But typically outside...

I wouldn't say it's going to come back for you.

<Okay> I wouldn't say it's going to stand in 20 degrees or with frost on its leaves.

Terasa> But that's okay.

Dakota> Yeah, that's good.

Terasa> Awesome.

Well, thank you so much.

Those were pretty exciting.

We might better hold off on the rest of them until a little bit later.

We want to save, savor... savor all of those plants.

Exactly.

Now we're going to take a trip to Livingston Farms.

Keep an eye out for some unusual animals that may venture into a human dwelling.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ > Hey, Hannah Mikell here, Agronomy Agent with Clemson Extension.

I have the pleasure of visiting Ms. Jordan Hodgens with Livingston Farms here in Woodford, South Carolina.

Right?

Jordan> That's right.

Hannah> We're right here off of 321.

Super easy to find.

<Yep> So, Jordan, you're a female, you're farming, and you're doing what?

Vegetables?

Jordan> Vegetables.

Hannah> I mean, I'm used to working with some of these row crop guys, but, so you are a totally different change of pace for me.

> Yeah.

Everything hand picked.

Obviously, we do use tractors and everything to prep the land.

And, I do all that start to finish, you know, get the land ready and set the plants out- Hannah> Girl, you are busy.

Jordan> Handpicked... everything is handpicked.

Hannah> Really busy.

Goodness.

So what made you so interested in this?

Or did you major in agriculture?

Jordan> No, I actually majored in retail fashion merchandising.

Not that you can tell now.

Hannah> Very fashionable.

I like it, go ahead.

(laughter) Jordan> And I worked retail for a little while, and it just really didn't feel like a good fit.

I realized, that I was going to have to spend every holiday away from my daughter and, just kind of through a turn of events, I started working some odd jobs trying to figure it out.

Ended up meeting Mr. Sidney Livingston.

Hannah> Mr. Sidney Livingston, that's the farm owner.

Jordan> The owner here.

Hannah> And you're the farm manager.

Jordan> Yes.

So I met him while I was working at a restaurant.

I had some potbellied pigs at the time, and I knew from his shirt that he did vegetables.

So I asked him- Hannah> Potbellied pigs?

Jordan> Yep.

I asked him what he did with the stuff that, you know, they threw away or that he couldn't sell.

He told me to come out, that he'd load my truck up with whatever I needed.

And I think within a week I was picking squash.

And, so I started, you know, just as farm laborer out in the field and fell in love with it and, never really left.

Hannah> Yeah, I get it, I get it.

I used to work out some, in like some of the fields growing up back home, and I loved it.

But getting back to those roots and being able to really, you know, get up early in the morning, go out in the field, see the sun come up and and work the land... there's a lot of reward to that.

Right?

Jordan> It definitely is rewarding.

I, probably work harder now than I used to, but I don't feel like, you know, I have to get up and come to work.

It doesn't feel like that anymore.

I definitely found my purpose, and I just love being out here, and it's something different every day.

It's not the mundane- Hannah> We're right here at the farm shed.

There's people in and out all day long.

<Yeah> So, just beyond vegetables, I'm seeing cut flowers here.

Jordan> Yeah, we just got into doing cut flowers.

There again, just to kind of change things up.

I thought it'd be fun.

And I've had some pretty good success with it.

I'm still learning, but, I enjoy it.

Hannah> Yeah.

So that's just an added bonus here.

If they come to get produce, they can pick up some Zinnias maybe, and sunflowers.

Jordan> Yep.

And we do U-pick as well if they want to come and make their own bouquets, they can do that.

Hannah> Cool, I like it.

So Jordan, all these vegetables I got to go out and view and watch y'all pick and pack in the fields.

Which of those are your favorites?

Jordan> Probably corn.

Hannah> Me too.

(laughter) Jordan> And then in the fall, collards.

I really, yeah... collards is my... Hannah> Are you maybe, the "collard queen?"

Is that a thing?

Jordan> Self-proclaimed.

But nobody's ever challenged me on it.

Hannah> Okay, okay.

Well, that's all right.

We can't take your title away.

(laughter) If we give it to you, you got it right.

How many acres does the whole farm encompass here?

Jordan> So the total farm is about 250 acres, but we're growing on just under 20.

I think the pivot covers nine and a half acres.

So we typically keep all of that planted.

And then he added another four and a half acres under sprinklers, I think two years ago.

And then we've got some other areas that I'll run drip line on, and stuff like that.

Yeah, so the pivot is, that's a center pivot.

Jordan> That's right.

A tower you've got water pipe to it.

<Yep> And whenever the crop needs it, you just start walking that thing around and it slowly sprinkles water out.

Jordan> Rain with a push button.

Yeah.

Hannah> That's a nice way to put it.

Yeah.

And then the drip lines those are just running on top or you have those subsurface.

Jordan> Yeah.

So we'll run them underneath- I mean, some of it's on top.

But then obviously after the plant starts growing and everything like that.

But yeah, we'll do that for tomatoes mostly.

And then like I said, any of the areas that don't have the overhead irrigation, we can, you know, use those if we need the space.

Hannah> Yeah.

It's crucial in the Lowcountry, really any part of the South in general.

We gotta have water.

Here or there.

Jordan> You're going to have either a drought or a monsoon.

There's no in between.

Hannah> Nope.

There's really not, is there?

Girl, where are you getting all your knowledge from on these vegetables?

Jordan> Mr. Sid is a wealth of knowledge.

I definitely... you know, I'm new to farming, but I'm so grateful that I had him just to be able to ask questions and, you know, could rely on his past experiences.

Hannah> Have you found there's different niches in this atmosphere that you've enjoyed or you- Jordan> Definitely.

We do a lot of the odd stuff, mostly just, so that it's not quite so boring with picking, you know, instead of picking yellow squash, we might do zephyr squash, which is some of the two-toned that I was showing you earlier.

We go all over, we go down to the Lowcountry.

I got a lot of good partnerships down there.

We've got local grocery stores that we provide to, and then a lot of just smaller individuals that are supplementing what they grow and, just keeping their farm staying stocked as well.

So it's... it's good.

Hannah> Well, during peak produce season, our, you know, picking season, you really have multiple outlets.

And you're going what, 60 or 70 miles either way.

Jordan> Yeah.

We'll pick in the mornings we pack, wash, and grade and then I'm typically on the road in the afternoons or evenings.

Hannah> So, you're like, over here, over there.

Are you traveling?

Or you have some- Jordan> Yes.

Yeah.

My mom helps some with some of the local deliveries, but most of them- You know, if I'm going down to Mount Pleasant, I'll run that down usually later in the afternoon once we're done picking, and I've had a chance to clean up a little bit.

Hannah> The struggles of a small business, you know, family owned, but you're the one juggling all of it.

I'm sure that's kind of difficult.

Jordan> It is.

But, there again, I enjoy it because it's always something different.

I feel like I'm probably always on the phone.

Hannah> Yeah, it's rewarding.

Right?

<Yeah> But I'm sure there's times it is probably not so rewarding.

Jordan> Yeah.

Hannah> I did see... (laughter) so there's a video- Now tell me the back story of this video.

Jordan> So I had it was about 1,000 dollars I was taking down to the Lowcountry, down to Charleston.

We had, you know, packed them.

I'd already, like, paid all my help, you know, to come and do it.

They were beautiful.

I love growing heirloom tomatoes.

And and he wanted them all.

He said, "I'll take all you can, all you can bring me."

I said, "Okay."

So we packed them, boxed them and everything was set to go.

That next morning, I came to load the van and they were all just cascading.

Hannah> What happened?

Jordan> The boxes, just, you know, they don't make anything like they used to.

And they just, I don't know, they, it just collapsed.

And so the bottom ones, obviously once they started, you know, crushing in the whole tower of them just fell.

So, most of the emotion was probably due to exhaustion because, you know, <That's okay> I don't know when the last time I've had a day off was.

(sobbing) But everything was fine.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but yeah, it was kind of funny to look back at it now.

Hannah> Well, in those moments you can kind of see what helped you through.

And maybe getting back to work is a sense of therapy as well.

Right?

Jordan> For sure.

Yeah.

Hannah> That's awesome.

So I'm sure your, your local family, friends, I know you're very thankful to have them come in and serve.

Then you have maybe seasonal help as well.

Jordan> Yeah.

We always, hire a group of high schoolers.

And they have been phenomenal help this year.

Hannah> Hey, train them early.

<Yes> Get them right.

Let them earn a little money.

That's encouraging.

<Yeah> How cool.

Well, speaking of kids, how about your daughter?

Do you think in 10, 12 years, maybe she'll be... primed, ready to come back and take over?

Jordan> We'll see.

She's always said that she wants her first job to be at an ice cream shop.

So, I'm trying to push- Maybe we can get some ice cream at the stand.

<There you go> She can stay right here and work.

She does like to shell peas.

She likes the tedious little jobs.

She's not so much in to you know, <I do too> picking or anything out there in the heat.

But when it comes to tiny little, you know, tedious jobs- Hannah> My favorite memory was getting off the bus, and I would go and I'd sit down, and I'd start shelling peas in that big ol' silver bowl, and I'd watch The Brady Bunch.

<Yes> I'd just get to work.

<Yeah> I loved it.

But, so having those potbellied pigs kind of brought you to this farm.

Are you still dabbling with livestock at all?

Jordan> Yeah.

So now I've switched over to mini cows.

<No> We've got two new ones on the way, today.

So, I've got- They're mostly Herefords and, Highland crosses.

So they're all the little guys, and there's also videos of them coming in my house, <Oh no> on the front porch.

And they've got a pool.

Hannah> So, are we talking like many here?

Or like many here?

Jordan> Yeah.

They're... they're about this tall, yeah.

Hannah> Oh my goodness.

They have a lot of personality or they're just?

Jordan> Oh, Yes.

Yes.

Hannah> Really?

They have like what type of water source?

Like you mentioned something about a pool earlier.

Jordan> Yeah.

They've got a mini pool or a kiddie pool, I guess, we call it the "moo-l," that they get in.

And so typically my bull mostly he- Every day I come home, he's standing in it.

And they'll "moo" when we come home.

And so we just wave at them.

But they get all the fresh produce that a cow could ever want.

Hannah> That's so fun.

Jordan> They are definitely spoiled.

Hannah> So, Jordan, do you see this, farm stand up here?

Do we need to grow it?

Are you looking at any type of add-ons.

Jordan> Yeah.

So we actually recently got awarded money from the Acre Grant which is through Department of Ag.

And we're going to be adding some bathrooms.

Hopefully, so that the high schoolers and whoever else is working or doing U-pick, they don't have to travel so far to go to the restroom.

So we'll be adding that on and hopefully getting some internet so that we can communicate <Yay> a little better.

Hannah> A little wi-fi going on.

That's cool.

Yeah, we can't live without that, can we?

<I know> So Jordan, the stands open year round?

Is that correct?

Jordan> That's correct.

Hannah> We can find you here most days?

<Yep> Unless you're on the road.

Jordan> We are here pretty much all the time.

But Monday through Saturday, like eight to five-ish.

I think our official hours are on the Facebook page.

But we're growing something year round, so we'd love to have you any time.

Hannah> Thank you.

Well, on behalf of me and so many other women out there, maybe not young women because I'm not young anymore- But I think you are so inspiring and I really appreciate all you are showing the world on your social media and then just your smiling face here.

Jordan> Thank you so much.

That means a lot.

Hannah> I really enjoyed it.

♪ ♪ Jordan> Well, thanks for coming.

We'll see you next time.

♪ (laughter) Hannah> We had a great time, visiting with Jordan down in Woodford, South Carolina.

It was super cool.

We were actually at lunch and they were getting in some of their new cows, and so we were able to get some shots of that.

And it was... kind of, tickled us a little bit for all the things she's got going on and how busy of a woman she is.

Always surprises us.

Moving on, we have another question that has come in.

Terasa> Of course.

Hannah> Alright, so it's been super hot lately, right?

So, Mr. Grady down in Charleston said, "It's been so hot, he doesn't quite... not quite sure if he needs to water every single day.

Terasa> This is a really common question.

And Drew, I know irrigation is a part of your certified landscape professional course, so how do you, how would you respond?

> So, well, of course, it all depends.

If it's a container, yeah, you're watering daily.

But if it's something like a raised bed, you could probably get away with every three days or so.

We talk about that one inch of water a week, which doesn't sound like much, but it's actually 27,000 gallons over an acre.

Terasa> We might need to say that again.

(both speaking) 27,000 gallons over an acre.

That's a lot of water.

Drew> But the idea is how we, how we deliver that inch.

So, do we want to split it up.

And some people do like to split it up, you know, half in the first part of the week, half in the later part of the week.

It's probably not gonna be ideal to try to do it all at once.

<Yeah> So, I would say not daily, but like at least twice a week would probably be- And, there's actually a good video that you actually worked on, Terasa, of calibrating your irrigation system.

So that you know the inches per hour that you're putting out.

So then you'll know how long to set your irrigation for.

Terasa> Exactly.

So, and having a rain gauge is a good idea, or connecting to one of your local weather stations so you can keep track of what is Mother Nature providing, because that one inch is really, total, that you need.

Right?

So we only need to supplement if we're not getting enough from Mother Nature.

Hannah> And the timing, I don't mean to belabor this, but if you're watering late at night like, I'm on my walk through the neighborhood and I see all these irrigation systems on, like at eight, nine o'clock at night, that grass is staying wet all night long.

Drew> Yeah.

If you're watering in the evening, you're sinning.

That's not a good- <Uh oh> Only water in the mornings.

(laughter) Hannah> He has called it.

Only in the morning then, right?

Terasa> Like everything else, it's complicated.

Drew> It's complicated.

Hannah> Oh, goodness.

Terasa> But, yes, you can watch the video on how to set and calibrate your sprinkler system.

So that's another question.

People say, "How long should I run my system?"

And there's really no way we can say definitively unless they determine how much is being put out by their system, over a set amount of time.

So, you can watch that video.

It is on HGIC as I mentioned earlier, and learn how to work with your system.

Alright Hannah, do we have another question?

Hannah> We sure do.

In Gaston County, North Carolina, Mike has a Meyer lemon.

And it's not flowering.

What's going on, I wonder?

Why is it not flowering?

Terasa> Those can be disappointing, because I assume he's probably hoping for some fruit.

Hannah> I would think so.

Terasa> And those flowers smell absolutely divine.

Hannah> So Gaston County, North Carolina, is that like west of Charlotte?

Terasa> You know, my North Carolina geography- Hannah> Near Gastonia?

Terasa> It would make sense.

Drew> I think it is west of Charlotte.

Hannah> So the nighttime temperatures are a little bit higher than what maybe most of our citrus like to grow.

But I'm no expert.

(laughter) Corn and cotton type stuff, here.

Terasa> Jackie, I bet you might be able to lend us some expertise on this.

Jackie> Yeah.

So first off, when you have a plant that is not flowering that you want to flower, you have to look at all the environmental conditions.

We want to look at the air temperatures.

We want to look at the watering.

We want to look at... <Light> light.

If it's getting enough light.

We want to look at- Even the soil pH can affect a plant's ability to flower.

But Mike wrote in and said that he had put in a brand new pot.

That, it had done well previously and he transferred it to a bigger pot, took care of some root bound issues and fertilized it with a citrus fertilizer.

So, I dug a little deeper and this probably was... it would have been a good weird question to address most unusual, and found some information that the University of Florida had put out.

When you have lemons, and lemons can take a long time to ripen, anywhere from six to nine months on the tree.

When we get into the induction period, which you have a fact sheet that you wrote on growing citrus in a container.

The induction period is a period that the tree has to stay at below 68 degrees, and they need to accumulate anywhere from 600 to 900.

The more they accumulate, the better they're going to be at producing flower stalks.

If were on the lower side of that, they produce more leaf stalk on their new growth.

So at the same time, if you've got lemons... on the tree, and when we start that induction period around late October, early November, it's putting a lot of energy carbohydrates into producing that lemon.

And so there isn't enough buildup.

And so we wind up seeing less flowers produced.

Another crazy thing about citrus is that they can be alternate bearing.

So, based on the rootstock and some lemon trees are grafted to Mandarin orange rootstock, and that Mandarin orange is even more likely to have an alternate bearing.

So some years you'll have heavier fruiting, some years you'll have less.

And if you have that, in combination with letting your lemons sit on your tree and harvesting them later.

You could wind up with a year or two where you don't have any fruit.

Now the third clue is that you cut the roots.

So when you cut the roots, the tree is also going to create the energy that's created in the leaves and put that into growing more roots.

So there probably was... the roots are trying to reestablish themselves and grow because whenever you prune anything roots and branches, you're cutting it and you get some new growth established from that.

So the tree responds by sending out new growth in the root system.

So that's a, sink for those carbohydrates.

At the same time, when you're trying, when the tree is trying to put out possibly some blooms.

So, with the tree being in a container, it's not as big as a tree in the ground would be.

<Sure> There's a limited amount of carbohydrates that tree can produce because of the limited number of leaves.

And so it was just a diversion of energy, with everything coming together at once.

But so just so you know, if you do have something that's not in a flower, there's a lot of things that go on to make a plant flower.

<That's right> Drew> I was going to say the miracle of flowering.

A lot of the things that go into it.

<Yeah> Hannah> I'm feeling a YouTube segment here, like somebody- We need like a specialist to really dive into this because...

I mean, if I had one, I would need to go and talk to you specifically for a couple hours.

And then follow up.

Terasa> And, a plant not flowering, it might not always be a Meyer lemon, but I get, I think we as Extension get that question all the time, "My "X" isn't flowering, what can I do?"

Hannah> Or they're dropping blooms.

It's with every crop you see it.

Drew> Or fruit abortion.

Terasa> That's right.

And so, chances are it sounds like Jackie, from that deep dive that you did that, maybe next year.

So the plant will have had time to recover from being, having the roots cut, being repotted.

Any lingering fruit that might have limited the, the flower production for the next year or so.

Hopefully he gets a, a good amount of flowers and then a good crop of Meyer lemons as well.

Jackie> Oh, yeah, he definitely should.

I would expect this next coming year, he'll get lots of flowers.

It's just one of those off years with everything.

Terasa> Sounds good.

Well, I'm always happy when we can share some positive news, because sometimes people have problems and there's really not much that can be done.

So always, happy to hear that there is, a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

Alright Dakota, what do you have to share with us next?

Dakota> So I brought- Terasa> Let's put it up, right here.

Dakota> A couple more fun things.

Terasa> Okay.

Dakota> So- Terasa> I want to see them a little bit closer.

Maybe move that one over here so everyone at home can see us and the flowers too.

Terasa> How's that.

Dakota> All right, so- Terasa> Maybe we'll jump off with the Coleus.

Dakota> Yeah.

Coleus a fan favorite.

Lots of people plant Coleus in their, in their garden or in their pots.

This is another fun fall plant.

And you've got that really good garnet color there.

And this can even do, like, some partial shade, too.

A lot of people have trouble finding plants for shade.

That's a struggle here.

Terasa> Just the opposite at my house.

I don't have any shade.

<Really> (laughter) I'm always lamenting about wanting to have shade plants.

Dakota> Well, this will do good in shade.

And then I got this Heuchera, here.

<Okay> This is a Coral Bells.

And that's got a really nice color.

And sometimes, if our winters aren't too, too, too cold, they'll even be evergreen for us here.

Terasa> Oh, that's fantastic.

Terasa> And this one is called paprika, I believe.

And such a pretty... coral, really hint to, the leaf.

But I want to go back a little bit to the Coleus.

Now, this one is garnet.

But when it comes to Coleus, diversity, I mean, there's so many different color options.

Dakota> There are tons of different Coleus, tons of different, leaf shades, shapes.

And some will take full shade, some will take full sun.

Most of them will do like a partial.

I realized that they're a lot happier in like a morning sun and then afternoon shade.

But yeah, there's totally tons of different Coleus.

Terasa> Now, these are going to be an annual, <Yes> but easy to propagate, I understand, right?

Dakota> Yes, they're very easy.

You could just cut right where a node is.

Let that callus, or either stick it in water and watch it root.

Really simple to do.

And if you want your Coleus to be less leggy, if you got it in the sun and you see it's growing real, real tall and getting leggy, you don't have as many leaves at the bottom.

I would just cut out a node all the way around there, and that'll help promote new growth and flush out leafs in the bottom and give you a really full plant for fall.

Hannah> Is that a way to overwinter those, that you really love and you want to keep that color?

Could you take and cut them late right before they freeze and then keep them in the house maybe?

Dakota> So, unfortunately, this won't come back for you if it dies from the cold.

It is annual, but a lot of people will bring them inside and use them as like, a nice houseplant.

Bright, indirect light, maybe by a window or something like that.

And you can definitely overwinter it that way and then bring it back out in the springtime.

Terasa> Nice.

I mentioned propagation, but I should make sure that I warn folks that some plants are patented and, we should not propagate those.

So, Drew and Jackie, I bet you talk to your Master Gardener classes about that.

<Uh oh> (laughter) Drew> We have quite a bit of that, actually.

Terasa> And, you can check to see, online or sometimes it'll have it on, the tag if it's patented.

Right?

Look for that plant patent.

Drew> It'll be on there.

Terasa> Always want to make sure we're following the law.

Hannah> Uh oh.

(laughter) Terasa> Thanks, Dakota.

These are really beautiful.

And they look, nice together.

Although the Coral Bells, the Heuchera is going to be a perennial.

Dakota> Yes, it will be a perennial for you.

Terasa> So if you're like me, a lazy gardener, I tend to lean more on those.

Dakota> And it'll just come back up for you next spring.

and you don't have to do anything.

Terasa> Love it, love it.

Once and done kind of a thing.

<Yeah> Alright Hannah, do we have, another question from a viewer?

Hannah> Sure, yeah.

Otis over in Greer, South Carolina, said, "His lawn looks terrible after all this heat and rain."

But he's wondering, should he fertilize it now or wait until the fall?

Drew> Otis, you didn't tell me what kind of, what kind of lawn you have.

I'm guessing you probably have a fescue lawn.

Just because the term "brown" is probably from some brown passion, fescue does suffer from some heat in the, in the summertime.

So if it's fescue lawns, you want to fertilize those in the fall.

So around... in our neck of the woods round about mid-September, roughly.

So mid-September through mid-October, then you are going to be doing that again in the spring.

And our fact sheet on HGIC can walk you through our maintenance calendar, how to do that.

If you're a warm season grass grower like Bermudas, Zoysia, Centipede, Saint Augustine, all your fertilizing is done in the summer.

So, in the Upstate, say mid-May through- Well actually late May excuse me, late May through mid-August is when you want to stop.

<Yeah> So.

Terasa> Yeah.

So, that's something that I don't know if everyone is aware of about how, you know, South Carolina is a relatively large state and different turf grasses.

So, in my area, we wouldn't have any of the cool season grasses, but I imagine more toward the Greenville or even further in the northwest corner.

We have people fighting the good fight trying to grow fescue.

(laughter) Hannah> Oh, goodness.

Terasa> Another right plant, right place.

Choose the best turf grass for your particular situation.

Thanks so much.

Well... let's watch a segment now where you get to learn about Clemson's Leadership Development Program, for those who are aspiring to be leaders in the world of Ag and other related sectors.

Amanda> Today, we're going to learn about the PLEAF Program at Clemson University.

Agriculture is the largest industry in South Carolina, and Kirby Player, tell us why this is so important to have this program in place.

> Thank you, Amanda, first for having us on Making It Grow .

PLEAF stands for Palmetto Leadership for the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry.

It's a two year personal development and leadership growth program that takes current and emerging leaders in these vital, life sustaining industries that, as you said, are key economic drivers for our state.

The program seeks to help these individuals become the best versions of themself through networking with their classmates as well as other leaders in our state.

We do various inventories and modules that help them develop personally and professionally so that they can be influencers in our state.

As well as we do field trips to all key forestry and agricultural and other related industries in the state.

And I'm pleased that I brought two participants in the current class to talk with you today.

Amanda> Well, I'm excited to learn more about it.

Ricky McCutchen, you are here.

You work for Charles Ingram Lumber.

And then Megan Floyd, you are a farm girl, I believe.

This is fun to have y'all.

Tell me a little bit about what you do in the lumber business.

> Yes, ma'am.

So I work as a procurement forester for Ingram Lumber Company.

And Ingram is a family owned sawmill in Florence County.

We buy pine logs and produce dimensional lumber, timbers and various other products that you would use to build your house.

<Okay> I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Forestry Association of South Carolina, and I'm a past chair of the South Carolina Division of the Society of American Foresters.

Amanda> Okay.

And then, Megan, you and your husband, I believe, farm.

And this is a long tradition in both y'all's families.

> Yes.

My husband is a 10th generation farmer in Horry County.

And, we have Low Country Farms of South Carolina, and that's our farm.

And we do row crop farms direct to consumer pork.

We grow, grind and package all of our grits in house, grits and cornmeal to local restaurants.

Amanda> Mercy, goodness.

I bet y'all eat well.

Megan> Yes, ma'am.

We certainly do.

Amanda> Ricky, there were so many aspects to this program, but, you know, since you're going to now be a spokesman and kind of a representative, we hope, for this, for agriculture.

What were some of the things that were most meaningful to you?

Ricky> One of my favorite, field trips over the course was going down to McCormick and Allendale County.

We took a trip to the Governor's School for Agriculture, John de la Howe School, where one of our peers and his cohort, Tim Keown, is the principal down there.

And learning a little bit about the history of how that school was established, the... struggles that they had over the years and where they are now.

It was really a great experience.

And, we got to interact, meet some students and take a tour of the campus.

So it was, it was a really wonderful experience.

And we also took a trip to Hickory Hill Dairy, where they produce and distribute, chocolate milk and other types of milk, as well as, Collum's Lumber Company in Allendale County.

So, me working in the sawmill industry, you know, we know folks at Collum's or I know folks at Collum's but it's not like I pick up and drive to to Collum's Lumber Company in Allendale just to see the mill.

So, getting to see them in person in their work environment.

You know, learn a little bit about how they do things was was really a neat experience.

Amanda> And since y'all have such diverse people in the program.

They probably talked more about different aspects of what they do than what you would have usually talked to them about.

Ricky> That's right.

Amanda> I can see that, that really helped a lot.

Ricky> Yes, mam.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

And so do you- Did you feel like through leadership development that you'll be able to, did you learn about speaking better or relating to people better?

Ricky> A little bit of both.

Being able to relate to people was something that opened my eyes.

We went through an AMPLOS Growth Project which is a leadership development program.

And they, there was a lot of different aspects of it, but one thing that I enjoyed the most was learning about my personality traits, as well as being able to identify personality traits in other folks.

And what that allowed me to do or give me the opportunity to do is maybe match folks up with certain objectives or tasks, you know, where I can be more efficient and they can be efficient, at those tasks.

Because certain personalities folks handle things different, different situations different, and knowing what somebody is good at allows me to put myself or them in a good position.

Amanda> And also I think if, if as a spokesman, you're talking to people in government or, environmental issues about things, you'll be able to tailor what you say, perhaps so that they can listen and won't take offense or get caught up in something unusual.

Ricky> Yes, ma'am.

And we actually took several trips or a trip to the State House, got to meet with legislative representatives of our state and talk one on one or in small groups, with them.

So opportunities like that, you know, is what I enjoyed the most with PLEAF was the opportunities and the relationships, you know, that we were able to build, like meeting senators and folks like Megan that outside of PLEAF, I may had never met her, before.

Amanda> Yeah.

And you may find something that, you know, you can say "Well, I think she knows a little bit about that.

I may call her up and ask her."

<Yes, ma'am> Megan, you're involved in a whole different aspect of agriculture in South Carolina, but y'all had the same program that you both experienced.

What were some of the things that were most meaningful for you?

> Some of the things that I took away from this program, one of my favorite field trips was not only going to de la Howe, but also we got to go to the Chick-Fil-A headquarters.

Amanda> No?

Megan> Yes, we did.

And it was so wonderful to see how they have created this, I don't know if you would call it a dynasty of sorts, but just this legacy that they have continued.

And we also got to meet Mr. Cathy, who is head over Chick-Fil-A and learn some about all of his leadership roles and everything- How they developed the company, how the company is what it is, and how they run that wonderful Chick-Fil-A line that we all love, so much.

Amanda> It's so efficient.

<Yes> And so do you think maybe the few little kernels kind of floating around in your idea, and I said, "Maybe I can do that with my family business."

Megan> Well, it's so interesting to see a big thing for me is family legacy and the agricultural legacy.

And I can take so much from what, the Cathy family has done with Chick-Fil-A and bring that back to my farm, because obviously they built something incredibly big and strong out of something very tiny and minute.

So, it's just so interesting to see how that works and how I can bring that back to our farm to continue the legacy of, of agriculture where we are.

Amanda> So you may be the "grits queen" of the United States.

Megan> You never know Maybe, one day.

(laughter) Amanda> And, did you... you have already worked so much in the past, with Farm Bureau and a lot of Ag organizations.

So you're accustomed to representing yourself and others and speaking in public.

But did you think that you fine tuned any of that through the leadership development?

Megan> Absolutely.

So I did not realize how much indepth personal growth we were going to do with this program.

And I feel like through personal growth and development, we become better leaders.

And so with that, I had to do a lot of reflection.

And as you know, as farmers and I know y'all probably know also that we tend to not self-reflect because we're so busy.

We've got so much stuff going on and we're in the weeds of everything, and we don't really take time to self-reflect.

And so I loved when we went to, Mill Pine and actually had the opportunity to sit still and quiet and go through personal growth and look at the different AMPLOS modules and look at intent and what we do with our time and how that produces us into better leaders when we're more efficient and able to do more things.

And, that was a big thing for me.

Amanda> And y'all now have so many.

You've diversified so much.

Do you think that's going to help you when you go to talk to people who might be using some of your products?

Do you think that will help you?

Megan> Oh, absolutely.

As far as diversification in agriculture, it's something that we have found that we had to do, to just survive, in agriculture these days.

But I'm so thankful that we've had the opportunity to do that.

And I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and learn from them and learn about different programs and different things that are going on, not only, with the forestry industry, because really and truthfully, I had no idea about how it works and how the lumber and the mill and how all of it gets from point A to point B- Amanda> Even though we grew up, everybody went to college on pine trees.

Megan> So, I mean, there you go.

But it's just so interesting when you meet with the cohorts that we have that you're able to learn and develop and grow so much just from learning about what they do.

Amanda> Oh, gosh.

Well, Kirby, I think that, there's, y'all have new classes that- Kirby> Yes.

Amanda> -That come available periodically.

So tell us a little bit about when that is coming and how to apply and what some of the requirements are.

Kirby> Amanda, we are directly connected with Clemson University as you said, as well as we've got very meaningful cooperating partners around the state.

Such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, Farm Bureau, Palmetto Ridge Council.

So, we are all working together to identify potential participants for PLEAF.

We're currently seeking applicants for cohort four, those applications are due at the end of September.

And so, if you're interested, you can visit our website.

Contact me directly to find out what's required for the application.

The class will actually begin January 2026, accepting applications through the end of September.

Amanda> And also then Kirby, I think that, there are a certain number of days that you're going to be away.

So you have to make a commitment.

Kirby> Yes, you do.

And that is one of the things we seek.

But it's adult education, Amanda.

So we understand you have a personal life and a professional life.

And so we apply principles to ensure you can get full participation in the program.

It requires- Though it's two years, it's important to recognize it really only requires about 30 days out of your schedule over two years.

So it is doable.

And participants can tell you I'm very flexible and understanding in that process.

So please, if you think you would like to grow as a leader in these industries in our state, please consider applying to the Palmetto LEAF Program.

Amanda> Kirby, this is so important for the future of our state and, thank you for expanding it and building it and making it such a very important program.

We really appreciate it.

Kirby> Thank you Amanda.

Amanda> For your being such an approachable person.

I think that's part of the reason this program has been successful.

And thank you both.

I think both of y'all were leaders in your own right, but now I think y'all can be better spokesmen, for the future of agriculture in our state.

Thank you very much for coming and talking to us.

Ricky> Thank you for having us.

Megan> Thank you.

Terasa> I share a lot of appreciation with Kirby Player for developing the PLEAF program, for knowing, the value of agriculture, the environment and forestry to the, South Carolina economic development.

And, Hannah, I know you, you know Kirby as well.

Hannah> Yes, yes.

So growing up in Mississippi, my best friend went to work for a similar organization out of UF in Florida.

And they'll occasionally, my best friend Christy and Kirby will be at meetings together and they'll post pictures and send me stuff.

But, even working in Clarendon, Williamsburg Counties, living here in Sumter, he has touched so many lives.

I remember when I was teaching Ag, I actually got to go and bring my students up there, and he was training them how to be successful leaders, even for high school students.

So I think Kirby is, is one of those gems that we have in South Carolina and for Clemson that has touched so many lives, and we're so grateful to have him.

Terasa> Absolutely.

If you know anyone who you think would benefit from the program, please encourage them to apply.

Well, do we have time for another question?

Hannah> We do.

Ms. Annie in Blythewood, South Carolina says, She's got some peaches and pears, I think Jackie, maybe you've touched base with Ms. Annie and she's wanting to know what's wrong with them.

Jackie> So we're getting a lot of questions in the Extension office.

I think there's a huge interest in growing your own food.

You know, edible landscaping is becoming very popular.

People just want to know that they can grow their own.

But one of the things we have to take into consideration is that we live in the southeast, and there are a lot of diseases that can affect these fruit trees.

So...

I know it's ripe.

(laughter) So this peach and this pear, they both have what's called scab.

They're different funguses, but because we have such a hot, humid climate and because... we have a lot of rain that comes through, diseases are prevalent.

So if you're going to look at growing fruit in your landscape, you want to make sure that you check varieties.

You don't want to just buy a tree because it's out in front of the grocery store and you see it.

You really want to make sure that it lines up for pollination, that it lines up for disease resistance, that it's suited to your area again, right plant, right place.

And another thing to consider is spraying.

If you're not somebody who wants to spray, there are simpler fruits that are better to grow other than going after the, the stone fruit.

Stone fruit really does require a spray schedule to keep the fruit looking good.

Now, another question that comes up is "Can I still eat this pear even though it's covered in the spots?"

Yes, you can.

Peel the skin off of it and eat it.

Unfortunately, a lot of times we look, we eat with our eyes and we don't want to buy blemished fruit.

But coming from the home landscape, this is certainly something that you could eat for both of them.

Terasa> Oh my goodness.

Jackie> Although this one's gotten a little- This sat in the refrigerator for a couple of days, so.

Terasa> It's a little worse than you see.

<But, yes> There are some easier options.

And encourage folks to visit with their Extension office.

Thank you all so much for being on the panel, for sharing your knowledge with me and with all of our viewers out there.

Goodnight, everyone.

Join us, next episode.

♪ ♪ 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.