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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We are so glad that you can be with us.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson Extension Agent.

And I studied horticulture, and now they've changed the name of so many, the scientific name of so many plants I'm having a hard time... I mean, I'm having a hard time remembering what they were.

And Terasa Lott, my cohost- [laughter] Now they, they're changing everything now?

Terasa> That's right.

It can be difficult to keep up with.

But I'm also grateful that we have newer technologies that allow us to understand how plants are related so we can have accurate records.

Amanda> DNA technology.

Terasa> Isn't it amazing?

Amanda> It's kinda fun isn't it?

Terasa> It is.

Amanda> And they're doing lots of cool things with that.

Terasa> For sure.

But there are some plants, you know, dogwood it's hard for people to think Benthamidia.

Everybody is going to say "Cornus" forever.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And florida, which I always thought might have something to do with Florida means "flowering."

So it's all just kind of crazy but it's fun to know.

Terasa> It is.

I think, it's like trivia and if I can just have little random tidbits, it makes me feel good for some reason.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

And they are kind of figuring out where things really belong.

But I'm with you on dogwood.

That's just too, that's too dang much trouble.

[laughter] Brandon Huber, who has a PhD in Containment Structures or something.

And you're over at South Carolina State University and you're a Research Scientist and y'all have a farm.

What are the soils like down there?

> Yeah, sandy.

Just real sandy, sandy loam.

It's in that watermelon growing region, you know, Bamberg, Blackville area.

So, historic watermelon land really.

You know, just- But, yeah, I do controlled environment agriculture.

Dealing with anything greenhouse, high tunnel, indoor.

And I do some till crops.

Amanda> Well, also, it's interesting that you're at a place where watermelons are grown because how many years have you been doing these crazy giant watermelons?

Dr.

Huber> Probably about 20 years.

[laughter] Amanda> It's great fun, isn't it?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, it sure is.

Amanda> And we had a, segment, when we came to visit you and saw the... Sean will probably put the, link up under your name so people can see it.

Thanks for coming.

<Yeah, thanks.> Jackie Jordan, you're a Hort.

Agent and your station for a couple of counties, aren't you?

> Richland, Kershaw and Fairfield.

Amanda> Okay.

And I think of Fairfield as being so very different, but I think, the influx of people here, even Fairfield is probably changing some.

Jackie> They're all different.

They are all completely different counties.

But yeah, they're all changing.

We're getting a lot of people moving in to the areas.

Amanda> Yep, yep.

Well, I think that keeps you on your toes trying to keep up with everybody.

Jackie> It does.

Thanks for making the time to come with us.

Davis Sanders, we're so glad you made the trek down from the banks of the Reedy River and from South Pleasantburg Nursery.

And, you always have such fun things.

Y'all have a great mixture of things, including a good many natives.

> We do.

And we've been constantly expanding our natives offering.

The only bad news is, that our our primary native supplier got washed away in Helene.

Almost the entire nursery.

But they have rebounded in such a wonderful way.

They've, they've automated their potting system.

They're going to be able to quadruple their output and their, our supply of native plants is going to grow almost exponentially <Fun> over the next year or so.

Amanda> And I followed that happening online, and it was like people came out to help them.

I mean, like the community came out, I think.

Didn't they?

Davis> Absolutely.

It's, you know, they've been a part of the, Burnsville community up in North Carolina for- Amanda> And what's the name of the nursery?

Davis> It's... Carolina Native Nursery.

And it's on Prices Creek Road.

And Prices Creek is about six feet wide and six inches deep, except when a hurricane comes through.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, isn't it wonderful that they've, taken lemons and made lemonade?

Davis> Bill and the crew up there have just done an outstanding job.

Michelle, our... lead shrub and tree purchaser at the nursery, and I went up to their, their open house last fall and, got a behind the scenes tour and saw what they were doing.

They're also going to be sourcing their native azaleas through a tissue culture lab, now.

So they're going to be a lot more, consistent in their offerings.

They're going to be able to grow them out a lot faster.

So, the native azaleas are going to be, they're still probably a year away from... comprehensive offering.

Amanda> Terasa, you know, people who don't know about native azaleas, they have missed a treat.

Because most of them are so wonderfully fragrant.

Yeah.

Terasa> That's true.

And there's kind of a long period when they flower, too.

I mean, it's not just all at one time.

But they're different, they grow, they're... it's not something, that you'd have, you know, like our Asians azaleas.

Terasa> Right.

Amanda> But they are, sure fun aren't they?

Terasa> Oh, they are.

Davis> Spectacular specimens.

Amanda> Yeah.

Just gorgeous.

Well, thanks for coming down.

Davis> Well, thanks for having me.

Amanda> Whew, goodness.

Well, Terasa, I bet we have some "Gardens of the Week."

Terasa> We do have some "Gardens of the Week."

Thanks to our wonderful viewers.

This is really your time to shine when you can show us what you're growing in your yard, your garden or perhaps you've captured just a natural, beautiful space.

So today we begin with Gloria Ferguson, who shared Apple Blossom Amaryllis in an oval bed at her house at Lake Murray.

From Jane Calhoun, a lovely field of poppies in Rowland, North Carolina, at Bo's Berry Patch.

Gwen Young shared a climbing miniature rose that she said she planted 15 years ago.

And it's a single plant, but it blooms repeatedly all season long from year to year in Augusta, Georgia.

Amanda> Oh, what fun that it reblooms.

Terasa> I could, like, feel her enthusiasm from the description.

Caitlin Allen shared purple false indigo flowering in Irmo, South Carolina.

And we wrap up today with Mary Copeland, who also shared some poppies and larkspur in Ehrhardt, South Carolina.

Remember, this is just a random sampling and only a few of the many photos that you submitted.

I encourage you to visit our Facebook page when you see that call for "Gardens of the Week," post your photo right there in the comments and it may just appear on air.

Amanda> And if people go there, they can see other ones that people shared.

Terasa> They can.

That's right.

And if you don't have Facebook, you are, you can email me.

So my email is Terasa T-E-R-A-S-A @clemson.edu I wouldn't recommend it as the main source of photos just because the photos get mixed in with all of my other emails.

So it's easier, if they're all on the Facebook page.

But if that's not an option, be sure to send them to me.

Amanda> And remember that it's Terasa with an "a" because she's like a ray of sunshine.

That's how we can keep it straight.

Terasa> You're too kind.

Amanda> So we're also going to have some fun things to share with you.

Wheat weaving, which has this ancient, ancient history, it's just fascinating.

So you're going to love learning about that and seeing how dexterous Stephanie Tetterton is.

And also Backyard Wildlife Habitat, an online course with Mallory Maher.

Isn't that something?

Everybody would love to learn about that, wouldn't they?

Terasa> Yes and right at your fingertips because it's online.

Amanda> Yeah.

Isn't that fun.

Well, some people are having difficulties.

So let's see what we can do to help them.

We are going to try to help Judy in Charleston, who reached out and said, "Can you tell me why two of my three amaryllis haven't sent up stems the past two years?

I planted them when we moved here to Charleston in 2008, and every year those three had beautiful flowers.

Everything, I looked up about failure to flower only addresses indoor potted amaryllis.

The light and soil and water haven't really changed.

Any help is appreciated."

Amanda> So, it hadn't set up a flowering stalk?

Terasa> Yes.

Amanda> Okay.

Goodness.

Well, that's a shame because, Brandon, they're usually so wonderfully reliable.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, and a lot of people think of them as a holiday plant, but they're really, they bloom in the spring.

Yeah, every, every year, you know.

Usually around in April around this time.

And, you know, they're great garden plants they do well in sand.

And they, they should bloom every year and get bigger and clump and all that.

I would suspect, make sure they're feeding them properly.

That's one thing about the sand, you know, your nutrient there's not a lot of nutrients there.

So I would get some sort of bulb, fertilizer, some sort of bulb fertilizer, or even just triple ten.

Make sure they're in good sun and getting- But other than that, they're a pretty, pretty tough plant.

So I would, I would suspect fertilizer just needs a little bit of fertilizer to feed the green part.

You know, to feed those leaves.

Amanda> Okay, cause she moved.

Okay.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, to prepare it for next year because building that, having a healthy green plant- Don't cut the leaves off.

Leave those green plant- Grow and photosynthesize and feed it well so that you can prepare for next year's blooms.

Because all that energy from this year is for next year's flowers.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you and those sandy soils do not hold nutrients.

Alrighty.

Well, fun.

Well, Terasa?

Terasa> Let's see what we've got in queue.

Looks like next up is Annette from Elgin who said, "How can I control grasshoppers in my garden?

And are there organic options?"

Amanda> Jackie, can you help us with this?

Jackie> Grasshoppers can be difficult.

The problem is they are attracted to a lot of the easy, long lasting flowers that we like to plant around our gardens.

Things like Lantana, Ruellia.

And they are difficult to control when they get older.

So one of the keys is to- Amanda> They seem kind of tough.

Jackie> They do.

They are tough.

So there are some baits that you can use.

There is an organic bait.

There is also a carbaryl bait.

But baiting is the best option.

And other things that you can do is really make sure that you're knocking down a lot of the brush and debris that might be around the garden.

Amanda> Oh, is that where they like to go and hideout?

Jackie> So this particular garden is a community garden in Elgin.

<Yes> And they have, and it was a really cool idea because they took the old tennis courts and turned them into a community garden.

Amanda> Good.

I'm glad that happened.

So they've been having issues.

They wanted pollinators, so they planted a bunch of flowers and then the grasshoppers came.

So, it's always one thing after another.

But there was, you know, the grass along the side of the road.

They want to keep that mowed down because that's an area of habitat for them.

Other things that you can do, you can use some neem oil on some of your more desirable plants.

Just be careful that you're not putting it out there when it's really hot.

<Yeah> So, trying to deter them and use some of the organic baits that are out there.

Just look for grasshopper bait.

<Alright> You can find it online and available at some different places.

Amanda> And some people have had some success with that.

Jackie> Oh yeah, yeah.

If you catch it early enough.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Jackie> Catch them early.

You know, put it out there now as opposed to trying to get control of them in August if you're waiting to July or August, you've lost the battle.

But early on... <Alright> you can put the bait out and that's very effective.

Amanda> Well, thank you for helping us.

Yeah.

I know you've brought some things, Davis.

What are we going to talk about first?

Davis> Well, first, we're going to talk about, you know, it's the time of year where people are wanting to put a lot of color out, into their yards.

<Yes> And, a lot of times they look for colors that match, colors that complement each other.

And they completely fail to, recognize the importance of texture, contrast along with.

So, I brought this, this Nonstop Begonia and this beautiful, Caladium, Candyland Caladium.

Amanda> Aren't Caladiums fun?

They really are.

Davis> And, you can see the complementary colors in here, but then also and I'm going to move it real slowly so we don't lose it on the camera.

But look at the... contrasting texture between the leaves there.

Amanda> Boy, that's fun!

Davis> So when, the Begonias resting a little bit and the, Caladium has gotten some size on it, you might have, you might have less flowers, but you're going to have a really nice, complementary texture there.

Amanda> Now, does this need shade.

Davis> Actually, this is one of the newer varieties that will grow in sun or shade.

Even the sun loving ones, however, do like a little bit of shelter from that either hot midday sun, or late afternoon sun.

But, yeah- Amanda> Well, how about the Begonia?

Would it, it doesn't mind a little afternoon shade?

Davis> This one actually prefers some shade, so.

And that's why, the Begonias and Caladiums make such a good combination.

Because not only do they have the same habitats, but they, they also have similar moisture and feeding requirements.

They don't like to stay too wet.

They like to dry out a little bit between waterings.

Amanda> Okay.

Is this one going to stay small or is it gonna get bigger.

Davis> It's probably going to get about 15 inches.

So it'll probably get twice that big and the leaves will be about twice that size.

Amanda> And this also, I guess is going to grow.

<Right> Okay, and last all summer.

Davis> Yeah, they will until the first hard frost.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you.

Davis> Thank you.

Amanda> Well, I can thread a needle if I put on my reading glasses and, work real hard at it.

But Stephanie Tetterton, can manage anything with her hands and fingers.

She's very dexterous.

And you're going to love learning about the ancient art of wheat weaving.

Amanda> Our good friend Stephanie Tetterton from Quite Content Farm over in Camden.

Stephanie> Yes ma'am.

Amanda> Stephanie, you just do all sorts of things, and this is the strangest and newest thing I've ever heard about.

This is called "wheat weaving?"

Stephanie> Wheat weaving, or plaiting as some people would refer to it as, in England.

Amanda> And it has... spiritual connections back to the Egyptians and all, tell us a little bit about how it perhaps started.

> Yeah, absolutely.

So this thought to have started back in, you know, the Nile River, Mesopotamian area, the Fertile Crescent.

And the reasoning behind it is that they didn't really understand germination and they thought that, that when the seed come up and germinated, that that was actually a spirit.

And so they wanted to capture that spirit because they wanted to ensure a bountiful crop.

Amanda> Oh, okay!

Stephanie> And so, from year to year, what they would do is they would take the wheat when it was time to, time to harvest.

And when they took the wheat, they would feel like that the spirit of the wheat would retreat into the rest of the field.

And when it got to the last bundles of wheat, that was what encompassed or embodied that entire spirit.

And so they, of course, wanted to keep that, and they wanted to overwinter it and keep it special and safe.

And so they would cut that wheat, bring it in the house, and they would make beautiful symbols or wheat weaving creations from it.

And we could pretty much see this in a lot of the... different countries in North Africa may have Arabic, you know, or "African Cages" is what we call those.

Or the Japanese may have Shimenawas out of rice.

So it's around the world, you know, in England they have the Mordiford Plait and the Welsh Fan Plait.

And so, you know, so basically that's how it began.

Amanda> Wheat's not something that we grow a lot of in South Carolina.

We have kind of a soft winter wheat.

<We do.> So I guess you perhaps get wheat from out west where they have colder- Stephanie> Sure.

So the type of wheat that is most often used that we most often use is a hard winter wheat, just like you're saying.

Here, I do actually use some of our own wheat.

My husband grows a monster wheat variety, that we found is... reasonably can grow here reasonably.

A lot of times people use it for deer plots.

And I found that it has worked.

But it certainly isn't as long, it isn't as long and so it's much shorter.

And so it's more difficult to do.

Amanda> And to create these incredible things.

you're going to need a lot.

Stephanie> Correct.

Amanda> I think you told me that the Christmas tree topper, that center portion is four feet long or something.

Stephanie> Four, four-and-a-half feet, Yes.

Amanda> And so you can find some people still grow the kinds of wheat you need, but I guess there's not a huge, supply of it.

Stephanie> No.

So, exactly- So I get my wheat from Kansas.

This Larned variety was, actually made out of a heritage wheat called Turkey Red, That was made out from Fort Hays University helped to make this variety.

And, Dianne Gardner, one of the members of the, Wheat Weaving Association, she actually grows this wheat.

And, I purchase that from her.

<Okay> And I use it in conjunction with a lot of my wheat for the creations.

Amanda> Well, let's see what you can do with it.

Stephanie> Okay, alright, perfect.

Okay, well, let's do... let's do a cat paw plait.

I like it a lot.

<Okay> It's three.

Okay.

I'm going to need my glasses for that.

Amanda> That's fine.

[laughter] Stephanie> Alright.

So we're going to take these three pieces here.

Amanda> Oh, and I was going to say that, you know, I live in St.

Matthews, Calhoun County.

We have the Purple Martin Festival and these are Purple Martins here.

Stephanie> I knew that.

So I said, well- Amanda> That was sweet of you, thank you.

I wanted to, I wanted to bring that so you would have a special hair piece because I know you love those.

So we're going to start with, doing- Amanda> And you got how many pieces there?

Stephanie> This is three pieces.

Amanda> Three pieces, alright.

Stephanie> Okay.

Let me shorten this up a bit.

Let me shorten this up a bit.

Too much... too much string will be just as bad as too little.

Alright, so, we're going to first do a clove hitch knot.

Which again is, if you can't do a clove hitch knot then you don't even need to get started.

[laughter] That's the first, that's the first and foremost thing you have to learn.

Amanda> Okay, so I have to learn how to do knots first.

Stephanie> Then I will take it down here to right above the wheat head.

And we will tie it.

<Yes> Okay and then I will do a second knot, a surgeon's knot... right here.

My husband's favorite type of knot.

<Ah> Okay.

And then let's get these little, these little strings, these little legs out of the way.

Amanda> Okay.

So we've got three pieces together.

Stephanie> Right.

And so we will start like this.

<Whoa!> You know, basically one kind of in this, this kind of area, here.

I'm going to go down like this, then back up... and down, and I'm going to pull it towards me a little bit here.

<Yeah> Back up.

Amanda> So kinda like you're braiding hair.

Stephanie> A little, that's a hair braid plait which is a little different because this will create a little bit of a three dimensional look.

Amanda> Oh, of course.

Which gives it some oomph.

Stephanie> Yeah.

And it'll take a little minute to kinda see it going here.

And I'll show the camera here in just a moment because my hands are probably, blocking the view of what's being created underneath.

But you kinda get into this rhythm of it where, you know, and the more rhythmatic you can be with it, the better, I feel like the design... is.

Amanda> Flows- Stephanie> Flows better, but you can kind of see- Amanda> Whoa!

Okay, put it here and we'll, very, very slowly.

Stephanie> Alright, there we go.

See it'll start creating that.

Amanda> Wow!

Look at that.

Stephanie> That's called a Cat Paw Plait.

Amanda> Okay, show me something that has some of that in it.

Can you?

Stephanie> Sure, let's see here.

Actually, these earrings here, so if you take a look... there at the top of this earring, here.

<Yes> I've created it, and that was just from the same length of straw, just like that.

<Whoa!> And then I just circled it on itself like that and made the top of the earring.

Amanda> Mercy.

Can we see some of the things- Stephanie> Sure.

Amanda> Different techniques that you've used different, plaitings and things?

<Sure> And you call it weaving or plaiting or?

Stephanie> Either way.

Yeah, sure.

So this is a Ten Straw Diamond Plait that you see here, down at the bottom.

This is that same plait we were just performing there, that Cat Paw Plait.

This, right here, that's making this rose, is a Seven Straw Dunstable Plait.

Very common in hat making.

Amanda> Is it?

Okay.

In hat making?

Stephanie> In hat making.

Amanda> Cause people have used straw to make straw hats, of course.

Stephanie> Correct.

And then these are spreuers made of rye.

That's what they're called, "spreuers."

You make them on a dog comb, which is very interesting.

Amanda> Y'all are vet service.

Stephanie> This is called Crocodile Ridge, which is a very fun plait there.

<Golly!> And I call this one "Chinese Rick-Rack."

That's what I call it.

The official name, I can't quite remember, but that's what I call it.

Amanda> And then this is the head of some wheat?

Stephanie> It is!

So this is again a... a wheat that, it's a beardless wheat that does not have the, the long straw.

<Oh> And then this is black beard wheat.

Amanda> Whoa, well it certainly has a beard.

Stephanie> It does, it does.

It's beautiful, it creates quite a striking look to it, I like that.

I use it as the base for this particular design.

But yeah, there's all kinds of wheat.

There's red wheats, you know, different colors.

Amanda> Are there?

Stephanie> So, black drum.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Oh, goodness.

And, so I think it's fascinating, you said in Poland they have a tradition of making Christmas tree toppers.

Stephanie> Well, just the crowns.

I made, but I used that same idea to create this as a tree topper.

And so, and that's what we were talking about before with how much it took just to make that spiral underneath to put on top of the tree.

Amanda> But, one of their things that they make traditionally are crowns.

Stephanie> Crowns, correct.

Amanda> And I guess other people maybe make in agriculture, that it was... were there things that people used for hats, perhaps?

Stephanie> Well, they use- like I was saying, they make that, they use that Seven Straw Dunstable Plait to make hats.

But like you said, different cultures had different, different things that they did, like the Lithuanian Songbird.

Germans had German Stars that they used at Christmas time that had those symbols.

The Aztecs had the Corazons, which I've used in that, that family house blessing that you'll see down below.

Amanda> Stephanie, I would think after seeing this, some people would like to try it because a lot of people love to do crafts.

<Yes> And this is so beautiful and fascinating.

Stephanie> Thank you.

Amanda> And, is there a group that is organized around this?

Stephanie> Absolutely.

So, within the United States there's the National Association of Wheat Weavers, NAWW.

And that is a, is a very small group of ladies, that have, kept this tradition alive.

We're, you know, getting a little more advanced in age, but we would love to have some new members and, you know, we would love for new people to join.

Amanda> Well, this is just the most stunning thing and so exciting for us to see.

And, and I'm thrilled that you have taken this up.

And I think you did this after you lost your mother.

And it has, filled your heart with joy.

Stephanie> It has, it has.

I miss her a lot, but this kinda, helps.

All of these ways of, that I'm doing this are all symbols of, you know, love, marriage, mama.

And that's really the purpose of wheat, really.

You know, it still continues with that symbolism today, is to carry on and have that love there, and show it, in symbolic ways.

Amanda> Yes, thank you so much for coming.

Stephanie> I enjoyed it.

Thank you so much.

Amanda> I think you see that Stephanie, her art was recognized at the State Fair.

I mean, it is quite a fascinating thing she can do.

Well, hats, hats, hats.

I usually get things from my friend Ann Nolte.

But she went out to Janet Whetstone, who's a friend also, and she brought all these things from Janet's.

And Janet has about 400 roses.

That's a lot of roses.

And she, they have a big pond out front so she could irrigate.

And, anyway, so I've got roses and I've got Penstemon and Phlox and sweetspire, which is a native plant that likes a little bit of moisture and shade, I believe.

A beautiful plant.

And it's arching and, you know, fills up those kind of corners, so pretty.

It is deciduous, but, you know, there's nothing wrong with seeing those beautiful stems, you know, too.

There's a grace in that, like ballet dancers.

Anyway, well isn't that fun?

Look at that beautiful petal.

Goodness gracious.

Oh!

Roses are... [sniffing] great fun.

And this one's fragrant.

Well... Brandon, what are we gonna talk about?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, so I brought a- I was going to talk about watermelon grafting today.

Amanda> How unusual.

[laughter] Dr.

Huber> Well, it's that, it's the time of year when a lot of watermelons are being planted.

And, for me, the giant watermelons are about to go in the ground.

It's been really cold, so I've been kind of holding back a little bit.

But, I was going to talk about the technique of grafting.

So I use a technique called the one cotyledon graft method.

And actually, for starters, we have a squash plant, right here.

Amanda> A squash plant?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah and so- Amanda> What kind of squash?

Dr.

Huber> Well, this one actually happens to be a pumpkin but just- Amanda> But it's in the family.

Dr.

Huber> To demonstrate that we typically use a squash as a rootstock which has some added resistance and vigor that the watermelon plant might lack.

So, we use this and we actually will take this, using a thing called a one cotyledon method I will take a razor blade and shave this down at a 45 degree angle and splice our watermelon on top of it.

So here is a plant that has healed about a week post-grafting.

Well, actually a week out of it's little healing box and you can see the original cotyledon from from that squash bottom.

Amanda> Look at that.

Dr.

Huber> And there was the watermelon grafted on top.

And we use these little silicone clips and they're grafted when they're only this size, about seven days old, seven to ten days old.

They're young and they're, real flexible and young.

And you just clamp them together with a silicone clip.

We put them in a healing box, you know, because after you cut them off the rootstock root systems, they, they wilt.

So they need to be put in a humidity chamber.

Amanda> High, high, high humidity.

Dr.

Huber> 100 percent humidity a little plastic a little plastic like bin.

<Yeah> And keep them warm.

And a week later, I open the lid up and they're... if they're successful, they'll be fine.

And they'll come, just come around, just fine.

And this plant, this will heal.

You can, you know, see where the two meet.

And, it's a really neat technique.

And we can do things like, have nematode, this, this rootstock is nematode resistant.

Amanda> And nematodes in sandier soils are just awful.

Dr.

Huber> Just a nightmare.

Amanda> And that's where we grow a lot of watermelons, I think.

Dr.

Huber> Exactly.

So we not only, you know, can we grow things like, seedless watermelons.

They have kind of a weak root system.

But not only that, sometimes nematodes, they're susceptible to nematodes.

We can beat out some of these things.

Bacteria wilt, Fusarium wilt these rootstocks don't get.

So, it can cut down on our, needing for certain fungicides and stuff at the root.

And, it's a really great technique.

And the hobbyist use it for giants.

And the commercial growers, they have that in their toolbox to use- Amanda> That's wonderful.

Dr.

Huber> If they want to beat out certain things.

Terasa> Brandon, I'm curious, like the success rate for the grafting.

Is it, you know, 80 percent, 50 percent?

Dr.

Huber> It's pretty high, you know, grafting is an art and so some people are really good at grafting, but I've gotten really good at it just from practice and, doing it annually.

About 90 percent, I'll get.

<Okay> But a new grafter, first time, I've coached some people to do it and with this community of giant watermelon growing and some people are getting 50 percent their first shot.

Amanda> That's pretty good.

Dr.

Huber> So, that's pretty good.

The hardest part is just, making sure the stems are the same size and the heal, post-healing is critical.

It's the biggest fail point for these grafts, so.

Terasa> And when would this be ready to transplant in the ground.

Dr.

Huber> Well... I would actually plant this in the ground now because I don't want this to get to- Amanda> Pot-bound.

Dr.

Huber> Pot-bound.

I don't want the roots to start wrapping up in there.

But it's been cool, so I'm going to just hold off.

I've been keeping it in the greenhouse kind of just babying it a little more.

But a little bigger than this I typically sit in the ground and give them, time for them to experience the conditions.

Amanda> Our farmers who are growing seedless watermelons where do they get the things to plant in their field?

Dr.

Huber> A lot of... growers buy the transplants from the wholesalers.

Amanda> I was going to ask- Dr.

Huber> Buy them in trays, already grown for them because, you know, if you're, a commercial if your growing for... you know, people used to do it all.

They used to seed.

But now you have specialized seed growers, transplant, that produce transplants and sell you plants like this.

<Okay> And then that way the farmer can just focus on like, finishing the crop rather than- Cause seedling, if you're in the business for seed starting, It's, a whole thing.

<Yeah> A lot of people just want to do one or the other.

Amanda> Yeah.

So when can we, don't we get watermelons before the Fourth of July a little bit?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, we do.

That's the target.

A lot of farmers want to, you know, they want to hit that- Amanda> Of course.

Dr.

Huber> That Fourth of July market.

And it's... sometimes a stretch here because if we have a cold spring like we're having now, it's going to delay that crop.

And so it's, a lot of times they're planting watermelons April 15th.

And, you know, this year we've had frost, frost warnings in certain spots.

And it's been a wild spring, but.

Amanda> And, Gilbert Miller before we used to go down and of course to Watermelon Field Day and he had all these flowering plants out there because watermelon is not the favorite thing for bees or honey- And is it bumblebees that are the best pollinators.

What is it?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, bumblebees... bumblebees like them.

And I, I'm not sure about the honeybees.

But they do with the seedless ones... the pollinators are really critical.

So a lot of farmers will set a bee box out there just for pollination.

Amanda> Yeah.

And plant other flowers to encourage them to come.

And then... now go over there and do our watermelons while you're here.

Dr.

Huber> They certainly know the value of putting a bee box out there.

Because we used to, when we were doing research at North Carolina, we would always drop a bee box off, every spring at our field.

And... I'm not sure who all managed it but we'd send them out and, we knew that you needed it for so many acres of watermelon you needed, so many hives.

Amanda> Okay.

So, fun.

Well, thanks, Brandon.

Yeah.

I can't wait for watermelons.

Terasa?

Terasa> Let's go back to our questions and see if we can help someone.

How about Regina in Columbia?

Regina sent us a photo and said, "What is wrong with my Spring Bouquet Viburnum?"

Amanda> Aww.

Terasa> It's always sad when people are having trouble.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, Jackie, can you help this person?

Jackie> Sure, actually, I took a look at this under the microscope and... false spider mites.

Amanda> False spider mites?

Jackie> False spider mites.

So we all know about spider mites.

<Dang> But the false spider mites don't make the webbing.

So you have to look, because they're really, really tiny and they're a little bit flatter.

But they were turning the entire leaf brown.

So, it looked like winter damage but it was the false spider mites.

Amanda> Well, how's somebody supposed to think... Jackie> I know, we learn something new every day.

You know, the great thing about the extension service is we do have the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Center.

So we can always send stuff up.

But just highlights the importance of instead of assuming, going and making sure, you know, taking a look under the microscope or sending it up to the lab to confirm the diagnosis.

Because if you looked at it, it looked like it was cold damage.

<Gosh> But when you're looking under the microscope, and then we did send it up to the lab as well.

Amanda> Did you?

Jackie> It came back with that confirmation.

So, if you had a little, you know, hand lens, could you, would you be able to turn the leaf over and see them that way?

Jackie> You know, I found the coolest thing... so jewelers have- Okay, jewelers have those, <Loops> no, not the loops things that they could put on their head.

I look like a crazy person with this... thing on my forehead.

But it puts the lenses, and you have lots of different ones.

It was 20 bucks on Amazon.

<No!> And I can see all the different tiny insects on the leaves.

It's great because then I can walk around in my garden and just... [laughter] Amanda> That'd be fun no matter what.

Jackie> I put it on and I walk around my office and look at my house plants like that.

I'll have to send y'all a picture of it.

But it was the best thing for seeing all the insects, as opposed to the jeweler's loop that you're always trying to do this.

Nope.

Amanda> And so it just has a glass- Jackie> Yeah it's got a headband and you put the lens down over your eyes- Amanda> And you can flip it up if you need too?

Jackie> You can flip it up to see where you're going, and put it back down and look at your insects.

[laughter] Amanda> Okay.

I'll show y'all.

Amanda> Yeah, that'll be fun to see.

Okay.

Well, thanks.

That's fun to learn.

Okay, so what are we going to talk about now, Davis?

Davis> Well, we have... a relatively new Gardenia, here.

This one is called Diamond Spire.

It's not the classic Gardenia bloom.

This one is more of the... the Daisy or Kleim's Hardy type flower.

So it's going to bloom real heavily all at once.

It's not going to be an extended bloom season.

But when they do bloom, they're incredibly fragrant.

The thing that sets this one apart is it's a very columnar growth habit.

Amanda> Yeah, it sure is.

It looks like it's just going whoop!

It's going to get about five feet tall with maybe an 18 to 24 inch spread, so.

Amanda> My gracious.

Pass that down to Jackie.

Davis> Have a whiff.

The disadvantage we have in the Upstate, the ever blooming Gardenias like Mystery and Veitchii and some of those just are not reliably winter hardy.

<Yeah> So we're limited to the ones that have a shorter bloom season.

This is, this is just a great one for a small space.

Especially with the, the cottage gardens and the, small townhouse type gardens.

Amanda> Sure, so many people have now.

Davis> Especially, in the Greenville area.

So it's a nice one to tuck away in a shady corner.

It's also got a great sun tolerance.

So, and... another good thing about the Gardenias, they don't really like fertilizer and they don't like much water.

So, put it out- <Neglect> Almost, almost.

They do need a little bit of fertilizer in the spring right before they, they bloom.

Because they do expend a lot of energy setting all of these buds.

And you can see how many buds are on that.

This will be a mass of white in another two weeks.

Amanda> So how long is the bloom period?

They generally bloom for about maybe two to three weeks.

Amanda> That's pretty nice.

Davis> Yeah, it is.

Amanda> That is just wonderful.

Gosh, it's stunningly fragrant.

Davis> Yes it is, it's- Amanda> And tell me again what it's called?

Davis> It's called Diamond Spire.

Amanda> Diamond Spire.

Whoa.

Well, if you have a small space this would just be wonderful to have.

<Yes> I think it blooms all the way, buds everywhere.

Golly Pete.

Thanks, okay.

Well Terasa?

Terasa> Brandon and I were talking a little bit before the show, and, you know, rain is unpredictable in South Carolina now.

And so people are sometimes looking for drought tolerant plants.

And so I think, Brandon would like to highlight some of the Agaves.

Yeah.

That work for you?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, so you know people around South Carolina you'll see the big Agaves out in the landscape.

The really massive ones with the 15, when they bloom they're, they're monocarpic so it's just one bloom and they die.

But they produce those pups behind them.

<Sure> But there's a lot of miniature Agaves.

I have two, well, I have one right here.

Amanda> Can you move your squash plants?

I mean, the watermelon plants please, thank you.

Dr.

Huber> The, first one here is, this is Agave parryi truncata.

It's called the- It's a, it's a dwarf.

Amanda> Hold it still so we can get a good picture of it, please.

Amanda> A dwarf?

Dr.

Huber> It's a dwarf, yeah.

So it's parryi truncata.

Only gets about a foot wide.

It's very hardy.

Yep.

Only about that- They call that the, like the artichoke, Agave.

That's parryi truncata.

There's parryi straight species, there's different subspecies.

But anyway, great hardy Agave that's for a small space.

You know, looking around the... looking around my garden- Amanda> How... the spine on it, how is it going to prick you real bad?

Dr.

Huber> It's, it's actually a little, it's a lot softer than- Amanda> Than it looks.

Dr.

Huber> Than the big ones, that you see that will really cut you.

<Okay> But, you know, looking at the garden this time, this drought we've been facing, just seeing what's doing good.

And, you know, these sort of things.

This is a baby, it's a pup of it.

But, you know, I thought it'd be good to talk about some plants that are great in our region that are tough.

And then we have this other one.

This is Agave.

This is called Quadricolor.

It's- Amanda> Ooh, it's pretty.

Dr.

Huber> It's, the species is lophantha.

And there's, there's a green form, and then there's a... this one is variegated, Quadricolor.

Great hardy Agave for most of South Carolina.

If you're in the Upstate, you might have trouble with the drainage and such, but, very great plant.

Also, and it gets about a foot wide and a lot of color too.

Kind of gives, it kind of looks like a Yucca.

But it's sturdy and very geometric.

And, a great plant.

Amanda> Do both of these have pups?

Dr.

Huber> They do.

They pup pretty readily.

So they're, they're great to share with friends and other people.

And, you can see this one here has already got little pups forming.

This one pups a lot.

<Okay> So it's a great- There's always ones that share.

[laughter] Amanda> Well, thanks Brandon.

<Yeah> I appreciate that.

Dr.

Huber> All right, I got one more for you.

This is a Agave relative, this is a Mangave.

There's... been a lot of breeding work in in these Agave hybrids.

This is Mangave Kaleidoscope.

Now, these are not- Amanda> Now put that out where we can get a good picture of it, please.

Dr.

Huber> These are, not all these are hardy here, but they're great for containers.

So great, just bring them in in the winter.

<Okay> There are some hardy Mangaves there's been a lot of breeding work with... It's a cross between Agave and Manfreda.

And they've made these really colorful... now called Mangave.

So this one's called Kaleidoscope.

Gets this great pink color.

<Beautiful> Full sun.

Amanda> Full sun?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, full sun.

It can take a little bit of shade, but you really want sun for that color.

And you don't have to worry about water them much.

So, they're a good plant.

Amanda> And how do they, when you bring it inside in the winter just, give it a bright sunny window?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah.

Sunny as you can, you know.

It's okay kinda, to neglect them a little in the winter.

They're not really growing much in winter, it's cold, so.

They're just, they'll hang out, you know, I just kind of cram it in with some other plants, and it just does fine.

Amanda> In your limited greenhouse.

Dr.

Huber> Well, I put it under the bench and, <Oh!> you know, and it just hangs out there, and then... They're pretty much dormant.

You don't want to water it a lot in the winter.

The colors are really, really pretty.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah.

That's, that's a really good hybrid.

Amanda> Now is this one going to flower and do something weird or not?

Dr.

Huber> They do, flower.

Some of them, some of them can... Well, they're like Agaves.

where they'll, they'll die.

There may be some that don't, because they have that interesting genetics in them because they're half Agave and half another genus, so.

Amanda> All right.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

Dr.

Huber> Thanks.

Amanda> Okay.

Davis, I think you've got something pretty for us to talk about.

Davis> Yeah, we've got color everywhere today.

Amanda> This is heavy.

Davis> This is... one of the Japanese Spireas.

This one is called Magic Carpet.

Anybody that's familiar with the, with the Asian arts and Spireas know that they do have a relatively long bloom season, and most of them bloom in shades of pink, cerise, lavender.

Amanda> Long bloom?

Davis> Very long bloom season.

And sometimes, if they're once they are, done blooming, if they're cut back kind of hard, they'll rebloom later on in the summertime.

But the thing that sets this apart in some of the newer varieties is this color in the new growth.

Amanda> Beautiful, beautiful.

And the green itself is just, you know, it's the, the mature color too.

Davis> Right.

And the, just the, the common name or the, cultivar name Magic Carpet kind of recalls the, the flying carpet from the, "Arabian Nights Tales."

<Wow> Persian rugs and- Amanda> The flowers are such a beautiful color too.

Davis> It really is and this one, this one is... is pretty much sterile.

So you're not going to have little seedlings pop up like you do with some of the older varieties, like Anthony Waterer and Gold Flame.

But, it's just excellent addition to the, to a perennial garden because, although it is deciduous, the stems are very insignificant, when it doesn't have foliage on it.

They can be cut back really hard in the wintertime, flush back in a nice little cushion like this every year.

And you can almost treat it like a perennial, when it starts getting a little bit too big, just dig it up and cut it into three or four pieces.

Replant them.

They'll all just keep growing.

Amanda> Gracious goodness, what a fun thing to share with people, because anybody would want one.

And you say a long blooming period.

<Yep> Golly.

And not terribly demanding.

Davis> No just, just a good feeding in the spring and a light feeding in the fall with a good organic fertilizer.

Amanda> All right.

Well, thank you, Davis.

And now let's learn about Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

This is an online course.

And Terasa, everybody should be trying to provide a place for wildlife in their yard.

Terasa> I think so.

Humanbeings aren't the only organism on the planet.

And there's something that we can all do to make it more hospitable for wildlife.

Amanda> Yeah, let's learn how easy it would be.

♪ ♪ ♪ > Hi, I'm Hannah Mikell, Agronomy Agent with Clemson Extension.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Mallory Maher.

Now, Mallory, you have so many responsibilities with Clemson, right?

You are on the Natural Resources Team an associate for them.

And then you are the Master Naturalist Coordinator, for the state.

> Yes.

So, yep, like Hannah, like you said, I am on the Natural Resources Program Team for Clemson Extension.

I've been working for Extension now, for nine years.

And, yeah, I also have the pleasure of coordinating the South Carolina Master Naturalist Program statewide.

So that, with that job, it's very fun.

Every day is a little bit different.

And I get to meet a lot of great people across the state.

Hannah> Cool.

Yeah, you get to travel a good bit.

So one of, kind of your brainchild then was up here at, where we're at today, actually.

The South Carolina Botanical Garden in Clemson.

So this was formerly just kind of, an unused new space.

You wanted to educate some folks that have backyards similar to this, small spaces, maybe a little bit larger, quarter acre or less even.

Mallory> Yeah.

We're at the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

We're right next to the visitor center.

And the Botanical Gardens is a hidden gem of Clemson.

If you've never been here, I highly encourage you to come out to the Botanical Gardens.

I was talking to the director here, Martin Hamilton, about some other programs that we had with Clemson Extension, and I've always wanted to create some sort of online course or some sort of course that talks about backyard wildlife habitat, specifically geared towards homeowners and small landowners.

Like I said, small acreage or a townhome.

Hannah> Well, girl, I need all the help I can get, so sign me up.

The course is online.

It's on Clemson Online.

Mallory> Yes.

So the course is free and it's on Clemson Online.

And they are great partners here.

They're a great resource.

So we have a lot of, Clemson Online programs that we partner with, we develop about all kinds of topics from, water, to, beginning farming.

<Yeah> But now we have one for backyard wildlife.

And so the course is very simple.

It only has five modules and it's very short.

But it basically gives you all the tools that you need to, provide for an animal's basic needs.

Food, shelter, water, and space.

And how do you bring all those elements together into your backyard?

Hannah> Oh, this so much Mallory.

Mallory> The coolest thing, I think personally in the video is we were able to install this garden and we had drone footage from start to finish.

<Cool> And so you see us all out here, laying out the plants, because that's not really my background, my background is in wildlife.

And so I can tell you what the plants, and what eats the plants, but... learning how to space the plants and with how far they grow and how big they grow, that's really where the South Carolina Botanical Gardens and Martin's team kind of came in to help me with that.

And taught me a lot of things, too.

So we get people like proper pruning techniques.

And making sure you take a soil sample.

Hannah> So if people aren't going to go online and take the course, there's still all those resources in some form or fashion on like HGIC, your local extension agents, right?

<Yes> So there's all these field guides you've told me about.

Mallory> Exactly.

There's a lot of resources out there.

But the trouble is sometimes, there's so many resources out there.

Where do you go to?

And like, I don't know if this one's valid or something like that.

Hannah> It's so much.

Mallory> Yeah, right?

And so part of the course was I wanted to have each module has resources affiliated to.

So you complete them- You watch the recording which is maybe about ten minutes per module.

And then afterwards there's a whole bunch of factsheets that you could click on or additional books or references that you can then follow.

Really when it comes to providing for habitat in your backyard, really the big thing you want to do is assess what you currently have, and what is lacking.

So, definitely go out into your backyard and preserve the resources that you want to keep.

So if you have an oak tree that is producing great acorns every single year- Hannah> Shade.

Mallory> Shade... leave that oak tree.

But if there's another, if you notice you have a great pollinator plant, like, maybe you have some coneflowers that are great.

So you want to make sure that you keep that.

So after you assess that, you then, so you noticed after doing all that I'm like, I don't really have a water source for wildlife, I know I live in an area that's kind of dry.

What can I do?

Well, maybe it's as simple as installing a birdbath.

And there you go.

Now you have, water for wildlife.

But, the big thing, is just kind of making sure that you just kind of properly go through and also coming up with realistic goals.

I think everyone wants a backyard oasis for wildlife.

I think that is the dream.

<Oh, yeah.> But time and patience, that kind of thing.

But, really coming up with goals like maybe something as simple as I'm going to plant five more native plants this year.

And that's the goal to have.

And then the next year you can go back and assess- I'm going to add a water feature this year.

<Right, right.> So keeping them very small and manageable.

And soon enough over the years you're going to have that kind of, have all those elements come together.

<Yeah> So the great thing about native plants is the fact that they are, adapted to our area.

<Gotcha> They are drought resistant, disease resistant.

Wildlife has co-evolved with them over time.

So in the long run, you're going to spend less money on them cause you're not going to have to replace them as often because you're not going to have to do all that maintenance for them too.

<So true.> So, best case scenario, we definitely encourage you to plant native plants when it comes to wildlife.

But we also understand that there are plants out there, that you can't just rip out everything because you might not have the money or something like that.

But as long as making sure the plants that you have are not invasive, that is key.

And then over time you can start working to replace those.

But, there are some non-native plants that do provide value for wildlife as long as they're not invasive.

Hannah> Hey, even in my backyard, all these trees and shrubs that have grown up on the fence rows, like we have about a quarter acre lot in the town of Sumter.

And the squirrels will use the canopy to like, navigate through from one yard to another.

And then we have, like a creek that runs down below our house it's several blocks down.

But there's been like little, ducks that have come up.

Mallory> Oh that's great.

And so, like, I live near downtown Greenville and we've had turkeys in our backyard.

<What> We've had deer.

And it's all about like, using kind of what's around you and really kind of adding connectivity to other people's habitats.

Or maybe there's a area of woods that's a kind of preserved area.

Well, how can I bridge that gap?

So animals don't like to be out in the open.

They want to be able to hide in certain plants and that kind of thing.

They want cover.

Hannah> That's right.

Mallory> So being able to shrink those areas in between large patches of habitat can go a long way.

And that's like where you can cooperate with your neighbors and work together with them to kind of build like a backyard habitat.

And the other thing is wildlife move.

So they might not spend their entire lives in your backyard.

They may only spend parts of their lives in your backyard, and they only spend a small period in there.

But they're using, if you can figure out a way that they can use your backyard for some purpose, that's where it helps.

So, I always have, we have a flock of Cedar waxwing birds that always migrate through our yard.

<Cool> It's every February, right around Valentine's Day, they come and they basically eat every single berry off our holly tree.

But that holly tree is there, and they know it's there.

And so they come back year after year, after year.

So that's providing a stomping ground for species that are not here all the time.

So you can easily add plants like certain, like beautyberry or hollies.

Native plants like that.

Hannah> Yeah.

Yeah, I see that a lot in the understory where I hunt.

We were just basically taking all those wonderful plants they already love and condensing it, right?

And I love the idea of not having to mow my grass all the time.

Mallory> Yes.

Definitely not.

And wildlife like things messy.

<Me too.> So resist the urge to clean up the yard.

Resist the urge- If you can't dedicate your entire yard to wildlife habitat, maybe just leave a certain area for it instead.

So leave the leaves over on like your left half of the yard.

And then the right, you can kind of go follow the HOA guidelines and fix that up.

So there's ways that you can kind of work and it's like slowly over time you're helping... all those species.

Hannah> I know I hear the songbirds now, it's so beautiful.

And all the little buzzing and critters that are wandering around us.

So, you and I were talking a little bit as you navigated through the garden and shared with me- When all this stuff stops flowering and it kind of goes dormant, right?

There are still needs that, the homeowner doesn't need to come and whack everything down and start over from scratch.

<Exactly> Tell me why that important?

Mallory> Yeah.

So, a lot of our, like, native bees, they will actually nest in the stems of plants like coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.

Hannah> Okay, say it again.

So the bees will nest, they're not going to be... <Yes> woodworking in my house- Mallory> A lot of time, people think of bees, they think of honey bees and honey bees will nest in a colony.

But a lot of our native species are solitary nesters.

So some might nest underground, but there's a lot that nest in small cavities.

So if you've ever seen like, a mason bee house, our native bee house all that is, is just kind of taking up the place of an actual, natural occurring cavity.

So, a stem of a small plant and there is even like leafcutter bees that will cut out little holes in leaves and they will, line their, the stems of that, and like roll them up.

<Yeah> It's so cool.

Definitely if you ever see some little holes in the ground.

Definitely take the time and look and peek in there because it's really neat to see they're amazing animals.

But even like other things, like songbirds, like, you hear flying all around, Hannah> It's beautiful.

Mallory> Right now, they're hanging out here because there's a lot of bugs flying around us, and they're eating some bugs and they're getting some good protein.

But the things, like, behind us, like our coneflowers back there when those go to seed, you have goldenfinch or... American finches and those kind of things that are going to come by and they're going to eat the seeds out of this, a lot of our great pollinator plants.

There is a lot of seed eaters.

Hannah> Yeah.

So this has been so much fun.

If they want to learn more about their flowers or their plants or maybe identify some stuff, where do we go to learn that.

Mallory> Yeah.

So we have a lot of great resources.

So, Clemson Extension partnered with the Native Plant Society.

And we have a native plant database where you can put all this information in and you can figure out what native plants should you grow in your certain area.

<Okay> But we also have our Home and Garden Information Center, which is a great resource.

<Yeah> I love them.

I use them all the time.

Just like my own personal thing.

<Me too.> But they're a great resource.

As is your local extension office is there's so many resources out there.

There's a lot more, nurseries that provide native plants.

<Okay> So there's a lot of things for people to know and become familiar <Cool> with the plants that grow in South Carolina.

Hannah> I love it.

This is such a beautiful space, and I'm so glad you had the idea to host us out here.

We so appreciate it.

Mallory> I'm thankful for great partnerships like the Botanical Gardens and Dr.

Martin Hamilton and his program team here.

They do great work of all the volunteers that help maintain our garden, because, we don't always have this area.

It's a demonstration area that gets over 300,000 people, and what better way to expose them to something that looks like this?

<Yeah> I'm thankful for them and being able to work with them.

Hannah> Yeah.

We'll have to come up sometime, when we're in the area.

Mallory> Yes, absolutely.

If you're ever at a football game- I love walking here, definitely around like sunsets, is always a great time.

Early in the morning when the birds are out.

I actually got engaged at the Botanical Gardens.

Hannah> We should have lead with that.

What in the world.

(laughter) Mallory> So it's just a whole lot of, you can do all kinds of things at the Botanical Gardens.

Hannah> That's cool.

Well, thank you so much, Mallory.

We appreciate it.

Mallory> Of course.

Yeah, thank you.

♪ Amanda> We sure do thank Mallory for doing that for us.

Jackie, I understand you got, a kind of a strange question.

Jackie> Yeah.

So we, you know, we see some strange things come in to the extension office, and one of the funky looking things is azalea leaf gall.

It's... looks worse than it is.

It's really not a harm, it's really not a harmful fungus.

Amanda> What did the, what did the person call it?

Jackie> She called it, "alien growth on her azalea."

But, it's one of those things where we really don't have to do a whole lot of treatment.

We can just prune it off and throw it out, and... Amanda> If you left it on, would it do any damage?

Jackie> It wouldn't.

It could come back so you could see it.

And especially when we have more humid, moist springs.

But you know, also when there's a lot of overcrowding.

So it's a good point to go in and prune your shrubs back because that will help to allow more air circulation... to create some frequency that you see it in your shrubs.

Amanda> That's one of the things that can make, make it show up.

It's kind of interesting looking, a little bit, I think.

Jackie> It is, it is.

It's a, it's you know- Amanda> A conversation piece.

Jackie> Exactly, exactly.

Amanda> Yeah, you know... it's always fun to have something take to a dinner party.

<Mhm> Not a... not a flower bouquet, but something else.

Yeah.

Terasa> I think we had a similar one come through Facebook recently for the Exobasidium that you see on sweetleaf.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Terasa> Horse-sugar people call it.

Yeah.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, I want to thank you all for coming, making the trek in your case and, bringing such fun things.

This was really cool.

And Terasa, I do appreciate people who send in questions.

Terasa> Absolutely.

I enjoy seeing the questions that comes in.

It keeps me on my toes.

Amanda> There you go.

Okay.

Anyway, so we hope we'll see you 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.