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.

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

♪ Opening music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well.

Hi.

I'm glad you could join us tonight.

for an episode of Making It Grow.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson extension agent, and I get to come up with my co-host Terasa Lott, and we say it's continuing education.

>> It sure is.

I think I learn, I hope I learn at least one new thing every show.

And with our talent on the panel, I'm sure that will happen today.

Amanda> Terasa, now you're the Midlands district director, and so you're based in Sumter That's your home base.

And then you travel around to other places too.

And we're so glad that you're based in Sumter and can keep on helping us.

Terasa> Well thank you.

Somewhat of a strategic plan in terms of having my home office located here.

but I do try to get out and really excited that a few of, my staff were selected to participate in a leadership development program called EELI, and it's really exciting because I think that's what we need to do is to invest in our employees so that they have they can develop their potential and serve our clients.

Amanda> I think that's wonderful.

Great.

Yeah.

and Zack Snipes, you're the commercial horticulture agent down there in Beaufort in Charleston.

And also you're the assistant program team leader for the horticulture group, which is herding cats, I believe.

(laughing) Have you all been real dry down there?

What's it been like down at the coastal?

Zack> Yeah, we're we're really dry, which was came in a really bad time this year.

because all of our crops were coming in and we really needed a lot of rain to kind of finish them off.

Amanda> Sure.

Zack> We had a shortened season this year, but, wasn't a total failure.

Amanda> But, you know, you did get some,.. Zack> You know, we supplement with drip irrigation and that sort of thing, but, you know, rain, Amanda> Nothing like rain.

That's right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because, I know y'all do a lot of research down there on crops, correct?

Zack> Correct.

We do a lot of tomato watermelon research and, you know, watermelon, like 80%, 85% of a watermelon is water.

So you need a lot of water to, to pump to those crops.

Amanda> Well, it's been tough on everybody, even if just yards.

You know, everybody's been so dry.

But anyway, and Carmen Ketron, you're the, urban horticulture agent in Darlington and Florence.

And, and I think you teach master gardeners, too.

And, I am so glad you're here, because you always bring really fun.

Show and tell that you bring some for us today?

>...I brought a little something, something for us.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

We're glad you're not disappointing us.

And you couldn't support us.

We're so happy when you can come.

And then Brad, you hadn't been here in a long time, Brad Fowler and you're the urban horticulture agent in Georgetown and Horry, and interestingly, you're actually kind of from around there.

>> Yes, ma'am.

And I think your wife is That's so unusual these days.

Brad> It is kind of unusual these days.

A lot of people in Horry County in that area are from other places.

but I am, I grew up in Green Sea, Amanda> Yeah.

Isn't that fun.

Brad> Yes.

Amanda> Yeah.

And, you know, that's where Pat's family was from.

They had a lot of connections with Green Sea, too Terasa> Our administrative assistant in the Sumter office.

Amanda> Isn't that fun?

Yeah.

Green Sea.

It's such a pretty name.

Brad> It is.

Amanda> Yeah, it really is.

Anyway.

And, so, we're going to have, a mystery segment for you tonight.

That'll be kind of fun.

And then, I think, Terasa, you're probably going to start us off with Gardens of the Week.

Terasa> I would love to.

The Gardens of the Week is your time to show us what you're doing in your yard, your garden or perhaps you've visited one of South Carolina's many beautiful places.

Today we begin with Allison Marsh, who shared, what she says she is growing a mastiff among the Begonias.

I know exactly how that phenomenon works.

Although, different breeds of dogs, it seems, happen at my house.

Jeffrey Harmon shared a lovely garden spot with a path of pavers from Sharon Chandler in Seneca.

We have perennial hibiscus.

Karen Neely shared maidenhair fern, which is at her back door.

She says it comes back every year.

It was given to me from a friend of my mother's over 20 years ago.

I love that, Karen.

Plants can have such sentimental value.

Amanda> Yeah.

Terasa> And, similarly, Robbie Wiggins shared a flower bed that he said was started as one plant in 2019 when his father in law passed away.

And it's turned into a beautiful sanctuary area that honors him.

So we do thank all of you for submitting your photos for Gardens of the Week.

This is just a small random sample.

I encourage you to visit our Facebook page where you can see all the other wonderful posts Amanda> Well, so I bet you have some questions for us.

Terasa> We do, because that is what we do at Extension is we try to answer people's questions, provide them with that research based information.

So let's start by helping Bobby in Edisto.

Now he didn't get a whole lot.

It just says my squash just didn't do well this year.

What could be going on?

Well, I know mine are done because of squash vine borers, Amanda> Yeah.

I wonder what's happening with Bobby.

Amanda> Oh, well, since you're supposed to know about vegetables I guess we'll ask you what you think is happening.

Zack> Yeah.

So I actually brought some samples in to show you guys.

So, as a horticulture agent that works with vegetables.

Amanda> Those are pitiful looking.

Zack> The most common question I get this time of year is, I've had a garden for years, and everything just looks terrible this year.

And typically the next thing I ask is, what have you planted there?

Have you planted the same thing year after year after year?

And sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no.

But I planted squash last year and tomato this year and okra next year.

And so all those crops, when I hear that are host to our nemesis, the root knot nematode.

Amanda> Oh!

Zack> So a root knot nematode is a parasitic, Amanda> So you don't even, you have to do more than not plant the same thing like tomatoes and peppers.

You've got to plant.

You've got to rotate to not have a nematode.

Zack> Correct.

So instead of rotating plant families, we're rotating things that are resistant or not as susceptible to the root knot nematode.

So, I pulled these out of a field yesterday.

This is a squash field that did very poorly this year.

Amanda> Uh huh!

Zack> The plants were small that are weak.

They're stunted...small leaves.

in eggplant.

They'll actually drop their leaves and try to grow new leaves.

So the first thing I do is ask if I can sacrifice a plant or two.

Amanda> Sure.

It sounds like they were going to sacrifice... Zack> These are sacrificed.

and so when I pull them up, what you'll see are these characteristic galls, that are galling.

And so those are actually, the nematode secretes these proteins into the, roots when they feed, and it causes, this elongation of the cells.

And cell multiplication.

And so it really... Amanda> Does that protect them?

Zack> Well, the...basically the nematode is stimulating the plant to do this.

So it's a defense if you will, but the nematode is causing it and then benefiting from that.

And so when you see these galls, they're just loaded, with these adult females, which will then, hatch.

And when they hatch, then you have thousands and thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of more, of these nematodes.

So what I recommend folks do is obviously rotate.

plant families Amanda> Let me interrupt you for a minute.

They, they, they live through the winter and all the cold is not going to kill them?

Zack> No, they they kind of burrow down a little deeper, kind of where they're a little more protected.

Amanda> So they'll be there next year, Zack> Correct.

Amanda> Okay.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt Zack> No.

You're fine.

And so what I recommend folks do is, is when you get done with a crop, especially this time of year when it's hot, everybody wants to go in or go to the beach or on vacation.

You need to go out in your garden and pull all the plants that are there, Because when you're pulling these, you're moving the next generation for next year.

Amanda> Okay.

Zack> So that can really reduce the numbers that are available, to infect your plants for next year.

So Amanda> And then I probably have told you this, but I grew okra seems to be very susceptible and a couple of years ago, I had some purple or red okra and then the regular one.

When I cleaned up the garden, the regular one just comes right out of the ground.

It's just pitiful.

But the, the red one had a massively more robust root system and didn't seem to be as susceptible to the nematodes.

But when the stinkbugs came, they preferred that one.

So you just can't win for losing.

Zack> And Clemson has a great, fact sheet on the HGIC website, about nematodes.

And we actually have some varieties, that are, tolerant and some that are a little more susceptible, to these different, to the nematodes.

So you can kind of choose different cultivars of different beans and tomatoes and peppers and stuff.

Amanda> When I first came a long time ago, this person told me that she wanted to grow a fig tree.

And she kept going to getting a start off of her grandmama's and then taking it home, and it just got smaller.

I thought, this just doesn't make any sense.

But she said she was on the sandiest soil imaginable and apparently that is more beneficial for nematodes to be in, they kind of.

And so apparently the they were just attacking her fig tree.

Zack> Correct.

Yeah.

They like typically they like sandier soils, but I have seen them in, in clay soils.

so you're not immune to it.

I've seen them in raised beds after, you know, years of growing the same thing.

So, they're out there.

They're they're difficult once you have them, but, you can always send a soil sample into our nematode assay lab and kind of get a baseline of how many root knot nematodes.

And there's other nematodes, too.

We're talking about root knot.

Amanda> They're beneficial nematodes, I understand.

Zack> Correct.

There's some cool YouTube videos on beneficial nematodes if you're bored on a Friday night, Carmen> So they,ll... also attack our lawns to your sting, your ring.

It's, it's a mess.

And sanitation also.

That's the... for the raised beds.

I have often, impregnated raised beds with root, knot nematodes.

Just walking in my boots.

Amanda> No.

Carmen> And reusing tools without cleaning them and moving them from a nematode bed into, a clean bed.

That's the easiest way to to do.

Amanda> How does anybody ever grow anything?

Zack> Good question!

Amanda> Well, well, that was fascinating.

I learned a lot.

Thank you so much.

Okay, Terasa.

Terasa> Up next, how about we help Kevin in Lakeview, who said I've invested a lot in container plants.

I have fertilizer in the potting soil, but should I be supplementing with additional fertilizer, and should I be cutting back my plants now?

I know, sometimes things look, start to look a little leggy, scraggly at this time of the year.

So, what should we have them do?

Amanda> We should water containers just, I don't think you can even go away and play cards all afternoon, I think.

I mean, seriously.

Carmen, you have some suggestions?

Carmen> Yeah.

One of the big things that people are doing is they're watering one two times a day.

Amanda> I know.

>> And a lot of the times they're watering the dog out of those plants, and they're actually leaching a lot of the fertilizer that came in the potting soil.

So what you really want to do is you want to add some supplemental fertilizer through the season, especially now that everything is flowering, everything's putting out new growth.

One of the best ones is just a slow release fertilizer, added into the container.

And that's a really great way to keep them happy.

Amanda> Sprinkle it on the top?

Carmen> I would look at the directions, And see, because different slow release fertilizers are going to have different quantities of fertilizer.

They're going to give great directions on how much per plant.

But you want to always just make sure read the label.

And a little bit goes a long way.

So don't over-fertilize it because a lot of the times, especially if you just, you know, sprinkle it like a little flower girl and you leave that fertilizer on the leaves, it can burn them.

Amanda> Goodness, yeah.

>> You can burn those leaves.

And a lot of the times, like Terasa was saying, we want to give it a nice haircut.

It's getting scraggly.

It's not doing much.

A nice little haircut for a lot of our container plants really just gives it new life, second growth.

Amanda> And you know, it doesn't.

We don't get a freeze until God knows when.

And so they've got plenty of time to come back out and give us another show of whatever beauty it is.

Leaves or flowers.

Yeah.

It can really take it into fall.

So you don't have to switch out so much.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thanks.

That's great advice.

I sure appreciate it.

Well, Terasa.

Terasa> We're ready for another one.

Moving to Conway, Brian said there are some odd shaped patches in my yard.

They're turning brown and the grass seems to be shriveling up, but there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it.

What could this be?

Amanda> Goodness.

Well, Brad I know you're down there.

A lot of people are moving and want to have turf grass, so you probably had lots of questions.

Do you have any idea what this might be?

Brad> Yes, ma'am.

Yeah.

There's a lot of different things that could be going on, but we've kind of already mentioned it a couple different times.

It's been dry lately.

You know, we haven't, we haven't had much rain at all to speak of.

And, so I have a feeling that this is probably some hot spots in the yard.

Soil can change from, you know, one a few feet away.

It can be a little bit different.

You know, one section might be have a little more sand content, something like that.

And so, soil can change.

Parts of the yard will dry out a lot quicker than other parts of the yard.

Parts in the shade might not dry out as quickly, parts in the full sun going to dry out a lot quicker.

And so you can get these really odd irregular patterns and spots in the yard.

The leaves will start to curl up and, and kind of have like a almost a grayish blue tint to it where they're really dry.

Amanda> The blades?

Brad> Right, exactly.

Yes, exactly.

And so they start to dry out and you get these kind of irregular shapes and stuff.

So, you know, general rule of thumb it's great to be able to water about an inch a week on our turf grass.

A lot of times throughout the year, we get enough rain to, you know, don't really have to supplement a whole lot.

But right now, we're experiencing some drought situations in...a lot of the state.

And, so a lot of times we're getting those hot spots in the yard, and you can go out there and just water those hot spots.

You don't have to water the entire yard.

You can water the spots... that are really drying out, but most of the time we can make that grass come back around, by, by giving it a little bit, a little bit of water.

Amanda> May I ask you if you might want to do some, light top dressing with compost on those areas, because I know organic matter helps soils hold water.

Do you think that might be worth doing?

Brad>Definitely, definitely.

I always suggest if it's possible for people to top dress for something like compost, because yes, that can add some organic matter, which will in turn help with the moisture retention and that sort of stuff, along with, a lot of other things too.

So yeah, always a good idea, if possible.

Amanda> You don't have to put a lot.

I mean, just... Brad> Nah, maybe just a half inch or so and rake it into the, into the lawn.

Amanda> Or water it in.

Brad> Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Amanda> Okay.

Terasa> I have a question too, Brad.

So, will extended periods of dryness do, Is it common to see, that when we do have rain that, the soils got like, hydrophobic, the water just runs off and won't sink down in and help the plants?

Brad> Yeah, exactly.

So when we have those extended periods of drought, like you said, the water, the soil does become hydrophobic.

The water will just kind of kind of rush off, especially if it's a hard rain.

It just runs right off of it.

So it's really nice after a drought.

We need a, we need a gentle rain, an extended gentle rain to kind of let it soak in.

That can definitely happen.

And so... Amanda> But we don't get to order it.

<Brad> Exactly.

It's, it's not up to us.

So you know that's where we can kind of supplement it.

And like I said you don't have to have a a big irrigation system or something.

You can go out there with a, with a sprinkler or a hand wand or something like that.

And water those specific spots that need it.

Amanda> Gosh, Terasa.

I'm glad you brought that up.

But that's even more discouraging in a way.

Yeah, but so I guess if you had an irrigation system in your yard and you were using it in a proper fashion, that might help prevent the soil from becoming hydrophobic.

Brad> Exactly, exactly.

And that's an important part.

you said in a proper fashion.

A lot of what I deal with is folks overwatering, because it's really easy to do that, and not realize it.

so it's really important to just pay attention to the grass and see what it needs.

And that goes for your other plants in your, in your landscape, as well.

But properly using an irrigation system can kind of help prevent this stuff.

Amanda> Terasa I think you did something that people could still watch with tuna fish cans or some crazy thing, because it's...sometimes people just don't know what it's putting out.

So is there a place people could see that and have some tuna fish and save the little cans?

Terasa> Yes.

So Zack mentioned earlier HGIC, our Home and Garden Information Center website, wealth of resources there.

I, I would think that most homeowners could find something on any topic they were looking for home garden related.

So there is also a video there about how to calibrate your irrigation system.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

>> Because like you said, there is no, you know, people could call Zack or Carmen or Brad and say, how long should I run my system?

We just can't really answer that question.

It depends- Amanda> -on what those nozzles are like and the pressure and everything.

Terasa> So you just spread out some cans.

Tuna fish works.

Straight side of the can.

So tuna fish, cat food can, something like that.

Put them out there.

Run the system for a set length of time, measure the water and then you can determine by how much is there in that time.

You know, if you want to put out an inch, you need to run it for this long or, Or half an inch for this long, because, I mean, it gets complicated there too.

We can't always apply one inch at one time.

We've got to think about the soil and that water holding capacity.

Maybe, we need to adjust.

Amanda> Okay.

Brad> Irrigation is almost an art form.

You know, we can try to get it scientific, but it's almost an art form sometimes.

Amanda> Well, and water is the new oil, the new gold.

I mean, you know, we it's, you know, it's we've got a certain amount and we've got to be very careful with it.

Yeah.

Okay.

And I think there are a lot of things people are using.

some of the big farmers are using cover crops in some ways.

And...adding more organic matter to the soil that way.

And I think all that can help.

So we hope that people are doing everything they can from their end.

Well, thank you, I appreciate it.

Okay.

Well, I told you we're going to have a mystery segment.

So let's see what we've got here.

Lots of people around the state are accustomed to reading about the mystery plant.

And today you have a mystery person who happens to be...ta da.

None other than the mystery plant writer himself, Dr. John Nelson, former curator of the A.C. Moore Herbarium.

John, you went out to Riverbanks and brought this fascinating plant here, and, you said it's related to something that we often see for sale in florist shops, an Anthurium .

Dr. John> Right.

Anthurium is the genus.

Amanda> Okay Dr. John> And, this is a totally New World genus.

So this is a the species that make up this genus are in South America and the Caribbean.

Amanda> And I'm thinking they're very tropical.

Dr. John> Tropical... some of them are, you know, in the steamy jungles and then some of them are in higher elevations and a variety of habitats.

But they're, by and large tropical species, and there are about a thousand species.

Amanda> Whoa.

That's a lot.

Dr. John> Oh, yeah.

It's pretty complicated.

And they exhibit, it's really interesting that they exhibit, exhibit some variations on our kind of a theme.

Amanda> We'll go into that please.

Dr. John> All right.

Well, before, we can talk about the variations.

we've got to talk about the theme.

Amanda> Okay.

Dr. John> And that is that this is a family that we all know and love, A family that occurs here in South Carolina natively and naturally, the araceae, which is the same as the Philodendron family.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Now, this is not Philodendron, but it is related.

But those of, those viewers who spend any time in the woods will probably know about certain wildflowers called Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Amanda> Oh, sure.

Dr. John> That's one of the members of the family.

Amanda> Okay, Dr. John> Now, that's in the genus Arisaema.

Amanda> But they're related?

Dr. John> They're related.

They're...related within the same plant family.

And, let me tell you, another one of these species that we've got that's common and it's, easy to find in wetlands.

It's called Peltandra And it's the one that's called Green Arum.

And, so we have those two as a native, Amanda>...and they're all they're to the New World, not the Old World Dr. John> These are, these are new world.

Okay.

So, I just want to say that the leaves of this Anthurium are pretty darn hefty.

Let me... Amanda> Yeah.

Dr. John> Show you how massive this thing is.

Amanda> Bring it up here.

Dr. John> Stick up straight out of the ground, they...the plants form something of a little trunk.

Amanda> Yeah.

This is very stout, strong, very, very stout, Dr. John> Leathery, almost, very handsome.

And, you figure that this is one of those shade loving.

Amanda> Yeah, They just have one leaf with one.

Dr. John> Oh, no, no, no, plenty of leaves.

Amanda> Okay.

And when it gets ready to flower, boom, it'll make a lot of flowers.

Amanda> So is this the flower stalk?

Dr. John> This whole thing, and I'll hold this up too so people can get (laughs) an idea of how tall this thing is.

But this also would be sticking out of the, off of the trunk of the plant.

And it's got this long, long stalk now up here where it starts getting really interesting, But, we'll have this, leaf like bract.

And this is the same thing that you find in other members of the family.

Amanda> Okay.

Dr. John> So that the jack in the pulpit will have a bract that flops over here where the flowers are making the pulpit.

Same thing with the Peltandra.

Amanda> So what are all of these little teeny tiny things?

Dr. John> I'm getting to this part, the innards, this sort of spike hair, is where the flowers are embedded.

So the bracts, there's a special name for that because it's botany.

The special, the name for this is the spathe.

Amanda> The spathe, or spathe and spadix Dr. John> Right.

And so the what's the the spiky looking thing is the spadix.

And that's where the flowers are.

So each one of these tiny little, they're beautiful.

Aren't they?

Look like little diamonds studing the surface.

Each one of these is a single flower.

the female flowers tend to be down below.

Amanda> Oh, male and female are on the same?

Dr. John> Right.

So, the flowers are of one sex.

So then the upper ones are male flowers.

And so when this thing fruits it will make, each one of the ovaries will make, a little one seeded berry.

Amanda> Gosh.

So the pollen just kind of falls down?

Or as we think insects, Dr. John> Maybe, but I don't know the pollination biology of this, but, and I don't even know.

I can't remember which species.

Amanda> That's okay.

Dr. John> But, it may be that insects, you know,- Amanda>somehow are involved too.

Dr. John>...busy around on this.

Amanda> So, these are the male flowers?

Dr. John> They would be above.

That's generally the way it works.

Amanda> Look, I've got some pollen to come.

Dr. John> Yeah, yeah yeah.

Amanda> Wow!

So cool.

Dr. John> And then a female flower is below the ovule producing flowers, Amanda> Then I guess they fall on the ground and some of them make it and some of them don't because this would be a good many seeds to fall on the ground.

Dr. John> It was like that in just about everything in the plant world.

You know, there's too much progeny for all, for it all to survive.

Amanda> Well, we just hope some of it survives, Well this is really, really cool.

Thank Herrick... Dr. John> It's a very interesting family.

And then of course, a very interesting genus as well.

Amanda> Well, I thank you so much for bringing it.

Dr. John> Well, I'm glad to be here.

Amanda> Well, the mystery doctor obviously was Dr. John Nelson, our good friend who retired as a curator from the A.C. Moore Herbarium at the University of South Carolina.

And he's still out botonizing and all the time, Terasa.

Terasa> He sure is.

Amanda> And he, occasionally, writes a column about mystery plants.

Terasa> That's right.

And I know I always had fun, and I think our viewers did, too.

trying to guess from the clues what the identity of the mystery plant was.

Amanda> Yeah, well, I took field botany with him.

He didn't give us many clues, when it was time for us to have our test in the field.

But anyway.

Terasa> He had given you everything you needed.

You just had to pull it out.

Amanda> There you go.

Yeah.

There you go.

It was a lot of fun.

One time you had us walk through the lake at Sesqui, Because he said when, when he was coming along, they would have to walk in up to their neck, but he just made us walk in to our waist.

But, I just said, well, what the heck?

We just walked into the lake at Sesqui.

It was kind of fun, and see what seaweed.

You know, stuck to us.

I guess we came out, I can't remember.

Maybe we used that as a way to get more things to identify.

Terasa> Those are the experiences where you remember Amanda> It was fun.

Terasa> In our cognitive botany, I remember taking an aquatic, plant wetland plant class and walking into a Carolina bay.

Amanda> So there you go.

Great fun.

Okay, well, anyway, hats, hats, hats it has been so dry that there's just nothing left in yards much anymore.

So I actually went to the grocery store and, and, and got some stuff.

And so I've got Sea Holly, which is the blue one and I think we, I used to, I think we used to work in people's fancy women's yards and we would try to plant it.

I don't think it did real well down at the beach, but it's a pretty thing that's the blue one.

And then the yellow one.

You helped me look this up.

And you said the common name is Billy Buttons.

Carmen> I've always called it Billy Buttons Amanda> You have?

So you seen it?

Carmen> Yeah.

It's really...

It's nice.

It's fun.

It's wonderful as a dried plant.

Both of those are great.

Just as, a dried one.

Amanda> Is this one pretty easy to grow, the Billy Buttons?

Carmen> That one's alright to grow.

Yeah, I can grow that one in Horry County, Amanda> Can you?

Okay, okay.

Well, anyway, hats, hats hats and, anyway, and I went to a fancy grocery store but, I would rather have stuff in the garden and have had rain, but, we have to do what we have to do, don't we?

Terasa> That's right.

>> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, I guess we've got more questions, Terasa.

Terasa> We sure do.

Zack, I think brought, a show and tell over here.

I'm sure there's, a bigger intention than just making a mess on our countertop.

Right?

Zack> Well, I made a mess.

This is pretty clean for me.

So, what I wanted to show here earlier.

in the show, I talked about the root knot nematode and what the galls look like.

Amanda> On the squash plants, Zack> On the squash plants.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Zack> Something you might see if you pull up a plant in the legume family.

So the bean family, beans, peas, those sort of things is you'll see nodules as well.

Sometimes they can be root, knot nematode nodules, but sometimes they're actually nodules of bacteria.

And these bacteria are nitrogen fixing bacteria, and the way you tell the difference, Carmen, is they Carmen> You can knock them off, Zack> You can just pop them off.

So they just kind of pop off.

if you cut them open, they'll look kind of like a medium rare steak.

They'll kind of be that purplish pink kind of look, to them, and what they're doing, they're colonies of bacteria that associate with the plant roots and they take, atmospheric nitrogen.

Amanda> I mean, there's tons of what's half.

I mean, more than Terasa> The whole 78% or so Zack> 78% percent of the sky is nitrogen.

Amanda> The plants can't use it in that form.

Zack> Correct.

Because it's, It's a triple bond.

And if you go back to, your high school chemistry class, and it's a really tough bond.

It takes a lot of energy to break down.

So these, bacteria live in the soil and they form these, colonies, and they actually take that nitrogen and they break it down into usable forms of nitrogen that the plant can use.

So they actually give the plant nitrogen, but you have to terminate the plant in order to get that nitrogen for the next season's crop.

Amanda> Okay.

Zack> And so a lot of times we'll grow cover crops, in gardens and raised beds and especially in agriculture.

And one of the my favorite cover crops that we started growing in my area is called sun hip.

And so these are these are sun hip roots with the root nodules.

But this is a top of the plant Amanda> That's beautiful.

Zack> It's got a really beautiful flower, and it gets 12 to 15ft tall.

Amanda> No.

Zack> And it does a really good job of conserving water.

We talked about that.

it's pretty drought tolerant, and it, shades out a lot of weeds.

The cool thing that we grow it for is it's sterile.

So even though it makes these seed pods, these seeds, if it makes seeds at all, they're sterile.

So we don't have to worry about it becoming a weed itself.

Amanda> Okay.

Zack>...and a lot of farmers are actually using this in the summer when it's dry as a cover crop, but they'll cut paths in it, and it's becoming the new corn maze in our area.

because it's a lot denser than a corn.

Then take all the water Corn needs a lot of water.

Zack> Correct.

No pesticides, and it's actually, you know, making a lot of nitrogen that we can use on our spring crops.

That nitrogen is in the ground once we kill this and terminate it.

Amanda> So when you say you have to terminate it to release the nitrogen from the nodules, that means you don't go in and just pull it up or anything.

Zack> Correct.

Correct.

You want to you want to mow it or we weed it or whatever, but you want to incorporate that into the soil because as the plant breaks down, you know, it's going to break it, break down into, nitrate and ammonia, the other plants can use Amanda> Is it hard to, to, to put the seeds out?

Zack> No, it's very easy.

it's very prolific growing.

It outgrows, one of our worst weeds in fields is nut grass or nut sedge, both yellow and purple.

It will actually outcompete and outgrow nut sedge if you see it thick enough.

So it's an incredible cover crop.

Amanda> And it's not going to become invasive, because you say the seeds, they're sterile?

Zack> Another cool, neat fact that I've been talking to a lot of farmers who have been growing this, there's a species of moth and I can't remember the name, but it's a little pink moth, and it only associates, with Crotalaria species.

So rattle boxes and sun hemp and things like that.

Amanda> So even though that's not a plant that's indigenous to the United States or North America, they can make use of it.

Zack> Correct.

Absolutely.

So it's really cool to see.

Amanda> That's fun.

Yeah.

That's delightful.

Gosh, it sounds like we should make a shrine to it.

Zack> Absolutely.

Amanda> Okay.

Great fun.

All right, Terasa.

There was a lot of fun.

Who knew that roots could be so interesting?

let's see, Daniel, from Marion, said I recently moved to a property with a stormwater pond, and I know I need to be careful with my fertilizer application.

How close can I fertilize to the pond?

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

Well, I think you've told us a lot of things about stormwater ponds, Terasa.

And I think, Carmen, you've, you're down in an area where a lot of people are making use of them.

Give us some background and some general facts and then talk about fertilizer, please.

Carmen> Well, where Brad and I live.

there's a lot of development going on.

And one of the big things that you have to have with your developments is some type of stormwater retention.

A lot of people come down and think that the ponds in the backyard are natural, and they are not.

They're actually engineered for stormwater and they're very important.

And that's to keep the water on site and not from running down the and getting in the streams and everything.

Carmen> And to improve drainage, make sure that there's a good flow so it doesn't flow into the houses.

And one of the big things is, those are living ecosystems.

And if you go and fertilize right up on them, they can sometimes actually turn toxic and ends up, forming a lot of algae...Yeah.

Amanda> Horrible things.

>> It's awful, but a lot of people are not informed about them.

So it's very important that if you're fertilizing your lawn, that you are keeping a 15 to 20 foot buffer from that pond, and a lot of times people will actually grow living buffers around the stormwater ponds.

Amanda> What kind of plants are good for those living buffers?

Carmen> A lot of the fun rushes you can do a lot of native grasses.

They can be very...you can get really fun with it.

Terasa has a bunch of really great options, and the Home and Garden Information Center, We actually have a lot of really great stormwater design and stormwater pond classes, so that you can become an expert for your stormwater pond.

Amanda>...those dang geese that we have, those Canada geese, I don't think they like to get close to the water if it's got a buffer, because I think there might be something to come and get them.

Carmen> Yeah.

Yes.

A lot of the geese like to lay in open area.

So by making that buffer, you can actually naturally deter your Canada geese from coming in and making a home and pooping all over your stuff.

Amanda> Oh, when I was little Terasa.

I remember we got in a car and packed a big picnic and drove someplace up in North Carolina, so we could see Canada geese.

Terasa> Oh my goodness.

Wow!

Now they're everywhere.

Amanda>...a plague... Carmen> They come as the non migratory, so we would expect them to come for a portion of time and then to return.

But they're finding our area so hospitable.

I suppose they're sort of like me a transplant that decided to move and stay.

Amanda> We want you to stay.

(laughs) Terasa> But yes, a lot of the best management practices that are going to protect water quality have other benefits, like providing habitat for beneficial wildlife, things that people are going to want to see, insects like dragonflies that can help out... you know, and so, it's kind of...I like synergistic, I guess you would say, and, we do have great fact sheets.

We've coined the term... We...someone coined the term shore scaping.

So we can think of it as another opportunity to utilize plants Amanda> And to have a whole different ecosystem in your little yard instead of just turf.

Turf.

Turf.

Turf.

Turf.

I mean, a little turf is wonderful...

There's even plants for within the stormwater pond itself.

So floating wetlands.

Amanda> Really?

Terasa> That's right.

Carmen> In addition to the freshwater shore scaping, we also have saltwater shore scaping.

So make sure you understand which type of water you have and you can shore scape with the specific plants.

Amanda> So some of them are saltwater.

Carmen> Some of them are saltwater tolerant, and for saltwater ecosystems.

So if you're on one of those wonderful creeks.

Amanda> Oh!

Carmen> Yeah.

It's great.

Amanda> Gracious goodness, that was fun.

Well what next?

Terasa> More?

We have time for more questions?

How about we help John in Georgetown, who is growing a yard of zoysia and would like to know if this is the time of the year to fertilize.

Amanda> Goodness.

Zoysia, is a little bit different from a lot of other turf grasses, I think, Isn't it?

Brad> It's one of the... can be considered a high maintenance grass, something that can take a little bit more fertilizer and a little bit more maintenance, a little bit more mowing, that sort of stuff, if that's what you're into, you know, you can fertilize this this time of year, as we talked about earlier in the show, It's really dry right now, as well.

in some parts of the state.

So we need to be careful when we're fertilizing.

The soil needs to be moist.

You don't want to fertilize a really dry grass.

You know, that's not going to help it green up.

That can actually, that can actually harm it.

Amanda> Burn oup a little bit maybe.

Brad> It can definitely burn it.

You really want to make sure you get those rates right.

So reading up on on how much the zoysia needs, we've got some great fact sheets on the Home and Garden Information Center that talk about, you know, how much fertilizer all of our, turf grasses that we can grow in South Carolina need.

And you want to make sure you get those rates right?

a good way to to ensure you're not burning it, is to cut the rate in half and then do it twice.

Go Over it one way and then go over it the opposite direction.

That way you get really even spread, and you're not the person in the neighborhood with that zebra striped grass, as well.

Amanda> So you say push your spreader this way and then come back and- Brad> -Yes, ma'am.

But make sure to cut the rate in half when you do that, because if you really, you don't you're going to end up with sunburning.

Once again, if you are fertilizing when it's hot like this, water it in immediately.

It doesn't need to just sit out there on the turf grass and not get worse.

If you don't have an irrigation system, you might be, you might be doing it as it's starting to rain.

Amanda> You're not going to lose your zoysia if you don't make one of the one of the fertilizer applications that's recommended, it's not going to like die on you.

Brad> It shouldn't die on you or anything.

It's just how far do you want to take it?

You know, you can kind of control that growth a little bit with how much nitrogen we're adding to it.

and so, you know, if it's something that you're, you're really mowing a lot and you're wanting it to really fill in a little bit more, you can certainly fertilize it.

a little, a little more, I wouldn't say any more than maybe three times, a growing season.

And you probably want to get done, at least in the coastal area.

You probably want to stop by by the end of August at the, at the latest, really probably about August 15th.

You want to stop fertilizing.

Cause that grass is it's starting to slow down.

It's wanting to go into the dormant season.

We don't want to encourage it to put on a bunch of foliar growth, trying to push it.

Amanda> Unless we got a frost.

Brad> Exactly, exactly.

You know, but even so, it's slowing down.

You don't want to make it do.

They do start to slow down.

Even if they don't go fully dormant for us, they're still slowing down.

You know, we don't want to push it to do something.

It's not wanting to... not wanting to do.

So, it can be done this time of year.

But you need to be cautious or you can get some fertilizer burns.

Amanda> Okay.

Goodness gracious.

Zoysia used to want to be cut with a certain kind of mower.

Has all that changed?

Brad> No, I mean, you can cut it with just your regular, Amanda> Doesn't it like, to be clipped by scissors It does.

It like a, a reel mower is the best way.

Exactly.

It's a, it's a reel.

It's kind of like scissors.

I had, somebody explain it to me.

you know, a rotary mower is, Well, a reel mower is more like a precision instrument, you know, more like a scapulae.

You're really dialing in that cut, whereas a rotary mower is... Yeah.

Yeah, it's just kind of spinning around, and hacking it off.

So... Yeah.

The higher end turf grasses.

Yeah, it's going to benefit from a from a reel mower.

Okay.

Amanda> Well that's pretty interesting.

I really appreciate it.

Okay.

Well, now that we know who the mystery doctor is, let's go back and have another segment with John Nelson.

I'm talking to Dr. John Nelson, the mystery doctor, from the University, formerly from University of South Carolina, A.C. Moore Herbarium, and Dr. John, this is just such a cool native plant to have in your garden.

It's just so easy.

And, it's really important, these, some of these will turn into food for birds.

So let's talk about a plant that has this configuration.

Dr. John> Yeah.

Well, and even I could grow this.

When I used to live at the house, it was really easy to grow, and it was a perennial species.

Amanda> It comes back.

>> And, of course, this is a member of the sunflower family.

And a lot of, characteristics of the sunflower family easily separate it from all the other families that we that we know about.

So unfortunately, we don't have any leaves on this stem.

Amanda> I used it in a hat earlier.

Dr. John> That and that...

They were beautiful.

But you get the idea that there it is, a leafy stem that this thing produces and it's, fairly smooth stem, but the action is really at the end of the stem where it has its inflorescence.

And as with everything in the sunflower family, the flowers are small, very reduced, but they still are perfectly functional, and they are arranged or sequestered into a head, a very discreet head of flowers, and it turns out that in, in,...in this case there are two different kinds of flowers within this head.

Amanda> Oh.

Dr. John> All of them are surrounded by a, a series of bracts at the very bottom.

>> Oh.

Dr. John> Which, you know, this is another characteristic of the, sunflower family, if we could say the, bracts there that are the base of the head.

And those are what you see when this thing is still in bud.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Dr. John> Before it's actually it's opened up.

But anyway, as I was saying, in this case, there are two kinds of flowers going on, and a lot of people do this.

He loves me.

He loves me not.

Amanda> Oh, sure.

Yeah.

Dr. John> Well, that's what this is.

They think these are petals.

Wrong.

(both laughs) So these are actually flowers.

Amanda> Whoa.

Dr. John> Yeah.

So each one of these is a ray flower, and, it is a it's got all the parts.

It would have all the parts.

The, the beautiful pink part is actually all the petals that are fused together into a single strap, like a flower.

And, in many of the genera of the sunflower family, these ray flowers are sterile.

They don't actually make a... a seed or a fruit or seed.

And in others, other genera, they do.

Amanda> Gracious Dr. John> But in this situation, Echinacea is a genus, of course, and I think everybody knows this is a garden flower.

It's, these guys up here making up the disc or the central part of the head, and we call, we call them, of course, disc flowers.

Amanda> So are they... is there male and are the male and female parts on the same flower?

Dr. John> Right.

Amanda> Tiny, teeny, tiny little flower.

Dr. John> Right.

The flowers are all perfect.

And you'll remember that term from botany class just means that the a single flower will have stamens and pist- and a pistol within it, Amanda>...and I don't know, but looking at it with these good lights, we have here, I see little bits of yellow on it.

I don't know.

Dr. John> Yeah, I don't have my glasses on, but I think what you're seeing there is, the tops of the, little achene, the fruits.

So let's, shall we go ahead and cut this thing open?

Amanda> Yeah.

And also do they all ripen at the same time or is it?

Dr. John> Well, no.

I mean, remember now they, they would be ripening in a spiral from the bottom up toward the top because each, remember, each one of these disc flowers is a separate flower.

Amanda> La, la, la, la, la, Dr. John> They have a time lapse from the bottom to the top and blooming.

But it's a very tight spiral.

And...it just- Amanda> Pollinators can come for a good while because there's always a new flower.

Dr. John> Yeah.

Wait.

We're going to do is cut it open into sort of a cross sectional view of this thing.

And without cutting our fingers off.

Amanda> Don't cut your finger off.

(Dr. John moans) Amanda> Aww be quiet.

(Dr. John laughs) Dr. John> So we're all like, pull this guy away.

Now, this is perfect.

Amanda> Wow.

Look at that.

So on the inside of this head, you'll see that there's a receptacle- Amanda> -which would be that little part down there.

Dr. John> cone shaped flower.

one of the reasons it's called a cone flower.

Amanda> Okay.

Seriously?

Dr. John> Really!

Yeah, it makes sense.

Amanda> Yeah.

Dr. John> And the... disc flowers all have a little white ovary down at the bottom.

Above that is where the, the the corolla itself is a tubular affair, that is, you know, doing its thing and they're waiting for these ovaries to develop.

You might liken this to what goes on in the same kind of a head of a sunflower.

When you're out in the garden looking at the outer edge of the sunflower disc, that's where the most mature achenes are.

Amanda> Oh, yes, that's true.

Dr. John> And so the farther inward you go.

And that spiral they're younger and younger.

It's just that in a sunflower, there's no cone shaped receptacle it's all flat.

Amanda> Whoa.

Okay.

Dr. John> So I mean, it's so cool.

Yeah.

anyway, these ovaries are not ripe.

You can see that they're still white kind of gushy, but once they get ripe, they'll turn up.

They get a lot harder.

Yeah.

And, they'll be, for all practical purposes, just like a sunflower seed.

And you got to remember, now, when you get a bag of sunflower seeds that are still in the shell, each one of those is actually a fruit, not a seed, because a seed is on the inside.

Amanda> Does that happen in these?

<Dr.

John> That's right.

So each one of these little white things is going to mature into an achene.

An achene is a one seeded fruit.

Amanda> Pretty tiny.

Dr. John> Tiny, but it still works.

It works for plenty of different kinds of, plants to have their fruit as an achene.

Amanda> And then I don't know what the nutritional value is, but I hear that a lot of birds in the wintertime like to come, and I guess they get the whole thing out.

They got the seed at the bottom.

Dr. John> Right, unless it's fallen apart.

So the birds, the hungry birds, when they get there before the winter winds and like, shaken it so much that the little achenes have already fallen away.

Amanda> Well, it's a cool flower.

I like it.

And thank you for telling us all about it.

Dr. John> Well, thanks.

I love botany.

Amanda> John goes into great detail sometimes.

and it makes fun, makes it fun to learn more about the intricacies of plants.

They are very fascinating, aren't they, Terasa?

Terasa> They really are.

Amanda> Okay, well, do we have another question?

Terasa> We sure do.

This one comes in from Summerville, but I would imagine that people all across South Carolina and perhaps all across the US have this same question, how do I pick a ripe watermelon?

Amanda> Gosh, because you...don't want it to be overripe, but you sure want it to be ripe, because they're just so sweet and wonderful when they are.

and you said y'all are doing some watermelon research and you come up with some ways of maybe figuring it out.

Zack> Yeah.

So, we do a watermelon, a lot of watermelon research, at the Clemson Research Station in Charleston.

And the best way to determine if a watermelon is ready, you put your ear to it and you whisper, are you ready?

You ready?

Okay.

Nah... (all laugh) but the, you know, you hear a lot of people at grocery stores and things, talk about the color in the watermelon, Amanda> The part that was on the ground.

Zack> On the ground where it touched, the ground, the cream color.

They say the cream color is a little more ripe versus the yellow.

I've not had good luck with that.

The only way, I personally, can tell.

And a lot of folks can tell if a watermelon is ripe and this is unfortunate to the consumer because most watermelons are harvested without the... where they're connected.

Amanda> Yeah.

Zack> But in a lot of Asian countries, they actually leave this part on.

And I don't know if you guys can see this, but when the workers are picking watermelons in the field, they're looking for two different indicators, to see if a watermelon is ripe So the first is the tendril, and that's the little curly-Q.

I call it, a little pigtail.

And the second is the spoon leaf or the heart leaf, and you'll see here this tendril is almost brown, and this one is almost brown, too.

Amanda> Yeah.

Zack> They both have to be brown and dead.

When both of these are brown and dead, the watermelon is dead ripe.

This one is probably, this watermelon would be okay if I picked it, and ate it but it wouldn't be quite.

It wouldn't live up to its full potential.

And have bricks or the sweetness that we're looking for.

So there's really no way to tell in the grocery store, but in the field, if you ever get the chance to pick your own watermelon or, maybe you get to buy one like this, you're going to look for both the tendril and the heart leaf to be, brown.

And that watermelon is guaranteed to be dead ripe.

Amanda> But we don't have that option.

Zack> We don't have that option.

No.

So, Amanda> I, you know, I look and see if it's, you know, like cream instead of yellow, but you say that's well, you know, it's just the best I can do.

Zack> Right.

Yeah.

And we work with a lot of farmers, that train their crews that go through and pick, you know, we train them on how to look for that.

And a lot of the crews are very, experienced at picking watermelons.

And so they're going to do a lot of, a good job, especially our South Carolina Grown farmers that participate in that program.

You know, a lot of them work with us, and they, they know, how to pick a good watermelon and when to bring it to market.

So any South Carolina Grown is going to be dead ripe.

Amanda> Now people used to thump watermelons and do all kinds of things.

Talk a little bit but you said you had an uncle who did something crazy too.

Zack> I had an uncle.

He, I don't know if it was black magic or whatever it was, but he would take two pieces of straw.

And somehow I was a little kid, so, you know.

But he would take two pieces of straw and somehow, kind of like divining tool, the straw would cross.

And if it was perpendicular, that watermelon, the watermelon was dead ripe.

Amanda> Did he put it on them, and then they would move?

Zack> That's what I remember as a kid.

Now, you know, that was a long time ago nowadays.

But, I think Brad's probably has some experience with that at a previous job, looking for pipes and stuff.

So I don't know how true that is, but that's what I remember from my childhood.

Amanda> Well, I've heard of divining rods, but.

Brad> Yeah.

Amanda> Let's go down this path.

Brad> Yeah, I used to work at a public garden, and, you get two copper rods.

You can do it with one, but two copper rods bent over loosely in your hands- Amanda> -bent over?

Brad> So they'd be like a 90 degree angle.

So you got kind of a handle in your hands out in front of you.

On a on a kind of a 90 degree, and you loosely hold them.

and when you walk over some of the old water lines that weren't mapped and stuff, they will, they will fold in and cross over.

When you cross that path.

I have done it myself the first time I ever saw someone do it.

I thought they were just messing with me.

Amanda> Yeah, Brad> I have done it myself.

It does work.

It will also, do it over electric lines and stuff like that.

It's not perfect, but for those old water lines and stuff, it works.

So maybe there was something.

to your uncle's divining.

Zack> We need to have a, a day where we go out in the field and just check for watermelon ripeness.

Brad> Exactly.

Amanda> That would be great.

Let us know.

We'll come and film it.

Brad> Sounds good.

Terasa> That would be a new activity for watermelon field day.

Zack> That's right.

That's right.

Amanda> Yeah.

Now that we have these smaller watermelons, which the seedless ones are usually smaller, you're going to enjoy it anyway, right?

Zack> Oh yeah.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Either way, as long as it's not completely white, it'll be good enough.

Yeah, yeah.

Amanda>...and when it's hot, I mean, gosh, we've just been having watermelon, Edward's having watermelon every day for breakfast.

He says it's just too hot to fry an egg.

Zack> They've been doing a lot of research on watermelons and the electrolytes and everything in them is a lot better than a lot of sports drink.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Zack> They're really pushing it is a, you know, a sports enhancement.

Amanda> You know, my producer Sean Flynn goes down and does the bridge run.

and the first people to finish...the Watermelon Queens come from all over the different states, and they're handing out watermelon to people because it is so wonderfully hydrating.

Zack> Absolutely.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, that's really great fun.

Thank you.

Okay.

Well, Terasa.

Terasa> Ryatt, in Mars Bluff, says he has some trees that were planted this spring, and they're turning brown.

They're not irrigated.

And he would like to know, is this a fungus, or could it be due to drought?

Amanda> Goodness.

Well, Carmen, we've got a couple about three minutes left.

What do you think?

Carmen> I went out to the property and looked at them.

Oh, they're so gorgeous.

But it is 100% drought.

Everything's just drying up where we're at.

And the problem with what we've talked about earlier with our lawns, if they're irrigated, we can supplement that irrigation, but a lot of these people, they're putting, trees out and, acres, acres out.

And one of the big things is it's hard to, get that water to them.

So one, he one of the things that we always talk about is, how can I get that supplemental water?

And I have a, patent pending high tech option for us, and that is our buckets.

one of the big things that you can do, especially for if you've got trees out there, you want to water them low and slow.

So you can take one of these... Amanda> Now why do you want to do it that way?

Carmen> One of the big things like we talked about, today is if you would just water the dog Amanda> Just pour the five gallons on them.

Carmen> It's going to wash off, especially if the soil has gone hydrophobic.

And a lot of times it's not going to get deep down into that root cell that you need.

So, if you just take your bucket and put a couple real small, Amanda> tiny little holes, Carmen> tiny little holes, 38th Whatever it is, tiny, tiny, tiny, maybe 4 or 5 of them, you can fill up this bucket.

My husband gets mad because I get the side by side dirty, his precious side by side.

But you can, put, you can nest another bucket in there so you don't lose any of the water, but you go and take these out and, leave them out, and they will have a nice, low, slow watering.

Amanda> It will spread in that root zone.

Carmen> Exactly.

And it'll go at, it'll go nice and, out wide as opposed to just straight down or just wash off completely.

Amanda> Golly Pete.

Carmen> Yeah.

Amanda> A couple of years ago, when we were having a drought, I actually went and got a hose and put it about halfway between the drip line and cut it on for like 4 or 5 hours, just drip, almost dripping, and then moved it to the other side of the tree.

Because, I mean, our trees are so critically important, and sometimes even a big tree might need a little water, Carmen> Especially, the big trees.

Now, a lot of people think that they're they're ready, but- Amanda> -Okay, well, I'm so glad you all came.

Thank you so much.

We've missed you.

You hadn't been here in a while.

And, well, I'm going to eat that at lunch.

I don't care what you say.

Zack> You'll have to fight me for it.

Amanda> Okay.

So, bye, bye.

Thank you so much for being with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ 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.