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.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, good evening.

I'm glad that you can join us tonight for another episode of Making It Grow.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson horticulture agent.

And I get to come over here with my co-host and friend Terasa Lott, who is now the Midlands District Director.

Thanks for taking care of all those offices.

>> I do the best that I can, but it's only because I have great staff, so I'll venture out on a limb and say the Midlands is the best, best district.

Although I think every district director would say the same.

Amanda> I think it's fun, this summer you've been telling me about rhubarb, which is of course something completely foreign us, and I guess where you grew up, it was just everywhere.

Terasa> It was, and something that I grew up absolutely loving Strawberry rhubarb pie, to me is the most delightful.

You mix the sweet with the tart and the combination is just wonderful.

It does not really like, the weather here in South Carolina.

I've managed to nurse some along.

so it's possible, but, it's not something you're going to want to, you know, grow a crop of and be profitable at.

Amanda> If you cut a little piece before you mix it in a taste, it, it is it really, really tart?

Amanda> Yeah, like, turn your mouth inside out tart.

So as a kid, we would cut the stalks and put, like, just white table sugar in a plate and you just like, dip it in really.

Got to be careful though, if you eat too much it'll wreak a little havoc on your GI system.

(all laugh) Amanda> Well I don't think I'm ever going to have that situation, but I'll remember in case I'm ever somewhere where they are, there's a plethora of rhubarb.

And that was, you grew up in upstate New York.

Terasa> I did, Amanda> So...what states do you find it in?

Do you know?

Terasa> You know, I would have to look it up to be sure.

But I can tell you that when I visited Alaska, we saw it growing all over the place in, in Alaska.

And, in fact, one of the restaurants that we went to for a meal, they were serving it.

It was like a rhubarb, custard dessert.

So, certainly more northern states.

And then I'm not really sure if it spans from the east to the west, I guess.

Amanda> Well, we'll have to learn more about it.

I'll count on you to do that for us.

Adam Gore, you're a hort agent in Clarendon, Lee and Sumter and also a master gardener coordinator, and I think you, have recently gotten your doctorate or something fancy like that.

Dr. Adam> Yes, ma'am.

If I found out that if you, just stick around long enough, they'll just throw things at you to make you leave, which is pretty sure how I got that degree.

Terasa> That is not true at all.

Amanda> What you write your paper on?

Dr. Adam> Looking at heavy metal toxicity on golf course putting greens.

So, specifically copper, which is, oddly enough, one of the most commonly used products in organic production.

Amanda> Come on.

Dr. Adam> So finding exactly where copper is hiding in the soil, in case you do have a toxicity build up.

And it turns out it's right there at the surface.

So if you're dealing with a soil that has a lot of organic matter, you can hold on to a lot of lot of copper.

Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> Oh, I mean, I think a lot of organic matter would be better, but I don't know much about golf course greens.

Yeah, well, I hope that you were able to help some people so that they won't have to have declines in their greens.

I don't think that's considered good for the superintendent of the golf course.

Dr. Adam> That's a quick way to update your resume.

(laughter) Amanda> Oh, that's a great answer.

Christopher Burt, I've known you in your former life as a horticulture agent, and I think you've got something new going on, that sounds exciting.

Christopher> Yes.

So, I'm actually going to be taking over the role as farm director, for a neighborhood farm in Carnes Crossroads, which is in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

So rather close to where I live.

But I will be taking over.

It'll be a 12 acre farm, and which will be a part of the community, basically a part of the amenities package for the community.

Amanda> Mercy.

So people will come and learn how to grow things from you, or you'll harvest and send them boxes or...?

Christopher> So we will harvest.

We're going to grow things.

We're going to harvest.

And of course, we're going to, they're going to be able to come by, pick things out, purchase them, kind of like a CSA built into the neighborhood.

Amanda> I think that's a lot of fun.

Christopher> Yeah.

Very excited.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yep.

Too cool.

Well, good luck to you.

Christopher>Thank you very much.

Amanda> Yeah, and...

I hope we can still keep in touch.

Christopher> Of course.

Amanda> Yeah.

Christopher> I look forward to it.

Amanda> All righty.

So we're go into Boone Hall Plantation where our friend Katie Dixon is.

Oh, the flowers are just so pretty down there, Terasa.

And then the South Carolina master food preserver.

That was pretty interesting.

And then, Mary Vargo sent us a montage of what's happening up at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens.

So we're just going to have all kinds of things going on from Boone Hall, which is down near the sea, and the botanical garden, which is up near kind of towards the North Carolina line.

Anyhow.

Well, Terasa, do we have some gardens for the week to start with?

Terasa> We do.

And I think it kind of aligns with what you were talking about.

It's like a virtual field trip.

And sometimes we go from the mountains to the sea.

It just depends on where the photos come from.

It's your time to show off what's going on in your yard or garden.

Today's first photo is from Trish Edwards, who shared a potted Tradescantia in Chapin.

And I love, that pot from Jill Collins, her dog Pocket, enjoying the cone flowers in Summerville.

My dogs, I'm not sure they enjoy the flowers, but they try to do their own version of landscaping.

From Phil and Karen Neely.

They have the best timing.

They captured a rainbow over their yard in Lancaster.

Amanda> Oh, sweet.

Terasa> Sandie Parrot shared a cultivar of trumpet vine, Campsis radicans flava.

So this one makes yellow flowers and then last but not least, we wrap up with Tyler's Flower Farm, who shared strawberry blond sunflowers in Conway, and that name just perfectly describes the color of those sunflowers.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos on our Facebook page.

You're welcome to visit them anytime.

And don't be shy when you see us ask for call for gardens of the week.

Just post your photos in the comments.

Amanda> And Trumpet Vine is a very vigorous vine.

And I think that I love to see it because we've got some places that, where they had some discarded cars, kind of like an old junkyard.

And now you barely see it, and you just see these beautiful flowers and see it.

Terasa> There you go.

It is pretty vigorous, but can be used like a natural screen.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Well, should we see what we can do?

Terasa> We should.

Let's start out with Alex in Summerville.

Who said, "I have a row of Leyland Cypress "that have been planted for five years.

They've grown great.

"They were perfect as a privacy screen.

"Now there are some dead branches.

"What is going on?

"And what can I do?"

Amanda> Oh, we've been telling people not to plant them.

Christopher> Yeah, I think the appeal of how fast it grows is just hard to overcome.

No, I'm seeing a lot of this as well.

It's a couple different diseases, whether it's Seiridium Cercospora, a couple different ones.

Unfortunately, It's just it's a matter of time.

Leyland cypresses are one of those plants that were kind of over planted in the first place, and so- Amanda> -That increases the spread sometimes?

Christopher> Exactly, and so, and unfortunately, I mean, this is an intergeneric hybrid.

So it's kind of a relatively new plant.

And so there's no disease resistance whatsoever baked in.

And unfortunately it was just one of those that the heat, the humidity kind of coupled with the over planting you just saw that just spread like crazy.

Amanda> I think...people would buy them kind of small and they wanted a screen at them and they'd put them kind of close together, But as you said, they grow so fast.

I mean, then there, that makes it even worse because there's no airflow, I guess.

Dr. Adam> I mean, whenever you are buying a landscape plant, all plants have a certain amount of space that not just their foliage, but their roots need for a successful growth.

Amanda> Oh, I hadn't even thought about that.

For your Leyland cypresses, I believe you're looking at at least 8ft to 10ft between plants.

And when you're buying a two foot tall plant that you're wanting for a screen, you're going four feet, five feet, and there's just no airflow.

Amanda> Christopher, do they grow better up north?

Christopher> So I do see them a lot better kind of in the more mountainous regions.

You'll see more established ones.

You'll see them, really utilize more as kind of singular trees.

The other issue, planting them too close together that I noticed even up north is, is they shade each other out.

So Leyland Cypress does not like any type of shade, and if you have any type of shade, it'll just start to defoliation and you'll get dead branches anyways.

And so oftentimes that screen turns into a nice beautiful top part but nothing underneath.

And so that can also be an issue.

But now I see them as individual trees up north here.

In my opinion, if there's so many different options, better options that you can utilize.

You can try to treat.

It's pretty ineffective and it requires a lot of effort.

Amanda> They're tall.

Christopher> Exactly.

Yeah.

In reality, the best thing to do just go ahead and pull them out, especially when they're small enough to pull out and go ahead and switch to something else.

Amanda> What are some of the things you recommend looking at instead, and would you plant just those things, or would you try to like maybe pick 2 or 3 things to plant and for...?

Christopher> -which is the perfect segue to explaining the idea of a mixed screen, which is just you alternate species where you're not necessarily planting all one species.

I get uniformity can sometimes have its place, but, there's so many different things that you can utilize in place of that.

And if you mix it up, you never have this issue where disease doesn't necessarily spread as well between species and especially between families and things like that.

And so oftentimes I will encourage really thinking about what are your alternatives.

Use them all.

Use as many as possible.

If you've got an area that you're trying to create a privacy, don't necessarily go for one thing and plant it all down and row, because if one of them get something, they're eventually all going to get it.

And so there's so many different options.

If you really like the look of a Leyland Cypress, one of my favorites, of course, is Eastern red cedar.

It gets big.

It doesn't quite have the uniform look to it, but it's great for the birds.

And of course, in my opinion I think is much more attractive.

Amanda> It's great for wildlife because they say there's something about the foliage, Terasa in the winter, it's a great place for animals to go to take cover.

I just, I love them too.

Yeah.

And they... have a long lifespan.

Christopher> They do much, much longer than the Leylands, unfortunately.

Amanda> When I drive to work and I'm kind out in the country, and if there's a power line usually there's usually a whole row of eastern red cedars because the birds see them and then they fly to the power line and they poop and the little seeds come up and they just plant themselves.

And I think it's wonderful.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Kind of fun.

Yeah.

But not fun to have.

I dead screen.

Christopher> No.

When they get big they're hard to take down, unfortunately Oh yeah, because Amanda> They're so big, oh yeah.

Oh goodness, well Terasa, let's try something else.

Terasa> Moving on to a different topic.

still a problem, but we're going to switch it up to Turfgrass.

Paul in Awendaw said, "I have random "yellow spots in my St. Augustine near the sidewalk.

"What could cause this?"

Amanda> And this is near the sidewalk.

What do you think, Adam?

Dr. Adam> So just looking at the... what he's describing Saint Augustine grass near a sidewalk, yellow patches, the screens, chinch bugs.

So- Amanda> -And why is that?

Dr. Adam> So we see chinch broke damage particularly on St. Augustine.

For whatever reason, this insect loves to feed, on that particular grass.

You know, they can do a little bit damage on Bermuda grass.

We're seeing some reports in the Midwest of it.

Saw some damage in Zoysia grasses, but St. Augustine grass, so much so that they've, turf breeders have had to try to breed in some resistance to the insect.

and it's one of those things of it just makes them...

They're not the first choice of the St. Augustine buffet.

but we also see- Amanda> And why by the sidewalk.

So these are, insects... that have sucking mouthpieces.

So they actually suck the moisture, the water out of these plants.

Oh, so you see the damage along sidewalks or any sort of hardscape because it reflects heat.

Amanda> Okay.

>> So you're seeing, more almost drought like symptoms because there is no way for a plant to cool itself.

Amanda> Can you...look at your grass and see if they're there?

Can you see them or are they too small?

Or what?

Dr. Adam> So if we're actually trying to diagnose chinch bugs, what we do is a float test where you're taking, an old.

It doesn't have to be old, but you're taking a can.

So say, like a metal coffee can with the tops and the bottoms taken out, you're jamming it into the edge of a grass, not into the center of a dead area, but on the edge where there is healthy tissue and you're jamming it into the ground and you're flooding that can with water.

And as that water comes in, you stir it up and these chinch folks will get caught up in the water and float to the top.

Now, what is a little difficult, especially if you're a little bit older and you left your glasses inside, are that these bugs are very small.

You know they you find them underneath the sheath, of St Augustine very often, so.

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

A lot of times the adults will be no bigger than a pin tip, whereas the, the smaller, instars, they'll be kind of a bright pink color, and they'll be, say a millimeter to two millimeters long.

So you, so if you have an infestation, you'll see just a lot of little specks that maybe.

Amanda> Oh, I see, because they're so little, they where the damage is small because they're sucking mouthparts.

Dr. Adam> Right.

So there are a couple ways to treat it.

Obviously there are some general insecticides.

But another thing I like to tell folks is these insects like to hide in your thatch layer.

So if you will attack your thatch layer, early parts of the growing season, so June, July and decrease your thatch, you're decreasing a, a home place for these chinch bugs to grow.

So without even doing any type of chemical application, you can decrease your chinch bug population.

Amanda> So is that something you can do as a homeowner?

Can you get a tool to do it or?

Dr. Adam> Yes, ma'am.

So, homeowners I really like just the spring loading de-thatcher, de-thatching rakes, they're pretty much just little tines on a spring, and you just drag it behind a lawn mower and it just pulls up, this not, decay, but partially decayed material, and just, you know, discard that as appropriate.

I do also see chinch bug damage, particularly in home sites that are bordering, let's say, wheat fields or any type of, grain fields, because those areas also have that heavy vegetation layer, you know, in between harvest where these chinch bugs will like to overwinter as well.

Amanda> Okay.

well, goodness.

St. Augustine is kind of picky too.

Dr. Adam> Is is the spoiled child of a warm season grasses.

Amanda> Well, is there a spray that people use for them?

Dr. Adam> So for, St. Augustine grass, the biggest issue, with chinch bugs, any type of broad spectrum insecticide will take care of them.

To be safe for our pollinators, because you do want to be considerate for them.

try to get some of these granular products that then get watered in so that there is less, potential for contact to our pollinators.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, that's a good tip.

Dr. Adam> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, I learned a lot.

Thank you.

Okay.

Katie Dixon is a good friend, and she has beautiful flowers.

And at Boone Hall, you're going to be stunned by the beauty of what she's got there.

♪ Amanda> I'm in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens.

And Katie Dixon, you're the director of horticulture.

>> Yes, ma'am.

I'm so happy to have you.

Amanda> This is a lot of horticulture going on around here.

So many beautiful spots.

And right now, we're in kind of the old fashioned, rambling, romantic garden.

Katie> Yes, we are.

Amanda> And, you have been making some changes here.

So let's talk about some of the things that are different from when we last visited you.

Katie> Certainly.

So a lot has happened since you visited a year or so back.

We, you know, still want to keep the formal bones of the garden, the pathways, the brickwork, the heirloom roses, but we also want to give our, our seasonal or yearly visitors, just new exciting things, new botanical interests to view.

So we've added some beautiful, gazebos, sitting areas, a beautiful pollinator native showcase garden that serves as a monarch, butterfly waystation of sorts, and trying to curate pollinator plants a little bit more.

We also have, a really beautiful, restful tropic conservatory, that we're very proud of, just put in a few months back.

And, finally, we also are very excited about our gin house, Finally reopening.

Amanda> Here within the garden.

you have areas that are color coordinated and that's always fun.

And so let's talk about some of the things that you use in those areas.

Katie> Certainly, so as you allude to there is a general color scheme.

What we're trying to go for on the periphery of the formal garden is more hot, energetic colors, and we want the plantings to be more tropical fiery oranges.

You know, we're talking, coleus canna banana things of that nature to kind of give viewers kind of an interesting start to the garden, and as you work towards the center where we are now, the color scheme turns a little more pastel purples and calming blues.

Salvias, Dusty Millers, metallic silver, things like that, because we want people to understand that gardens elicit all kinds of emotions, and you can just change your mood based on the color palette as you wander through.

Amanda> And as I came up, in the shady area at the back, hydrangeas are just every color and, just exquisite beauty there.

Katie> That is just a fan favorite.

People love those huge bubblegum pink or blue, mop heads.

So, love looking forward to that every June, and again, that's a really treasured old fashioned, you know, southern favorite.

Amanda> Yes it is.

And then you've got, a fascinating new Rose Arbor.

I think that you're working on.

Katie> Yes.

So again, kind of wanting to harken back to, kind of the rambling, romantic cottage style English gardens that would have been reflective of, the original planter, John Boone's, ancestral gardens, where we're putting in this, really lovely tunnel that hopefully in 3 to 5 years will be completely covered in these ultra fragrant, roses, pretty creams.

And that also provides a really nice spot for our, our wedding clients and, you know, our brides to do portraits.

So, we're just having all kinds of fun.

Amanda> And then a cotton gin.?

Katie> Yes, indeed.

So we have, a longstanding, a cotton gin that we're just being short for engine, structure.

And it was, you know, formerly held up by supports for many, many years was vacant.

And then we were so proud that last year the renovation was completed and it's been, you know, transformed in that the lower story is a beautiful, very well done museum.

It can be used as a small event space upstairs.

It also serves as our hospitality hub.

So this building has new life, but it still has the old bones and it's just kind of, a melding of old and new.

Amanda> And is that where you have things that, relate to 300 years of agriculture in South Carolina on display?

Katie> Absolutely.

So, beautiful storyboards, very, very goes into all the history of the different areas of farming, the various crops and, you know, the history there.

And I'm very excited, by beautiful, pottery shards and actual relics that were recovered here on the property.

and there's also a, a cotton gin, engine right there.

central to the museum.

And even though it's not original to the building, I think it's really important for guests to get up close and personal with the equipment that changed the cotton industry.

Amanda> Yes, yes.

And then you said that there's so much to do and see when people come here that, you think that the new garden is a place where they can just sit and rest a little bit?

Katie> Absolutely.

So the Tropic Conservatory is really just intended to be a place of, reflection after you've had a really fun day, exploring the working farm, the various history talks, learning about the lives of the enslaved people and enjoying the gardens, hopefully, It's a lot to take in, and I don't want people to feel heavy by all the information.

So I like, if people get to process it surrounded by a lush tropical showcase and there's water features that produce a sound element.

There's koi fish ponds, and for a small, square footage, it's very dense.

And, we're very proud of that.

Amanda> Well, and I do think that it's so nice to reflect on all the incredible opportunities to see and learn so much here.

before you head back out.

Katie> Exactly.

Yes.

I think we were joking earlier.

Before you head back into traffic, it's like try to, you know, just think about all you've learned here at Boone Hall.

Amanda> What an incredible thing to think that you can come here.

and see beautiful flowers, have a wedding, and just really learn so much about how life was, at one time in South Carolina and that it's all preserved right here.

Katie> Absolutely.

And, and my team and I think everyone involved with Boone Hall, I think we're really grateful that, the, the former, owner and visionary, Willie McCray, who is sadly passed.

But, I think his life's work was to put Boone Hall into a conservation easement and protect it in perpetuity.

in such a busy, metropolitan, growing little town we have here, this is so precious to keep this greenspace, protected forever.

Amanda> It's a wonderful oasis.

And thank you for all the beautiful work you do and for letting us come and enjoy it.

Katie> Oh, it's always a pleasure to have you, Amanda.

♪ Amanda> Katie has wonderful plans for the future, including that Rose Arbor.

So, I think that's the place we'd like to go and visit very often.

So, Hats.

Hats.

Hats.

Rudbeckia, and I think there are two kinds in here.

Ones a little older than the other, but, you know, it was looking pretty perked Yeah.

And I think, it's a good plant, a good native plant that lots of pollinators enjoy.

Terasa> So cheerful, I always think.

Yeah.

Amanda> Does it make seeds like the cone flowers do that that the birds enjoy?

Or do you know?

Terasa> I think but I, you know, I don't know specifically is Christopher> The seeds are smaller.

So it does make seeds like the echinacea, but, the seeds are much smaller.

I will say though, out of all the native plants that are growing, this seems to do the best in the heat.

I mean, Rudbeckia is the one thing right now that has just made it through July and August, and so it's one of my favorites.

Amanda> It's tough.

>> Oh, yeah.

Amanda> Oh yeah.

Okay.

Well, Terasa, let's see what we can do for somebody.

Terasa> Let's open up our box of questions.

From Fanny in Walterboro.

"A friend gifted me several big blueberry shrubs, "and I want to make sure I know the right time to plant them.

"And is there anything special that I need to do?

"I've already had my soil tested and amended "for the soil test.

Amanda> Okay.

Terasa> Sounds like Fanny's ahead of the game.

Amanda> Yeah, she put that.

And why is the soil test particularly important?

Christopher> So blueberries, particularly like acidic soils.

And so that's one of those crops that if you do not have the right soil pH before you plant, they will become stunted.

And once they become stunted, blueberries rarely recover from that.

Amanda> Goodness.

>> And in fact, a lot of universities will recommend if your pH is above six to just not plant blueberries at all.

Amanda> Oh, even though you could, Christopher> You can amend, but the problem is you'd have to be very continuous with it.

And they're going to be particularly sensitive to it.

So if you're around 5.5 or below that's kind of the perfect spot to be in.

Blueberries are really going to thrive in that.

And so that is one of the big reasons why, you want to make sure you do your soil test.

Also, you do want to make sure when you first plant that you're really focused on that fertility and getting those established as quick as possible.

So in, in reality, the first couple of years that blueberries are in the ground is really kind of the most important part, where you're focused on getting them established.

You're focused on them growing.

You're making sure that they're producing lots of foliage and of course, producing lots of healthy roots.

And so often times that fertility is going to be a big aspect to that as well.

Amanda> Do we have a schedule of feeding them, that has been established?

Christopher> So Clemson has an excellent home and garden information center, that, of course, talks about, establishing blueberries and planting them.

It's a little early to plant blueberries, in my opinion.

If I'm going to be doing that, I'm really going to wait until October, November.

Amanda> All right.

Christopher> In reality, I kind of want them to be partially dormant.

And not only that, I want to make sure when you do plant them, one of the few things that you'll do with them is actually prune them pretty heavily.

Kind of similar to a rose bush.

If you ever plant a rose bush, you prune them pretty heavily.

Same thing with blueberries, you want to prune them back because what you're trying to do is then kind of adjust that shape and of course, trigger a growth response on both the foliage as well as the root system.

Amanda> So with blueberries, I think that they're like early, and mid-season and late.

And if I, if these were just a gift Terasa, I don't know if she got the complements of ones that need or needed to pollinate each other.

Can you kind of talk about that issue a little bit?

Christopher> Yeah.

so hopefully if they've obviously they're fairly mature, they've probably produced for several years and likely, you know, they have some pollination requirements met.

Again, the best thing to do is plant them.

Get them established.

You're not going to touch the flowers anyways, You're going to prune them off, in my opinion, for the first couple of years.

That way they get some roots underneath them and get established by that third and fourth year when they start to flower.

Then you can pay attention to how are they fruiting, when are they fruiting?

And of course, start to get an idea of what cultivars you have.

Now, you're probably going to do a lot of guessing at that point- Amanda> That's confusing, Christopher> but what you're going to do is figure out, "Okay, I have an early producer, "a late producer..." or something like that, and start to add in some kind of fill in the gaps basically with some newer cultivars that can help pollinate.

The good thing is, is as long as you have more than one cultivar, they will still cross-pollinate.

It doesn't necessarily mean they'll be as productive, but again they're free plants, so I would plant them, get them established, and enjoy what you get.

Amanda> Are they relatively carefree?

Christopher> Most blueberries, yes.

So most blueberry, the rabbit eye blueberries specifically are going to be extremely easy to grow.

It's one of those things that really you're just keeping them shaped up to make sure they're happy.

That's why I always tell people it's way before you plant them that all the effort needs to be put in.

If that soil is not right and they don't get established, there's, you're pretty much not getting anything.

But once established, you just enjoy them, I mean, that's really about it.

There's a few pests here and there a few diseases here and there.

But again, these are the types of plants, they're native to North America.

Generally, They're fairly well adapted to whatever our climate can throw at them.

Amanda> Okay.

Terasa, my brother's wife is just a wonderful cook, and she, she made us a cobbler.

And you melted butter on the bottom, and then you poured some flour and sugar and milk on top of that, and you didn't stir it up, and then you just put the blueberries on top of that and cooked it.

And I was like, oh, come on.

And it was just amazing.

It's fun to see how everything just kind of mixed itself up once it was in the oven.

Terasa> All right.

I think we've had, a demonstration or two on the show, that have, have showed how you can use that.

I still yeah, I'm always hesitant.

I like the traditional fruit in the bottom, topping on the top, but, but it does work.

Amanda> Yeah, yes.

It's fun, fun to try new things sometimes.

Okay, well, what should we do next?

Terasa> We should try to help Elinor in Pawley's Island.

Who said, I've read about using vinegar and salt as a natural weed killer, but does it really work?

Amanda> Good gracious.

Vinegar and salt.

I mean, I think they used to salt the Earth when they didn't want you to grow anything.

I mean I've heard that.

Christopher?

I mean, Adam.

Dr. Adam> So, over the last several years, a lot of these home remedies have started to pop up.

You know, with everyone being concerned, about different chemicals going on, different... plants and whatnot, it's, it's led to the rise of what they call more natural products.

So vinegar being the base of one of them, we also see things like, ammoniated fatty acids, pelargonic acids.

It, pretty much all of these are acids or, caustic materials.

Amanda> Yes.

Dr. Adam> You know, if you actually want to get down to it, vinegar is acetic acid.

So all of these products do the same thing, essentially, and they burn the surface of a plant.

So the nice thing is, you see, very quick results.

I'm running some research trials right now in Florence, where, within about 45 minutes, I'm seeing plants that are wilting just turn dark brown, almost look like they're leaking.

So that's essentially what's happened is these products have burned the tissue.

Now, the downside to that is you do see very quick burn, but within seven to ten days on perennial plants, things that have a deeper root system, they do start to recover fairly quickly, so you do have to re-apply, in a fairly consistent manner for anything that's more than, you know, a couple weeks old.

So seedlings, they work very well on, but perennials or more, well, rooted plants, you're going to have to apply very frequently.

Amanda> But if you've got an established turf, I mean, how are you going to just treat this little bit, and this little bit because it's nonselective.

I mean, it's what it sounds like.

Dr. Adam> They are nonselective.

So wherever they touch, they're going to burn.

Imagine them to be like what people think of Roundup, just burning everything.

However, it doesn't have the residual, long lasting killing effect that you see with roundup, That's what we're seeing right now, but again, they they're simply just burning the cuticle, that surface layer, giving you a bright flash.

Now as far as, the home remedy, the type of vinegar you use matters.

(laughter) At least 15% acetic acid, 30%, gives you a better burn.

Just using your white distilled vinegar with a little bit of salt mixed in, from what we're seeing, you see very little actual weed control.

Amanda> Now, when you talk about the salt mixed in, I would think that would do irreparable damage to the soil.

Dr. Adam> It's all about amount, that some of the things that we're looking at right now in our research to see if, you know, you do see a buildup of salt, so, we can't say yes on that.

but everyone, has gone through a history class, should probably remember, Carthage.

Where, where the Romans pretty much just poured salt over everything and left nothing left to grow.

Amanda> But there are selective herbicides for certain grasses that, spare the grass if you do it correctly and at the right time of year and blah, blah, blah, blah and all that.

I don't know...

I mean, I don't, do you see any, do you see a danger with those for when used appropriately?

Dr. Adam> When used appropriately, and in moderation, I think the biggest danger we get into is that as soon as people see a single plant, they start going for a spray product.

Whereas one plant, most of the time, isn't that big of an issue.

You can just go and pluck it.

Amanda> Sure.

Dr. Adam> But also I think, people don't realize that certain plants can actually indicate what's happening in your environment.

We call those indicator plants.

So if you're finding that in the lawn or in a landscape in general, certain plants, for instance, if you're seeing a lot of clovers and legumes most of the time that indicates that, area is very low in fertility, not a lot of nitrogen- Amanda> -because they can fix nitrogen.

Dr. Adam> Exactly.

you know, if you see things like sedges and kyllingas, and barnyard grass, those areas are normally, wet for longer periods.

So you may have to tackle moisture issues.

So you don't automatically just go and grab the first spray bottle that you can.

I call it "talk to your plants," you know, and try to assess what's happening before you just go and start spraying anything, whether it's, natural or synthetic.

Amanda> Okay, well, and, if your neighbors think you're crazy because you're out there talking to your plants, I guess they won't come and pester you, or ask to borrow your lawnmower.

Terasa> And I just wanted to point out that, folks should always focus on personal safety.

And maybe when using natural products, they don't think about it so much, but if you are using a horticultural vinegar, I happened to pull up a, a label for one potential product, And, you know, Adam talked about it's going to burn the foliage.

So this has, you know, warnings extremely irritating to the eyes.

Don't get it in your eye tissue, may cause burns, skin irritation, irritation to the nose, throat, or respiratory tract.

So, you know, not to scare people, but just take the necessary precautions, no matter what product you're using.

Always read the label.

Amanda> And I think that one has a, step up from the mildest label that a lot of the synthetic herbicides, doesn't it?

So it's, you know, it's a little bit more dangerous to use, not dangerous if you follow the directions.

But if you had something, ...happen, it could be, Terasa> Yes, human beings don't always follow the directions, I see folks outside doing all kinds of things, you know, in their flip-flops and whatever, and, we should always be cautious.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, Mary Vargo is fun to have down here.

She's just delightful, and, they're lucky now that she's up at the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

And she went around and made a montage of how things are looking up there, some of the beautiful things that she wanted to share with us.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We appreciate Mary sending those pictures down here.

When it gets a little cooler, I think we're going to go up there and have to follow around and see all the beautiful things that they've been working on so hard up there at the South Carolina Botanical Garden, even though it's located, right next to Clemson, but it is the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

Well Terasa, let's see what we can do for somebody else who's having a problem.

Terasa> Allen contacted us from Murrell's Inlet and said, "I have a clump of banana trees.

"They've been on the ground for seven plus years "and have always been doing well, but they've never produced "any fruit."

I think I see a flower and I, he included a picture and he wants to know, why?

What has changed?

Why would they suddenly be flowering, after seven plus years?

Amanda> Well, I mean, the climate is changing.

I would think that could have something to do with it.

Christopher?

Christopher> Well the big part of it is, so bananas are very heavy feeders.

So the two things that bananas really like, is they like lots of water, and lots of fertilizer.

And unfortunately, when it comes to a banana plant, especially one that needs kind of a really long growing season, it takes all that nutrients it can from the soil.

It builds it up, builds it up, builds it up, and doesn't go through a winter unless you're in South Carolina.

And so that winter, that freeze knocks it back, kills it down to the ground.

That root system survives, which is fine.

It's comes right back.

The problem is it uses a lot of energy to build right back up.

Amanda> Oh yeah.

Christopher> And so you can see it 10, 15, 20 years.

If you get a couple mild winters where the foliage is not killed all the way to the ground, you start to build up enough energy to where that plant's going to produce maybe a couple flowers, and so it's kind of the exciting thing, occasionally you might get some fruit.

Now, that being said, I wouldn't go out and plant a whole orchard of bananas, but, it is one of those things, occasionally you're kind of more ornamental type plants can occasionally do what they would do kind of in their natural habitat.

Amanda> And a long time ago, I remember we had some, I got one cultivar that we'd have to dig up every year and put it under the house for it to live.

So I guess the different cultivars have different tolerance to cold.

Christopher> Yeah, most of the ones that you see now, the Cavendish bananas are generally going to do really fine.

The big thing that we always encourage is, is cover the root system, that rhizome system, in order to allow it to regrow next year.

So if you do have a hard frost and it does kill it back, it's not the end of the world.

Cover it.

I generally just leave the foliage, so all that dead foliage, that fell down- Amanda> because that's insulating.

Christopher> Let it protect that root system and then come next year, it'll just pop right back up.

I generally like to encourage it, with a little bit of fertility, usually some compost as well.

But again, don't grow it thinking you're going to get fruit every year, but when you do, it's kind of a nice little plus.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, I mean it would be fun and they're lovely in the summertime.

Christopher> They really are gorgeous plants.

Amanda> Yeah, okay.

Thanks a lot, Terasa.

Terasa> Gives you such a tropical feel, doesn't it?

All right, heading to the other side of the state we've got from McCormick, Charles wrote in, and said, "Is it ever too hot "to apply fertilizer?"

He didn't say, but I'm thinking he's talking about applying it to his Turfgrass.

Amanda> Probably.

Goodness.

Well, if you got to go out there and put it out yourself, it might be too hot for you if it's not too hot for the grass.

But what do you think, Adam?

Dr. Adam> So there's a lot of caveats to an answer.

So the first would be, not only how hot it is, but also how dry it is.

So a lot of what involved, or what is impacted from this is, the nitrogen that a lot of these fertilizers have... nitrogen, I call the go-go juice for vegetative growth, so your leaf growth, but that involves a lot of water.

So if your plants are already stressed for water and you're putting in a nutrient that's telling the plant to grow- Amanda> Gosh, that's putting a lot of stress on it.

Dr. Adam> Exactly, so, and you see that stress, in the way of the plants showing a lot burn, very wilted, has a blue-gray color eventually, turning into straw.

And just you can potentially kill areas of the plant, or areas of your yard because you have stressed it too much, or you're trying to force it to grow when it just doesn't have that ability.

Amanda> Are people trying to green it up or what do you think, what are they after?

Dr. Adam> So depending on the grass, you have, it controls the amount of nitrogen and general fertility or how much fertilizer, you put out in a year.

This time of year, you start to see, you know, being in mid August, football season starts coming through, people like to have those first, cookouts in their backyard, you know, celebrating a football game.

So you want, you have those, "lawn dad" competitions.

Amanda> So this is a cultural issue as well, Dr. Adam> Who has the greenest yard?

So if, the, if you put on nitrogen to your yard, you can have a nice dark green color.

Problem is, is you're again telling that plant to grow.

so alternatively, instead of nitrogen, if you just put in a chelated iron, something like two ounces of iron sulfate in three gallons of water, with a little bit of soap, you can green up your yard- Amanda> Say what again, what were you using?

Dr. Adam> Two tablespoons of iron sulfate.

Amanda> Iron sulfate Dr. Adam> Mixed into three to four gallons of water.

with, a few drops of dish soap, and you'll spray that over 1000 square feet of your yard- Amanda> 1000 square feet Dr. Adam> you get a dark green color without having that excessive growth.

Now, again, nitrogen content, if you're using synthetics, you have you normally have a quicker release, so you do see more of that burn during times of hot and dry weather.

If you're using organic products, their nitrogen content is lower, but also the amount that's available all at once is less as well.

So, you don't see- Amanda> a little safer Dr Adam> Right.

So you don't see quite the burn if you're using these organic nitrogen products in the heat.

Now, if you're not exhibiting drought, it's a little bit different, at that point, it's more of, making sure that you're not using excessive rates.

So, never more than one pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet over your yard.

Amanda> And I'm sure the football fields have their own schedule for having everything look beautiful.

Right?

Dr Adam> Everything has its own place and time.

Terasa> Adam, I'm curious about the chelated iron.

So you mentioned a liquid product.

I think there are granular products available as well.

Would there be pros and cons to each?

Dr. Adam> So, the pro to a liquid source is the iron sulfate, it's more, a quicker green up versus your granular products, you're looking at three to five days for that green up.

So liquids, you see a very quick response because a plant absorbs pretty much anything that's going to take up within the first three hours of liquid being on the sources versus your granular products, you're still having to depend on some water movement into the roots.

So you're seeing a delayed response using granular products versus the liquid.

Terasa> That makes sense.

So if you're last-minute on planning this cookout, in your yard, go with liquid- Dr. Adam> That or go get some paint right quick.

Christopher> And what is the purpose of the soap?

Dr. Adam> So the soap is just acting as a surfactant, just helping it stay on the surface of that leaf just a little bit longer.

So, it just flattens out your water drop, so if you were to look, at water sitting on the leaf surface, you're going to have a very high... Amanda> Dome?

Dr. Adam> Dome.

Thank you.

Words are hard sometimes, but once you start adding the dish soap, it flattens that dome out.

So you get more coverage on the leaf.

Amanda> Goodness.

Okay.

We're going to now learn about the South Carolina Master Food Preserver program.

Everybody likes to can and pickle these days, this is how to learn it.

I'm talking to Faith Isreal, who is a Clemson Extension Agent in food systems and safety.

So we usually are trying to help people grow things, and you're here to help them make sure that, what they do with it after that is safe.

Faith> That's absolutely correct.

So we are taking the food that was harvested and setting it up so we can have it for later.

Amanda> Okay.

And then the Food Systems Specialist, I think they go to the farms ahead of time to make sure that they're following all the practices necessary for safety.

Faith> Yes.

Also on our team we have some agents that go and help with the pre-inspections for the farmers, making sure they're following what they need to, so that way when the food is traveling it can safely land on our plates.

Amanda> Okay.

There's such an interest in canning and food preservation now.

I think people, making sour dough bread, they're doing all kinds of stuff that used to be done all the time.

And we're kind of seeing that a resurgence in that.

Faith> We are.

And because of that, we want to make sure we're providing that education so they can safely do it.

Amanda> Because some things have changed and it's extremely important to do all this in the safe way.

Faith> Correct.

Even though there are recipes that have been handed down in families in generations to come, we want to make sure that we're following a current research based recipe.

Amanda> Okay?

And you're trying to get people to come and be volunteers, first of all, they're going to, they are going to learn a lot.

Faith> Yes, yes, we have what is called the South Carolina Master Food Preserver Volunteer program.

Amanda> Yes.

Faith> Yes, and we have individuals that come, they go through their training, and they are two day intensive with their hands on so that they can safely be our certified volunteers to help us spread that information.

Amanda> Okay.

And I believe you'd like for them to have some canning background or, where they've done it before.

Faith> Yes.

We want to have individuals who, are knowledgeable and confident in their practices.

Probably them doing it at home or with families so that they can come in so we can shorten that learning curve.

Amanda> Okay.

So tell me, how it starts.

Faith> Okay.

So we have our volunteers.

They, fill out a application and we preview that.

And then based off the information we receive, we do our selections.

We want to make sure that we're hitting counties across the state.

Because our team, small but mighty, but we want to make sure that we expand our outreach and they become volunteers with that training of the modules online, then that two day intensive where we go through each- Amanda> Okay so first they spend, they have, how many programs to watch online?

Faith> We have nine modules online.

Amanda> Oh goodness.

Okay.

And they do that first.

Is it, can you pick the day you do it.

Faith> So every, every week a new module opens up.

So yes, in case something has happened in life and you couldn't get to it that one week, you can go back and catch up.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, that's very nice of y'all.

Okay.

And then after they do that and they've... how many weeks do they have to do that?

Faith> It's a nine week course but they have 14 weeks to complete it.

Amanda> Okay.

Faith> Because we, we understand life happens and we open up in October, so we want to allow some cushion for the holidays, and then they have the two day intensive.

Amanda> And what happens there?

The two day intensive is fun.

So you come in, you have your hands on with your, your basics of food preservation, your pickling, your pressure canning, dehydration, You have your drying.

So all of those things, hands on.

Amanda> Goodness.

And, some people like to make kimchi and things like that.

Faith> They do.

Amanda> And that's a different method of preservation.

Faith> Yes.

With fermentation, yes.

I want to give, props to our, our team member, who, Alex Thompson, who teaches the fermentation module online.

Amanda> So, if you've got specialists who are just real good at one thing, they'll get involved, too.

Faith> Oh, yes.

This definitely is a team effort.

Amanda> Okay.

And, so this is, and so do people, if they have, if they come with a family recipe and I bet some of them do, do you review those with them, and then that could be part of the teaching process, I would think.

Faith> That's something that we definitely can do.

Or we can find an alternative that still fits the, ingredients of the recipe as well.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay, and then what do they do?

I guess they have to be certified, after they've done all this.

Faith> Right.

So after they come in with their two day intensive, and then they have 30 hours of volunteer service, and what that looks like is, they're assisting us with our food preservation workshops.

They can also be at community events, yes.

So you'll see a Master Food Preserver table out in the community.

Amanda> That's a good idea to let people know that that's available.

Faith> Correct.

Amanda> Golly, Pete.

And so, has it been a lot of fun?

Faith> It has been, so my intent is to make sure that this is a great experience for them, that they feel as valuable and that they're learning.

Everyone has a different why.

When we did our interviews, some individuals talk about the information online.

There's so much information online.

However, is it accurate?

Is it following your research based recipe?

And they want to be that voice of education for others, so they can learn the right methods.

Amanda> And is, is there information online at Clemson Extension, that gives the right ways to do things.

Faith> Yes.

Of course, The Home and Garden Information Center website is where we house that information.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Faith, this sounds like a lot of fun for people who want to share their love for preserving foods, and if they want to register for this program, what do they need to do?

What are the steps?

Faith> You can search online at South Carolina Master Food Preserver, and that should pop up.

So registration will be open in August, mid-August, and they can register, and classes will start in October.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, I want to thank you so much for coming and sharing this information with us.

Faith> Thank you for having me.

Amanda> I really enjoyed having Faith come and tell us about this.

And there is an interest in that now.

And Terasa, I thought it was fascinating, I just couldn't imagine, that my momma's pressure cooker from way back when, might still be good.

Terasa> It's really neat how, some things are timeless.

Although certain canning recipes have changed, we've learned that, perhaps we weren't acidifying them enough or so on.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

But anyway, you can always call Clemson HGIC if you need help, can't you?

Terasa> That's right.

Amanda> Well, thank y'all for being with us, and we hope you'll be with us next week.

♪ ♪ 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.