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.

♪ ♪ ♪ > Hello, everyone, Welcome to Making It Grow .

My name is Carmen Ketron, I'm the Urban Horticulture Agent for Darlington and Florence Counties, and today I'm stepping in for Amanda McNulty.

But we, of course, have the amazing co-host Terasa Lott with us to kind of steer the ship still, so.

I'm very excited to be here and be with you.

One of the really great things is we both kind of hail from Darlington, or at least, we used to work there.

> We do, Yes.

My roots are in Darlington, I live there, but my responsibilities as a district director are sort of one district over within the Midlands, going from Lancaster down to Orangeburg, wrapping around Richland and Lexington.

But have very fond memories of the days you first started.

Not all that long ago.

How long has it been?

Carmen> Five years.

Terasa> Are you- Five years?

Obviously, my sense of time is a little off.

Carmen> Well, now you're doing thirty people in nine district, thirty some odd people, nine districts.

Terasa> Yeah, about to be up to forty.

I have two new people that will be starting.

We're excited to welcome them to the Horticulture Team in November.

So, yeah, forty people.

Carmen> We love when there are more horticulturalist on any team.

And we've got a couple of horticulturalists today, don't we?

First, we have Jonathan Windham.

Now you also hail from Clemson, specifically, the Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

Oh, wonderful.

And you are the Greenhouse Manager?

> Yes, I am.

And so we're very excited, the Pee Dee REC is located between Florence and Darlington Counties.

We're right on the line.

And we have a new director.

She's been there for about a year now.

Dr.

Jane Dever from Lubbock, Texas, and she is a cotton breeder, cotton geneticist.

She's doing a fabulous job.

And we're really excited because we are getting brand new greenhouses, and we're closing in on completion in about two more weeks, I think.

So.

Carmen> That is wonderful.

And what are you growing out there and what are you going to grow in those greenhouses?

Jonathan> So we're doing, standard research- research on standard row crops.

So corn, cotton, soybeans, sorghum, wheat, we're doing some vegetable breeding.

There's some work in indigo.

There's some work in sesame, peanuts, all kinds of things.

So.

Carmen> Oh, that is so wonderful.

It is so exciting to have you here today.

Jonathan> Thank you for having me.

And you're a Darlingtonian as well.

<Yes> Oh, yes.

And now, we also have Brady Badder.

And you're from Darlington also?

Brady> That's right.

Carmen> Oh, I stacked the panel today.

I really appreciate it.

But you are actually down the road at Forest Lake Greenhouses in Florence, South Carolina.

Brady> That's right.

Carmen> Oh that's wonderful.

And what is your role there?

> So I am the Tropicals Manager.

So I'm over the greenhouse with all the house plants, and then I'm also the Assistant General Manager.

So I assist our General Manager, Ms.

Caroline, with our day to day and hiring and all the things that we do.

Carmen> And you are the key tour guide.

Brady> That's right.

I do a good tour, I think, for sure.

Carmen> I come to you every year with my Master Gardeners, and I just absolutely love your tours.

Brady> Yeah, it's always a good time and we'll be doing a big tour for, our poinsettia.

Showing off the 25,000 poinsettias we grow.

Carmen> No, and that is 25,000 poinsettias?

Brady> That's right, yeah.

Carmen> Oh, my goodness.

Brady> It's a lot.

And it's a very pretty sight when you open the greenhouse up.

Carmen> Oh, and it's just all the different colors.

Brady> All the colors.

Carmen> Because it's not just red anymore.

Brady> That's right.

It's a lot of variegation, a lot of pinks, a lot of creams, a lot of whites.

Yeah, very cool.

It's a lot of fun.

Carmen> Thank you so much for coming and joining us today.

We're very excited.

Additionally, we also have fabulous pumpkin decor for the autumnal season- Poinsettia's more Christmas.

But... we do have this wonderful set.

More Darlington farmers- Terasa> That's right, our friends at the Grumpy Pumpkin.

Carmen> Yes, the Grumpy Pumpkin and the Kirven family, they were kind enough to provide some wonderful pumpkins.

Brady> We worked with them in the past.

Carmen> And it's amazing because all the different pumpkin styles, varieties.

You normally think of just the regular standard sugar pumpkin.

Brady> Yeah, all the heirlooms get very cool.

Carmen> Yes.

But it's always kind of fun to see what you can do- Especially South Carolina grown, that's the best part.

<True> And ideally we'll be talking more and being able to see some of the other pumpkins that are grown here in South Carolina.

Specifically, for our segment, Dr.

Brandon Huber with the South Carolina State 1890 Research and Extension Program.

He was able to, show Ms.

Amanda a bunch of different pumpkins and watermelons that he was growing for competition?

Is that... right?

Terasa> Yes.

Uh-huh.

I think, if I remember correctly, he entered both the South Carolina State Fair and a fair in our neighbor to the north, in North Carolina.

Carmen> Well, we're so excited, how huge they are.

Yeah.

But now we get to turn maybe not so much to Darlington, but to the entire state with "Gardens of the Week."

Does that sound good?

Terasa> That sounds like a plan, Carmen.

"Gardens of the Week" is your time to shine.

It's when you can show us what you're growing in your yard, your garden.

Maybe you've got some house plants, you've captured some wildlife, or just a beautiful place in the great state of South Carolina.

Let's see what we have in store today.

We begin with Judy Paintings, who shared her satsumas ripening in Charleston.

What a lovely sight.

Some nice contrast with the orange and the green foliage.

From Joy Young, Bougainvillea in the morning sun coming from Flat Rock, North Carolina.

From Vickie Hefner, a fishbone cactus that she reports is showing off in Newton, North Carolina.

She did note that with the nighttime temperatures getting cooler, it will be going in the greenhouse.

From Anita Green, a damselfly that perched on her while she was fishing in the Upstate.

And here's a little tidbit of info, you can distinguish a dragonfly from a damselfly by how they have their wings at rest.

So that damselfly is going to fold them behind their back, and a dragonfly will hold them outstretched.

Last but not least, we finish up with Jill Collins, who has a Swamp Aster in flower in Summerville, South Carolina.

We love when you share your photos with us.

Whenever you see us, make a call for "Gardens of the Week" in our Facebook page, I encourage you to post your photos there in the comments and you may just see them on air.

Carmen> And thank you so much Terasa.

You work so hard at getting these together and putting them all, enjoying... and getting to have people enjoy them.

So, thank you so much.

Terasa> You're welcome.

It's my pleasure.

It's really very inspirational.

Sometimes I get ideas about things I like to do in my yard.

Carmen> And, with the inspiration comes also a lot of questions, right?

Do we have any questions that get brought in?

Terasa> Always.

There are always questions.

People reach out, sometimes through our Facebook page.

They send questions to our Home and Garden Information Center, directly to extension agents by phone or text or email or in the office.

So we have one from Elanore in Dovesville, who said, "I saw a photo online for blue roses and I really want to order one, but someone told me there are no blue roses.

So is this true?"

Carmen> I know I've seen blue roses in pictures, but never in real life.

<Hmm> I don't know, is that the same for you, Jonathan?

> So there... is no such thing as a blue rose as of 2025.

And so, in 2009, a company called "Suntory" in Japan, they tried to engineer a blue rose, but it's more of a, like a mauve of purple thing.

So, as far as now, there's no, like, navy blue, no sky blue roses.

The closest I've seen to a traditionally bred real rose is from a Japanese independent breeder, Mr.

Takunori.

And it looks blue in Japan.

Now, if you tried to grow that here, you're probably going to get, like a lavender.

Like a dingy pink, maybe.

But as of right now, in 2025, there are no blue roses.

Carmen> Absolutely no blue roses.

So when we see some of that stuff on the internet or people, even possibly selling seeds for that, I should probably be cautious.

Jonathan> Very much so.

No blue roses, no rainbow roses, no white roses splashed with red.

Yeah.

Terasa> So, I feel like I've seen a blue rose, maybe in an arrangement.

So how would that happen?

Jonathan> That's probably a dye.

Either they, let the plant take it up, or maybe they even sprayed it with something.

<Yeah> Carmen> That's one of my favorites to do with some of the kids, is put it in the dye.

But we're not cultivating any of these blue roses.

Oh that's wonderful.

How could they find more information on cultivars that they might like better?

Where can I find, like, legitimate information?

Jonathan> So there's a really nice website called helpmefind.com And so it's just a massive database of all of the different varieties of roses.

Carmen> That is fascinating.

Thank you.

Now, Terasa, do we have, any other options for our next questions or concerns?

Terasa> Well, I'm hoping since Brady is from Forest Lake, that he might talk a little bit about house plants.

We get a fair number of questions and it's not something- We do have some resources, but I think there's been a resurgence in interest in house plants, since Covid.

And so, I'm hoping you got some information to share.

Brady> That's for sure.

Yeah, I did bring a couple little things to show off.

I wanted to show, like a very common house plant that I think might not be the best in the house as it grows up.

And then, maybe some options that are better for beginners and people who want to get into growing some big things inside.

So this is a Bird of Paradise.

Carmen> Can I, can I see?

Brady> Yeah, absolutely.

So this is a baby Bird of Paradise.

These get, quite large as they grow up.

And as they grow up, they need more and more light and you kind of need more light than what the house is able to give you.

As they grow up in nature, these become full sun plants.

And so that's hard to do in the house.

So these can struggle after a while.

But then you also have plants like, this guy here.

So this is a Billi, Philodendron billietiae.

These get very, very large foliage, very similar to your, Bird of Paradise.

But this is an aroid.

So in nature, this lives by climbing up a tree.

So that means they're always in very deep shade because they're always under that tree.

And they always do great in the house, no matter how large they get, for their whole lives.

So a plant like this, or even a very cool, rare plant like this.

So this is an Anthurium.

And the leaves on this guy also get quite large.

These are also aroids.

So these are deep, deep shade plants.

They want no direct sunlight.

They want to go very dry between waters.

They are great, great house plants that don't need a lot of love or attention.

And they'll live for years and years.

Carmen> Now, when you say that they don't need a lot of sunlight.

<Yeah> What am I looking for?

Where should I site these plants if I want to have them?

Brady> North facing windows are always a good bet.

Especially if they're not any sort of tinted window.

And then nowadays, you can go and get LED bulbs that you can put in regular lamps and ceiling fans and stuff.

So if you are in a house that unfortunately faces the wrong direction, like myself, I just replace every light bulb in my house with, LED grow lights in the wintertime when I bring my plants inside.

So, yeah, it's always possible to do your bright light plants inside, for sure, but north facing windows are good for your houseplants.

Carmen> Oh, no.

That's wonderful.

I bet you have a ton of houseplants.

Brady> I do, I do... they take over my house, it's a jungle in the winter time.

Yeah, they live on my porch for the rest of the year, but it's getting to be that time where they need to come in.

Carmen> And if I were to keep them outdoors but then bring them in, in winter how would I make sure that I'm keeping bugs out, making sure they transition, okay?

Brady> So, I am a believer in... not being reactionary to bugs, but being more proactive.

So a lot of your house plants... we're not growing them for blooms.

So it's a good idea... a good idea to use systemic on them so that, it is preventative of bugs.

Unless it's in bloom, so that we don't hurt any bees, of course.

So hopefully with your houseplants, you're trying to prevent bugs the whole time.

But you can always do a hydrogen peroxide and water bath before they come in for the wintertime.

It's a thousand parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide.

So like 1,000 milliliters to 1 millimeter.

And then you just give them a good bath with that.

And that will kill any bugs and any eggs before you bring them in.

Carmen> And I'm just sponging them on?

Brady> That's right.

If you have a big tub, you could... dunk them if you wanted, which is probably a good, efficient way to do it.

Carmen> Well, I know a lot of people are- It's starting to get cold here in South Carolina.

So a lot of people are starting the migration of their plants into the house, into the garage.

Terasa> I haven't had any insects, that I've brought in, but I have brought in an occasional tree frog or anole, that was probably a little lethargic as it was cold- Brady> That's right, they live in the soil.

Terasa> Brought it inside and all of a sudden... Oof.

Brady> You'll find those sometimes, you just take them back out, they'll be okay.

<That's right> So these are cool.

And then I have some more things to show off a little later I think.

Carmen> Oh yeah.

Well Terasa, can we help anybody else?

Terasa> Oh, I bet we can.

Let me see what we have on our list for the day.

We have a question from Beth in Camden.

Beth sounds a little frustrated.

She said, "I'm tired of purchasing mislabeled peach trees.

Is there a way I can tell a white-flesh peach tree from a yellow-flesh peach tree without seeing the fruit?"

Carmen> Ooh, that's fascinating, I know, I love a good Lemon Cling peach, but, I only know because I bought it.

Jonathan, do you have any suggestions for her?

Jonathan> So yeah, I actually worked for the Clemson Peach Breeding Program for a little while.

Undergrad.

So there is a way you can tell a white-flesh peach from a yellow-flesh without seeing the fruit.

And so one of those ways is looking at the hypanthium of the flower, because the genes that control flesh color are linked to the genes that control the color of the hypanthium.

So if you open that flower and the hypanthium is orange, that's a yellow-flesh peach.

If you open the flower and the hypothalamus is either like a light green or like a cream color, that's a white-flesh peach.

Now there is research that states that, fall leaf color is also linked to this, with having a white-fleshed peach with yellow leaves and a yellow-flesh peach with orange leaves.

I haven't observed that myself.

I just stick with hypanthium.

Terasa> So, when you're picking out your peach tree it needs to be in flower.

Jonathan> Well, I mean, most small nurseries are going to be pretty good with their labels, but if you're at a big box store or something and you're wondering whether or not, like, the Flameprince that you're looking at is really Flameprince or not, you can check the hypnathium color to make sure it's yellow.

Carmen> And where are we going to find the hypanthium on the flower?

Jonathan> So, it's beneath the anthers.

So if you take a flower, a peach flower, and you're just really going to peel it open so that it's like a flat ribbon-like growth at the very bottom, you'll see that little ribbon of color.

It'll either be orange like a bright orange, or like a creamy green or white color.

Carmen> Oh, they're going to love me when I go to the big box stores just looking at them flowers.

Jonathan> Fun fact, if you're breeding peaches, the white-flesh trait is dominant to yellow.

So if you cross a white-flesh peach to a yellow-flesh peach, all of the F1s, the first generation are going to be white-flesh.

Terasa> That is amazing.

I would have not- I would have thought it would have been the other way around.

Jonathan> Most people do.

Carmen> Do you have a favorite flavor?

White versus yellow?

Or is it more of a grit thing?

Jonathan> I personally, I like the yellow.

Most Americans, especially in the Southeast, prefer the yellow.

Whereas in China, which is where peaches are from, they prefer the white-flesh.

Carmen> A little bit more tart, the white ones or?

Jonathan> Actually they're sweeter and more aromatic.

Carmen> Oh, okay.

Mmm, I love that.

Well, thank you.

Terasa> So I feel like while we're talking about it, maybe we should address, you know, is it easy for a homeowner to grow a peach tree?

Jonathan> It is not that easy.

They require a lot of care, a lot of fungicides- Peaches get attacked so easily by a bunch of fungi and bacteria.

So, it's one of the more challenging fruits to grow at home.

<Pruning> Terasa> So if you're new, and you want to grow fruit, a peach might not be the first thing- kind of like you were talking about with house plants.

There might be a better option.

<That's right> I think blueberries are typically, relatively easy, as long as you've got the soil conditions- Jonathan> Or figs, something... Carmen> So, they're looking for something around maybe, maybe one of those Asian persimmons.

<Yeah> Carmen> Yeah, okay.

Well, wonderful.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Terasa> Dr.

John would be proud of your, your botany lesson.

(laughter) Carmen> All right, Terasa, do we have anything, any other questions that we might have or suggestions?

What can we teach the folks?

> Well, Carmen, one of my favorite things to do at Forest Lake Greenhouses is just to admire all of the variety that's there.

You know, Monsteras have become a pretty popular house plant, but I'm not sure everyone understands their growth habit when they see, perhaps, smaller specimens at a nursery or greenhouse.

So, Brady, could you maybe help our viewers understand a little bit more about how they're going to need to grow as they get larger?

Brady> Absolutely.

So Monsteras are, definitely one of the most, like, common starter plants that people get for their houses.

And a lot of times they buy them when they're very young, and then they grow up to this size, very quick, like, this is still a young Monstera.

But they'll get big and kind of out of control, fairly quickly.

So they are vines.

Your Monsteras do you have, like, a front and a back.

And in nature, the back of this would be attached to a tree.

It would be climbing up that and the leaves would be kind of facing outwards.

So when you arrange them in the house that way on a moss pole or a trellis, they actually are quite stunning.

Because you have a front of the plant that is looking at you all the time, basically.

Carmen> So we should be trellising these?

Brady> Yeah, yeah.

Putting them on a trellis is, is the way to go, especially these that come with multiples in the pot, trellis is the way to go.

Carmen> Excellent.

Can you show us how to do that?

Brady> Absolutely, yeah.

So first off, I'm going to start off with a little bit of pruning.

So we do have this one vine that's at the very front of our pot that we don't really want there.

So I'm going to take, basically a cutting.

So I'm going to cut him off.

And I can take him home and put him in a vase.

I can go ahead and stick him into his own pot.

This can become his own plant very easily.

Carmen> Oh, vicious.

Brady> And then that little nub that I left there, we'll grow a new vine off of it, and then that will be a lot easier to train to, the plant, than this guy that was going the wrong direction.

Carmen> Okay, so we want them all kind of just going- Brady> Going together.

Carmen> Up the same way.

Okay.

Wonderful.

Terasa> Talk about... propagation, my goodness.

(laughter) Carmen> Hello.

Brady> So we're going to take this and we're just going to find, kind of what we think the back of the plant is.

So that's going to be kind of the bare sides of our, vines here.

And we're just going to take this and we're going to work it into the soil.

I do like to do this before I replant my pot, because you're working it into the root ball.

So your, trellis is going to have a lot more stability.

And I use the pot that I'm going to repot it into to hold my pot for me, because a lot of times I don't have an extra pair of hands to help me with this.

Terasa> I don't know if everyone at home can hear, but I can hear kind of, crunching.

Brady> Oh, yeah.

Do not worry.

So that's the, trellis going through roots.

This pot is so packed full of roots that you are never going to hurt this plant.

It is not going to hurt it whatsoever.

So I'll work that in until it's, on there and it seems to be holding itself.

And then you basically just want to find your different vines.

This one has like four or five.

And just tie them off to different parts of your trellis.

With the big guys, sometimes I will even take two trellises and I'll make like a little "V" out of them, and you can tie off a bunch of vines that way.

Carmen> Oh, no.

That's wonderful.

So here we've got a bamboo trellis.

I've also seen it used with a moss pole.

Brady> So most poles, are a lot better for- So, like, you have your fancy Montseras now.

The ones that are variegated and quite expensive.

Carmen> Yes.

Brady> That's right.

So a lot of times those come with just one plant per pot.

It's a lot easier to train that on to a moss pole.

Moss poles in my opinion, are better, because the roots, the aerial roots can actually, like, root on to that moss poll.

Carmen> Just like a tree.

Brady> Exactly.

And so that is going to get nutrients and stuff to the plant as well.

Carmen> Now, how tight, did we just do this?

Brady> Not tight at all.

So I just get it to it, but it's movable.

And if a new leaf wants to poke out of there or whatever, it will be able to.

And when you are training your plant, it is very important that you're paying attention to where you're tying it so you don't trap new leaves.

And then in a week, in two weeks come by, check it, make sure you're not biting into it.

If you are, cut that tie and just retie it.

Carmen> Now, will it start to grow out of those ties always?

Brady> Yes.

So your vine is going to thicken over time, for sure.

So this is a, thing you have to check on every so often.

You do need to make sure that, you're not hurting the plant when you're doing this, for sure.

Very similar to like bonsai.

You're training it, but you don't want to overdo it.

Carmen> Oh, no.

That's wonderful.

Terasa> So you're using a twine of sorts it looks like?

Brady> Yeah, a regular twine.

There also is- Terasa> A flexible tie?

Brady> Yes.

So they make this thin Velcro roll, that is very convenient because you can just use a little too much.

And then as your plant gets bigger, you can just widen it a little bit.

Yeah.

It's, it's quite convenient.

Terasa> I like that.

But good to know, It's not kind of a set it and forget it thing.

This is something that you're going to have to be monitoring over time.

Brady> Exactly.

Yeah.

And your new growth is going to be getting taller and taller.

And if you don't control it, it's going to want to go crazy.

So your new growth as it grows up, you're also going to be tying off as well.

Terasa> Is there a maximum height or is this kind of going to continue to grow.

Brady> So in nature these grow- <Indefinitely> As tall as the tree they're hosted by.

So they can grow many, many feet.

In the house, I of course would recommend- I prune mine once a year.

Every year that I bring mine in for winter, I cut it back quite hard, I might leave one or two leaves.

And then make it vine out again next year.

So my trunk on mine, is like, inches in diameter, but I only have a few leaves every year.

I keep it kind of controlled, and that's just the way I like it in my house in the winter time, you know.

You can also just let them go crazy, like at Forest Lake, I do have... like a mother plant that I've trained for a couple of years that is getting some very nice size on it.

And that one, I'm not going to prune.

I'm just going to let it kind of, do its thing and see how it goes.

So this is kind of, the method.

You just kind of take all your vines and you tie them all off.

I got one more here, I'm going to get.

Jonathan> So what about these roots here if the homeowner wanted to get rid of those.

Brady> So aerial roots are semi-important.

<Okay> They are not necessary.

You do not need to have aerial roots for the plant to be happy.

But like I was saying about a moss pole, those are what would be attached to that moss pole.

<Right> And kind of giving you nutrients or that is what would be attached to... the tree in nature.

So they do get really long and crazy and wild.

Carmen> Can you show me one of those roots?

Brady> Absolutely.

I have one, like, kind of, showing off right here.

Carmen> Oh, look at that bad boy.

Brady> And this will get many, many feet long.

And I was actually just reading about these- The tips of these can sense humidity changes.

And so it knows, where to grow looking for water.

So if you set a pot with super, super dry soil and a pot with kind of moist soil and let this dangle over it, it will take itself to the moist soil.

Carmen> Is that kind of, like the orchids?

Brady> Yeah, orchids are similar.

Exactly, yeah.

So those are aroids as well.

Carmen> All of these aroid plants.

<Exactly> So it's important to know, what kind of a plant you have.

Brady> That's right.

Yeah.

Aroids, in my opinion, are your best houseplants.

There's nothing better, in my opinion, to grow inside, year round.

Terasa> I see that some of the leaves are split and some are not.

Brady> Yeah.

So I remember my first Monstera being quite excited for my first splits.

So that definitely means that your plant is growing up.

Mature leaves are going to have splits and then even more mature leaves are going to have your outer splits, that we see here.

But then it also is going to create all these inner splits, this plant does not have yet.

If you come and see on my mother plant at Forest Lake, mine has almost five layers of splits, now.

I counted 78, different fenestration.

It's called a fenestration, 78 different fenestration's on my one plant.

<Wow> Yeah.

So that's something they do as they mature.

It will be bigger leaves.

Carmen> It's important to know, that it's not a problem.

Brady> It is not a problem.

It is actually good.

It is a feature, not a bug.

That is for sure.

So, after you train your Monstera it is going to go through an awkward phase.

All of the leaves have been facing a certain direction and growing a certain way.

Now, they need to reorient themselves to where the light is going to be coming from.

So I do recommend, your north facing window being on this side of your plant so that all your leaves kind of want to aim down at that.

And then you will have your front and your back to your plant.

So this is a trained Monstera.

And now just as it grows up, you just keep training it.

Carmen> Well, that looks gorgeous.

<Yeah> Thank you so much for bringing that in and for showing us.

<Absolutely> I've got some homework.

I got... I got to do lists, now with mine.

Brady> That's right.

Carmen> Excellent.

Thank you.

Brady> You're welcome.

Carmen> Well, Terasa, do we have, our segment?

Terasa> Oh, yes.

I remember growing up, trying to grow very large pumpkins.

And we were moderately successful in upstate New York.

But we have, Dr.

Brandon Huber here with SC State 1890 Research and Extension, another land-grant within the state, who is doing some amazing things.

And you're going to enjoy learning about how he's trying to grow big pumpkins and watermelons.

♪ Amanda> I'm talking to Brandon Huber, who's a research scientist at South Carolina State University.

But today, I'm visiting you at your farm in St.

Matthews, South Carolina.

> Yeah, that's right.

So I'm a research scientist at SC State University.

I work on vegetable crops and, and yeah, we're right here with my giant pumpkins and watermelons in this, patch out here in the yard.

Amanda> You have a competitive aspect to your, personality.

But y'all are great friends, all the people who come to the competitions.

But this is, this is quite a gigantic pumpkin.

Right.

So, yeah, this one's estimated, 500 and 505 pounds as of the other day.

Amanda> Whoa, Mercy.

That's a lot of pumpkin pie.

<Yes> But you also do watermelons.

So let's talk about those first.

Right, yeah.

The watermelons start as early as March.

I graft them and I graft them on a gourd rootstock.

And the genetics are really interesting on these giants in general.

They're, almost a proven pedigree from over 30, 30 to 50 years of improved breeding for giants.

They originally stem from Carolina Cross Watermelons.

Amanda> That's kind of fun.

Dr.

Huber> They're generations and generations of 300 pound watermelons, some of the biggest ever grown for that time.

And we've selected them and crossed them back, and only your top performers get replanted again the next year.

So we've really, really pushed the bar and they've gotten just gigantic.

Amanda> So these watermelons, kind of look like they're at the beach because they're under a canopy and they're not sitting on the hot sand.

What's that all for?

Dr.

Huber> Yeah.

So keep them off the ground.

What we find is, is the watermelon, a large watermelon just collects dew and moisture underneath it.

And the watermelons get a rot spot on them if they, sit too long.

And so- And it's very unfortunate if you were to grow a 100 pound watermelon and you just leave it on the ground.

And you think you got this great watermelon, and you roll it over and have a rot spot on it, and it's disqualified from the competition.

So, we've learned to grow them up on these hammocks.

And so it's basically like a hammock you would sit on.

We make them ourself out of like, minnow nets and soccer nets and stuff, and it allows us to keep it, melon off, suspended a foot off the ground.

Allows us, you can check underneath it and lets airflow- It's really great.

It's just a game changer.

Amanda> And then you've got them shaded as well.

Dr.

Huber> That's right.

So they're- So with these melons, get so large they outgrow their leaf canopy.

And we think about a commercial watermelon, they are shaded by their leaves.

So we don't have that shade with the leaves because of how big they are.

So we need to keep the fruit cool because, as soon as the fruit gets warm, and gets exposed to the sun, it tends to signal the melon to start ripening.

And we don't want them to ripen too early.

We want them to grow... long.

Amanda> But you've got the leaves out in the sun and boy, there's a big spread of those leaves.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah.

So each plant is 200 square foot, 200 to 300 square foot for a watermelon plant.

<Wow> Which to compare that to commercial watermelons.

It's only about 24 square foot, so more than, about ten times the space.

But we're only growing one fruit, one large fruit.

And so the more leaves, almost the more leaves, the better to support that fruit.

Amanda> And you go through, and, I believe, remove any little watermelons that say, "I'm here.

I'd like to be a watermelon too."

Dr.

Huber> That's right... it's ongoing checking the patch to make sure, to remove those smaller fruit.

Maintain only one fruit per plant because we want to really encourage all that energy to go in that one fruit.

Amanda> And then you've also got some little tables out there.

Is that where you play cards or what?

Dr.

Huber> Maybe the melons play, play cards at night.

But no, those are to cover the rootstock.

And the rootstock is just this big stump growing out of the ground.

And, they get a lot of rots and stuff.

So it's easier- We found that it's easier to just keep them covered.

Out of the rain and the sun too.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

And, do you fertilize them and add extra irrigation if they need them?

How does it go?

Dr.

Huber> Absolutely.

So each plant, you know, being a 200 square foot plant, I irrigate about- Well as dry as it is right now, I'm irrigating, 50 gallons per plant, <Whoa> 50 gallons per plant.

And that's, you know, a lot of water to support that big plant and that big fruit and fertilizer a little bit at a time.

I use a Dosatron, and I have a little dose of fertilizer each day.

And, you know, it's kind of like a marathon.

A little, you just keep going a little at the time.

You don't want to overdo- I don't go- You know, if you buy a box of Miracle-Gro and you read the ingredients, I'm fertilizing at a fraction of that.

But every day.

Amanda> Because if it got too much, it might crack.

Dr.

Huber> That's right.

They split.

They're very volatile, especially the pumpkins.

But they, you know, you really, you know, slow and steady, you know, with all of them, or otherwise sometimes the vines burst, the fruit can burst, the stump can blow up.

I had one the other day where the the stump, the plant, actually just... the root stock blew up and blew up to the point where I cut itself off of its own circulation.

And that's those melons I took to the competition the other day.

<Wow!> They were early, early fruit because they, just, the plant quit.

<Yeah> And so they're, it's very volatile.

Amanda> And then with the pumpkins, we've got a whole different scenario going on, but similar in some ways.

You've got them on a mat kind of that keeps them off the ground.

Dr.

Huber> Right.

Yep.

So that's a, that's a mill fabric mat, kind of like a conveyor belt, synthetic material.

It breathes, it allows air- It allows, you know, it keeps the fruit dry and clean.

And also allows you to slide the fruit as you need it, because as the thing gets really big, it'll push pressure on its own vine.

And I'll actually have to adjust it a couple times.

Even as big as it is... it'll actually break itself off its own vine if you're not careful.

Amanda> And then, you've got electricity out here, you got fans going and a camera.

I mean, this is a lot to have a pumpkin.

Dr.

Huber> The camera tells me, helps me keep a second eye on it when I'm out and about and it's just mainly, it's for splits so that I can be proactive and the fans that keep the airflow.

You know, it's tough growing a pumpkin in South Carolina.

And what we find is if, you know, if you're growing a big one to keep a airflow on its, on its stem.

The peduncle, the stem that connects to the fruit, keep that dry and airflow on it keeps us out of trouble.

And it's amazing, well, you know, with airflow, if I remove that fan, for a day or two or I lose power, they'll start getting spots and stuff, that quick.

So it's just, just an insurance policy, and it works really well.

It seems crazy, but it's, it's really helped me get this, this far.

Amanda> So this is, here sitting under, in this, you know, protected spot and being babied along, but you've got to get it on some kind of truck or something and get it to the different state fairs.

I think you gonna take them to the South Carolina State Fair.

Dr.

Huber> That's right.

Yeah.

So, we have this pumpkin lift ring.

A really interesting device.

It's a metal ring.

And, we run, heavy duty lifting straps down around the circumference of that ring and at the bottom, because the pumpkin is kind of, you know, it's wider in the middle and it kind of goes down at the bottom.

It allows us to, kind of, like tie it real tight at the bottom and pick it up, in a sling-like fashion.

But that's the scary part getting it lifted, secured.

Make sure the bottom's not rotted because we can't take you to the competition if it has as a rot on it.

Amanda> And you keep them shaded on the way to the competition.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, usually keep some tarps on it just to keep, you know, some road debris from getting into it and whatnot.

I'll actually... Saran wrap it.

I'll run it, I'll run- <No> Yep.

Just just to keep it protected and keep the moisture in it.

These things lose weight the minute they're cut off the vine.

So they'll lose something like 20 pounds a day.

Amanda> And if it had all that wind- Dr.

Huber> Transpiration, yeah.

So we want to keep that covered.

And so we're wrapping plastic, tarps, plastic and so on.

Yeah.

Then we got to strap it down to the truck.

So, we load it into the truck and we have pool noodles to protect it so that those ratchet straps go over to secure it.

And the pool noodles protect it from getting bruised.

Amanda> Because you can't have it rolling around in the truck.

Dr.

Huber> That's right.

So you're securing the pallet, and then you're securing the pumpkin to the pallet and then the pallet to the truck bed.

And if it's too heavy you might have to pull it in a flatbed, a flatbed trailer behind the truck.

This one will, fortunately be able to fit in the back of a pickup truck, but if it was over 1,000 pounds, I might need to pull it behind.

Amanda> And then the watermelons are not nearly so much trouble most years.

Dr.

Huber> Right.

The weather has been all over the place this year, and so my fruit on the watermelons was a little smaller this year.

They're still big, but they're not where I hoped they'd be for this year.

Amanda> But, they're easy to transport fairly, relatively.

Cause they're not nearly so heavy.

Dr.

Huber> That's right.

Yeah we have these, just heavy duty lifting tarps.

And we kind of roll it under there and pick it up and, you know, everyone grabs a corner.

And if it's a 250 pound watermelon, you know, four people can, can manage it quite, easily.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, so you have this huge network of friends, even though right now you're down in St.

Matthews, South Carolina.

And with wonderful cohorts at South Carolina State University.

But you've got a nationwide and I think even international group of people.

Dr.

Huber> Yeah, yeah.

it's a really cool group, and we're all, we're all in different areas.

So we all do this kind of, like independently on our own.

But we're all, you know, we might be there's not really a cluster area of growers.

Now, there's a bunch in North Carolina, but they're all about an hour or so from each other.

And it's a very tight, we talk, text, call very frequently.

And we're all... we talk about the growing, and we share tips and we, I've learned a lot of this from some of these guys that are seasoned, that have done this for 20, 30 years.

So it's a, a great community.

People tend to not hold information from each other because everyone's environment is different.

Your yard, you know, my yard here compared to North Carolina, our soils maybe different.

Especially if you're in the mountain part versus the coast.

And anyway it's a... you can tell someone all the information in the world, but you still got to replicate it in your environment and everyone's situation's different.

Amanda> Well, it sounds like you're doing pretty good.

And we wish you all the luck in the world.

Thanks for letting us come out.

Dr.

Huber> Absolutely.

Thanks for having me.

♪ ♪ Terasa> My goodness, what fun seeing all the work that goes into growing large pumpkins and watermelons and, something that really caught my attention was the use of webcams.

So, I have been known to be kind of a crazy dog mom and thought about cameras for watching my dogs while I'm at work, but I never would have dreamed of using webcams to watch my plants growing in the garden.

Brandon is very dedicated.

Carmen> That's so true, Terasa.

And one of the really great things is just watching how someone can be so passionate about growing.

And some of those pumpkins they were growing pounds a day, so you can really see the progression.

I got to, I was very excited when I got to see them at the South Carolina State Fair, 195 pound pumpkin.

Terasa> Isn't that incredible?

Carmen> That is wild, especially for South Carolina.

So, it's very fun.

But you know, so, any other questions we might have from viewers?

Terasa> You know, I don't know if we ever really fully run out of questions.

Carmen> Always something going on.

Terasa> There is.

We have one from Terri in Pageland, who said, "I saw some purple tomatoes for sale and the packaging said 'limited edition and bioengineered.'

What does that mean?"

Carmen> Lots of color questions, today.

Jonathan, can you help us out?

Jonathan> So, I'm pretty sure she's talking about the new purple tomato.

And that's the name, Purple Tomato.

And it is a genetically engineered tomato from a lab in the U.K.

It came out in 2008, is when they developed it.

But anyway, they inserted two genes from a snapdragon into tomato.

Now, the reason they did this is because, those purples and reds and blues that we see in plants, those are anthocyanins and we eat those because they have antioxidant properties.

The plant uses them to protect itself.

So, normally in like the tomatoes- Carmen> Like a Cherokee Purple or something?

Jonathan> Or like in just a regular red tomato.

I mean, there are no anthocyanins produced in the mature fruit.

That's lycopene, the same thing that gives watermelons their pink color.

But in these tomatoes, with those two snapdragon genes they have the plant producing anthocyanins within the skin and the fruit flesh of this tomato to make the tomato produce anthocyanins for human consumption.

Carmen> Oh, no, that's wonderful.

That's very similar to the golden rice.

<Right> How they were starting to breed in really great beneficial compounds in there.

Jonathan> Now, there is, there was developed in 2011, tomato cultivar from Oregon State University, Indigo Rose.

So the difference between the two is on the outside they look identical.

They're both dark deep purple, nightshade, purple... colored fruits, but the one that's been traditionally bred, the anthocyanins are only in the skin of the tomato, not in the flesh.

Whereas in this engineered tomato, the anthocyanins are in the skin and the flesh.

Terasa> I feel like, that would be weird to have that purple color flesh.

You know, we really get to associated- I think we're, you know, visual people in general.

And so, I don't know about that flesh being purple.

I might feel strange about taking a bite.

Carmen> A little off!

Now, are these commercially available here in the U.S.?

Jonathan> Yes, they are.

And you can actually buy seed from Norfolk Health and grow the purple tomato at home, if you'd like.

Carmen> And that would be the F1 variety that you talk about all the time to me about how we can only grow that one, not save the seed.

Jonathan> You can save the seed, but there is a licensing agreement.

And when you purchase a seed, you're basically agreeing that you won't sell the seed to someone as a retailer, basically.

Carmen> And that's always really important, to check on, not just seeds, but plants at the nursery.

Brady> Very much.

Carmen> Because a lot of times what does it say when we're looking for it?

"No propagation."

Jonathan> Right.

Or it might be under a plant variety protection, PVP.

Carmen> It's always important to double check.

Jonathan> Very much so, yep.

Keep yourself out of trouble.

Terasa> Do you know the primary motivation, so, given with the anthocyanins and the potential health benefits- Was that, kind of the motivation for going for a purple tomato.

Not just kind of like the cool factor.

Jonathan> No.

That was their entire goal was to produce, try to increase the level of anthocyanins in the typical diet.

<Okay> As Americans, we eat a lot of tomatoes.

So they thought, why not have tomatoes produce extra anthocyanins for us?

So that was the entire goal.

Terasa> It'll be interesting to see if it becomes more popular.

I don't know how- Have you had any experience growing it here?

Jonathan> I haven't seen them myself and I haven't been able to grow them yet.

They are out of stock right now, for 2025.

<Okay> So, maybe 2026 I can get some seed.

Carmen> There you go.

We'll be hoping for you.

<Yeah> Terasa> Well, if it does protect itself, maybe that will help me.

I don't have much luck growing large, slicing tomatoes.

Cherry tomatoes, okay.

Brady> I've seen purple, like, very, very dark almost black-purple cherry tomatoes.

I have not seen any, like, large ones.

That's interesting.

Carmen> Well, thank you, Jonathan.

Terasa, what else do we have?

Terasa> We do have more questions, but, since Brady is here and he showed us how to train that Monstera.

I remember that there were a lot of roots in there.

So I'm curious about how do we know when it's time to repot and then, you know, how do we go about doing that?

Brady> Yeah, absolutely.

So, I personally am a firm believer in root bound.

I like my plants root bound, especially my houseplants.

When the plant is root bound, it's able to drink all of its water.

It's able to, completely avoid root rot, basically, Because you don't have a lot of substrate in the pot, that's like staying wet for too long.

So I let, especially my Monsteras get very, very bound into their pots.

So this guy, we're actually going to have to cut out of this, I believe.

Like he is- Carmen> Doesn't even slip out.

Brady> That's right.

He is, quite tight in here.

So we just cut him down the side.

Carmen> And you're using scissors.

to just cut the plastic apart.

Brady> All the way down.

And then once you get that a little loosened, you can... (snapping sound) make noise.

Carmen> No, pop it right out.

Brady> And just pull it right out.

Carmen> Oh, now look at that.

Brady> That's right.

So this is what you want to see when you, go to repot your plant.

I like to say, "It's noodle soup."

You don't want to see a lot of soil left over.

And I'm also a believer in not taking this and pulling these all out.

All of these loose roots that we have everywhere.

We're going to train these in as we repot it.

And all of these are going to become new feeder roots.

And they're going to, do all of this for us all over again in a new pot.

So the first thing we're going to do is just get our height right.

We don't want to bury this root ball.

Like, we kind of want to keep the root ball at the same level that it is now.

Carmen> Okay.

So we have to lift that up pretty good.

Brady> Exactly.

So we're just going to add some soil to this pot.

Carmen> And what kind of soil are we using?

Brady> This is just a pretty standard potting soil.

It's from... PRO-MIX, which is what we use to grow in and stuff, at Forest Lake.

Carmen> Like a peat moss- Brady> It is a peat base.

Peat moss perlite, no bark pieces in this.

We have a lot of roots already in that pot.

I do believe that bark, aeration is not always the greatest thing.

You want your roots surrounded.

Having air in the pot is not always the best thing.

Or air pockets at least.

Carmen> All right.

And now you're going- What is it?

Measure twice, cut once.

Brady> That's right.

So all these roots, yep.

I'm going to try to bring around into the pot.

And all of these I'm going to make sure get into, thank you, thank you, into the soil.

Yes.

Like this.

And we'll see our soil level now.

Terasa> Including that really long aerial root.

Brady> Exactly.

And then as the plant grows new aerial roots as it ages, I would train those back behind the trellis and down into the soil.

And that gives it stability.

It gives it more and more, feeder roots into the pot.

And it's going to just increase, like how happy your plant is over time, yeah.

So, one big tip, and one thing I really struggled with when I first started doing a lot of repots, at my job- I really forced soil into the pot, and I really packed it in.

<Okay> This would create this, like, white cap on top of the soil.

That is when water is not flowing properly.

Fluffy, loose soil is good.

We want to not have to, really cram the soil into the pot to give us stability.

Carmen> Okay.

So, no shoving it down.

Just a nice little pack down.

Brady> Exactly.

It's a good idea to take, I use a little metal, chopstick.

<Oh, yeah> And I just kind of work it around, make sure that I'm getting all my air pockets filled and stuff.

Carmen> I have a pencil would that help?

Brady> Yes, a pencil, any sort of pokey thing, just to work in holes.

Terasa> A very technical term, "a pokey thing."

Brady> A pokey thing, yeah.

Carmen> Yes.

Jonathan> And so the Monsteras are going to need drainage, right?

They're not going to tolerate standing water?

Brady> Very much.

That is the most important thing for basically all your plants, in my opinion.

Jonathan> So your pot's gonna need a hole in the bottom.

Brady> This pot does have a hole.

I do like to take a little, I get these little mesh rounds that I buy on Amazon.

And I just cover that hole with that little mesh round so that soil cannot escape, but water can.

It also keeps it from getting clogged over time and stuff.

Carmen> So it's a nice little grate.

Brady> Exactly.

Terasa> I didn't know those existed, but that sounds wonderful.

Brady> We buy them in the hundreds.

(laughter) So Monsteras are very cool, they'll get, very big over time.

You can keep them for many, many years.

The one that I grow at home is almost a decade old at this point.

This guy here is only a couple of years old if I had to guess.

<Okay> So this one is young.

They do have a lot of size to give, for sure.

And basically what I'm doing, I'm just kind of getting the soil in.

I am working it in just a little.

And then I'm just getting my soil level nice and neat because we do want it to be presentable.

So we just kind of work it around, and then I'll just kind of gently... feel around the soil edge and make sure I don't feel any like, really loose pockets.

And then usually with my mess, I'll catch it and throw it back into the pot.

Carmen> Excellent.

Jonathan, are you taking notes for yours?

<I am> Brady> Yeah.

And then that's really it.

And then a proper water in is always very important.

I do like to repot using a more dry soil.

When you have a wet soil, it's very easy to immediately, over water it, basically.

<Yes> It's good to plant it into a dry soil and then, water it in.

Carmen> Well, this has been fascinating and I've definitely been doing everything wrong.

(laughter) So this is wonderful.

Brady> And then it can live in this size pot for a year plus.

<Okay> Let it get that full root bound again.

Carmen> And would you, you would just try and pull and check on it every so often, about a year?

Brady> I recommend checking on your roots, all the time.

Once you feel confident enough that you can grab this and pop it out, and it's not going to drop all your soil everywhere, I would do that.

Carmen> And we should always, up-pot, not trim and try and put back in the same size pot.

Brady> I would say there is a point where you actually do want to do root trimming.

So, the mother plant that I have at, at Forest Lake, the pot that it is in is giant.

So if I try to move it, it is not an easy job to do.

So the next time that he gets repotted, I will be cutting a third of his roots off and growing him in that pot again.

Which is not bad to do.

A third of roots gone is no problem.

Carmen> Okay.

Good to know.

Terasa> I don't have a Monstera, yet but all of this talk about them is making me think I might need to add one.

Brady> They're very cool.

And I have multiple varieties available.

Some that stay small, some small leaf ones, some that get even bigger leaves than what these get.

There's a lot of cool options for the Monstera family.

Carmen> And what's the mother plant's name?

Brady> That's a good question.

<Oh, okay> We would have to put it up to a vote at work.

Carmen> Okay, wonderful.

No, everybody's got to- All the plants have to have a name.

Brady> That's right, Yeah.

Carmen> All right.

Well, wonderful.

Mother Monstera.

Brady> Mother Monstera, I like that?

(laughter) Carmen> Very cool.

Thank you so much.

Brady> Absolutely.

I'm glad y'all let me show this off.

Carmen> All right.

Well, Terasa, who can we help next?

I feel so informed.

I don't know how we can top that.

Terasa> I know, lots of great information being shared.

Let's see, we have a question that came in from Jo Ann in Hartsville.

She's having a little bit of trouble in the garden.

She said, "What can I do to get rid of slugs in my flower beds?

I've tried eggshells, but the slugs are still there."

I've had slugs, in Hostas before.

(all agreeing) Some years seem worse than others.

But Jo Ann, you are not alone.

And I feel confident that, someone on our panel can give you some solid advice.

Carmen> Yeah.

Jonathan, can you help us at all?

Jonathan> So I think, the easiest thing for slugs is get a shallow pan and fill it with beer.

And so- Carmen> You say beer?

<Beer> We're getting them drunk.

Jonathan> Well... you bury that shallow pan in the garden, up to just the brim, like a pie pan, pie tin or something.

<Okay> And just add some beer and they're attracted to the beer.

And they fall in and drown.

Carmen> Now that's easy enough.

Jonathan> Very easy.

I mean, as long as you don't have, like, cats or dogs or something... watch your pets.

Carmen> And so are they attracted to lager or what is it that's attracting them- Jonathan> I don't know, I haven't done a poll yet... Just a regular, what I know is just a regular beer will do.

Terasa> Yeah, I don't think you need any fancy microbrews or anything.

(laughter) Jonathan> Nothing expensive.

Carmen> They're not picky about it.

Now, would I do multiples along- Say, if I had a whole garden of Hostas 10, 20 feet or do you think one will do?

Because that's what, I got some Hostas.

Jonathan> Something that big.

You probably, might need multiples.

And if you're opposed to using the beer traps, you can always go out by hand and remove them if you want.

Copper is another thing that people use.

They're opposed to copper.

Carmen> Okay.

Like a copper spray on the leaves?

Jonathan> Copper spray or even like, copper wire.

Brady> So I've actually seen this thing where it's, just a small electrode that runs across a copper wire, and it just pulses every so often.

And as soon as they touch it, they, like, recoil.

They can't go over it.

So you basically, make a electrical fence for your slugs?

Carmen> How cool.

Brady> I did see that very recently.

Terasa> There's just something very comical about thinking about an electric fence for the slug.

Brady> To control your slug population.

Carmen> I bet it could work on a couple other things.

Other pests.

Brady> Yeah, any of those things like that, for sure.

Like all the ferns that we carry get worms very bad.

Worms love ferns.

Carmen> Oh, man.

Cool.

One of those big things- The other big important thing, right, though, is we gotta make sure that it is a slug.

I've had lots of people concerned that, "Oh, I've got holes in my Hostas."

And it ends up being some other type of insect.

So, if we got slugs... those are great options.

Terasa> And sometimes it can be difficult.

But you know as an extension agent, that's something that, that we preach is you have to know what you're dealing with.

And just looking at a picture of holes in leaves isn't always enough.

We have to have folks that are out there doing their detective work, you know, trying- Look on the top of the leaf, look on the underside of the leaf.

If you can put some kind of a webcam out there, a trail cam, you might catch the culprit in action.

I know, I think folks get discouraged or sometimes maybe they think we just have like, magic abilities to identify the pest, but, you know, the hole just isn't always going to tell us what we need to know.

Carmen> No, it's not always going to tell you, but identification is that first step.

And then taking those, you know, integrated pest management approaches.

So... well good.

But, you know Jonathan while we're here and I'm thinking about integrated pest management I know you specialize in your roses.

And one of the big- Everybody's got an issue with their roses.

What do we do as we're going into winter to care for them and prepare them for prevention of some of our pests, our rose pests that we see all the time?

Jonathan> So one of the big things you can do right now, is fall pruning.

So you go in and you remove any of that disease, dying, dead wood.

Any canes that are cross rubbing, you don't want them to be rubbing throughout the winter damaging your plant.

So that's step one.

The other thing you can do, especially if you have like a really nice bed, is clear out some of that leaf litter.

And this is more helpful for like, black spot which is a fungi... fungus.

Excuse me.

And so that'll overwinter on dead dried leaves around the plants.

So if you get rid of that, you won't have to worry about that as much in the spring.

Now, there will be some.

You're never going to get rid of it, completely.

But, you can help yourself out by getting rid of those dead leaves in the fall around your roses, at least.

Other than that, that's pretty much it.

Carmen> Oh, Okay.

And when do we fertilize?

Jonathan> I like to fertilize sometime around March, because you don't want to go ahead and- If you fertilize now or early winter or late fall, you run the risk of the plant pushing out new growth and then having that hit by the cold.

So I always caution to wait until March, around springtime.

Brady> Do you continue feeding or is it?

Jonathan> Roses are very heavy feeders, so about every three weeks.

Keep them fed.

<Yeah> Keep those blooms coming.

Carmen> Oh, I see.

And I've always heard, I guess it's an old wives tale, but maybe it's not about, pruning back to three or five leaves.

Have you ever heard about this?

Jonathan> So, your modern roses, which are your repeat bloomers and those are easy to identify.

Those are the roses that bloom throughout the season.

You want to cut those back really heavily.

And I don't know about the leaves, but... I go by cane height so you can cut them back about a foot, a foot and a half, heavy.

Your old garden roses, like your Lady Banks, don't cut it back that heavy.

Those are once bloomers.

You just want to trim those up in the spring.

Terasa> One size doesn't fit all.

You need to know, kind of like pests.

You need to know what rose you have, and then it's cultural requirements.

Jonathan> Yes.

Otherwise, you're not going to end up with any flowers if you do it wrong.

(soft laughter) Terasa> Very sad.

Cause people usually have, strong emotional connection to their roses.

Sometimes hand-me-downs from generation to generation.

Brady> People love their roses.

That is for sure.

Carmen> Thank you for educating everybody.

Well, before we go, Brady, I know we had talked about, my beautiful poinsettias.

Brady> Yeah.

Carmen> But is there anything, any way that anyone else can come and see the poinsettias at Forest Lake.

Brady> Absolutely.

So we are doing, we do a open house tour every year leading up into the holiday seasons.

We do a, a tour every hour on the hour.

You come, we'll go through each greenhouse, you'll see all the poinsettias.

We'll talk about how we cool them and heat them, and we'll talk about how we adjust light hours so that we can get the colors to be proper.

We go through the whole thing, and there will be, coffee and refreshments, and it's always a great day.

Carmen> That sounds wonderful.

Brady> It's always a good time.

Carmen> Well, I want to thank you guys for coming on and I really appreciate it.

Terasa, thank you so much, as always, for everything you do.

Terasa> My pleasure.

Carmen> Make this show keep going.

But, hopefully, until next time, see you guys later.

Goodbye.

♪ 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.