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 McNulty> Well, good evening.

We are so happy that you're with us tonight.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Making it Grow.

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

And I just love having these new people come on, because they have so much new information that I can learn and try to remember.

And Terasa Lott thank goodness, you're a Clemson person.

You're the Midlands district director and I'm, but you, I think you love coming because you've learned a lot too.

>> I have.

That's right.

So my background is not in horticulture.

But I thoroughly enjoy learning.

Try to learn at least one new thing every day.

And our viewers push me to do that because they ask questions that I don't know the answer to.

But luckily, I know sources where we can get trusted, reliable information.

Amanda> And you do our Facebook page and people put questions there and you answer a lot of them.

You're a big help to people.

Terasa> They do.

A lot of times they'll come through the messenger side of things.

And so, the general public won't see that because it's like a, like a one on one chat.

But it was kind of funny.

Recently, someone who was also spent time in upstate New York sent in a question and was like, am I chatting with Terasa?

And, so then we talked a little bit about...New York.

Amanda> That's where you're from.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

So when do lilacs bloom?

Terasa> I don't know.

I think you asked me that before.

In the spring sometime.

Amanda> Yeah, one day I'd like to get to smell some lilacs.

Yeah.

Anyway.

Terasa> It is a beautiful fragrance.

So we had a whole row of them, some the lilac color, some a white color.

And I can close my eyes and, and imagine what the smell was like as we walked by.

Amanda> I wonder if anybody makes a lilac perfume.

You know, they make gardenia perfumes.

Terasa> I think they're even candles scented, like lilac.

Amanda> Okay, well.

We'll have to see.

Well, Carmen Ketron, the urban horticulture agent down in Georgetown, Horry and Marion.

And, so you're near the ocean and I bet sometimes you take that little darling down there.

Carmen Ketron> Yes.

We're very much in the beach phase right now.

We love the beach.

Amanda> Does she like it?

>> She loves it.

She loves it.

And I like being there.

And you get to see a whole bunch of new, different citizen science activities that you can do at the beach.

Before we were on the rivers, but now we get to enjoy sea turtle watching and check in... They have a new beach renourishment project, so all the seashells and all the shark's teeth are out if you get there early enough.

Amanda> They're...from other...Whoa!

Oh, dang.

Carmen> So, so it's a lot of fun.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Sounds good.

The first thing I do when I get to the beach is I run down and I taste the water to be sure it's just salty.

I think it's important to do.

(laughs) Whatever.

Nicole Goodman, an urban horticulture agent up in Spartanburg.

And we are so thrilled to have a new person with us.

Nicole Goodman> I'm excited to be here.

Amanda> Thank you for making the trip down.

And, I think that you're in, you've been living in Spartanburg for a while, but I don't think that's where you grew up.

Nicole> No, I did not grow up in Spartanburg.

I'm from Switzerland originally, so I talk a little bit different.

Amanda> Well, everybody talks kind of different.

I think you when I was talking to you earlier, I think you said that it's getting, it's been kind of hot in Switzerland and you were talking to your parents, and, you know, there's all this weird weather, climate change going on.

Nicole> Yeah, it's very hot.

And I think Switzerland is one of those countries, that has even higher, than the rest of Europe.

So more impact.

So it's interesting to watch how this is evolving.

Amanda> And a place where they don't have air conditioning, I'm sure.

Nicole> Yes, but our buildings are more insulated than here.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

So they don't heat up so fast.

Nicole> Yeah, yeah.

Amanda> Well, I'm, I'm glad that, that I'm sorry that you're not with your family, but I'm real glad that you're here with us.

Nicole> Thank you.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

And a new person, another new person.

Tess Moody, forestry and natural resources associate.

And you're at the TEACH Center and tell people who don't know where the TEACH Center is and what's going on down there.

>> Yeah, so the TEACH Center is in the Citadel Mall in West Ashley.

So right outside of Charleston, it's, got a classroom and a lab, and so we can do programs there.

We have canning and cooking classes that take place there as well as, like horticulture classes and natural resource classes, like the ones that I do.

Amanda> Goodness.

Tess> Yeah.

<Okay.> Tess> Lots going on there.

Amanda> So what do you teach sometimes?

Tess> I teach courses such as like "Gardening Alongside Wildlife" is one that I teach, how to like, a birding 101 course I've taught and, I've got some courses, programs coming up on carnivorous plants and building your own bog.

Amanda> Goodness, that's enough.

Tess> It's a lot.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, that's a lot.

Yeah.

Okay.

When you're talking about birds, my friend Mary Desports who's a big birder, Said that the cuckoos, when she hears the cuckoos, she knows it's going to rain.

Have you ever heard that?

Tess> Yeah.

Sometimes they're called the rain crows because they call, seems to like, match the humidity in the air.

Amanda> Isn't that fun?

Tess> Yeah.

Amanda> Interesting world out there.

Okay, well, I've got some good segments coming up for you.

Oh, peaches, peaches, peaches.

Gaie McCloud came down from McBee with her daughter, Rachel, and Rachel's daughters.

That was a lot of fun.

And we made a peach cobbler and a salad with peaches.

And then, we took a trip a while back to Roots and Shoots nursery, and they have native plants, and we had a real good time down there.

Well, and then I think right now, we are lucky that we're going to see what people have been doing in their yards, Terasa.

Terasa> You are correct, Amanda.

It's time for our Gardens of the Week segment.

That's when we highlight what you're doing in your yards, your gardens, or if you've captured a beautiful place.

And South Carolina has many of them.

And we've had such a great response to Gardens of the Week but instead of showing just a few photos, we're now putting together what we call a montage so that you get to see more of the wonderful things that you are doing out and about throughout the state.

So let's take a look.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Terasa> That last photo from Julie Muhully showcased the Nancy Welch Memorial Garden at Greer City Park.

You know, South Carolina has so many wonderful gardens, parks, arboreta and other natural areas.

I really encourage you to take advantage of those.

There are incredible benefits to spending time outdoors, but thanks to everyone who shared their photos.

You can see others on our Facebook page.

And don't be shy when you see us make a call for Gardens of the Week .

Post your photos right there in the comments and then you might see them appear on air.

Amanda> And we thank everybody who sends those in.

Yes.

Really do.

Well, there's never, never a shortage of problems, Terasa.

Can we help some people?

Terasa> That's right.

There are always challenges when it comes to gardening.

It seems that Joe in Lydia has a question for us.

He wants to know, what should I do for my centipede grass?

It has had irregular dead browning spots since spring, and I've increased watering.

But it seems to be getting worse.

Amanda> Oh my goodness.

Well, got any ideas, Carmen?

Carmen> I do.

It's been happening a lot all around.

Even though we're in a drought this year, a lot of people will think that they need to up Amanda> Their irrigation?

Carmen> Up their irrigation.

That's right.

And so they actually are watering too much because a lot of our warm season grasses don't actually need that much water.

And if you're overwatering, more frequently, but, less deeply, what ends up happening is you get fungus.

And we have had an uptake in, large patch fungus on our end of the state.

And that is just because of too much watering.

A lot of times it's usually in spring and fall that you see it the worse.

So if you start to see more coming up this fall in your, long established centipede yards, you might want to back off the watering before you reach for a chemical.

Amanda> Well, centipede is, you know, poor man's grass and I just think you know, I have better things to do than worry about grass.

And I like centipede.

What, how much water do you think we should give it and what would be a good way to judge how much?

Carmen> Ideally you want about an inch a week.

And so now that we're getting some more storms, you want to get yourself a little rain gauge and check every week to see if it gets at least a quarter of an inch of rain.

If it gets a quarter of an inch of rain, you're good.

Turn off that irrigation.

But if you don't have it, and you go more than 14 days with no significant rain, you want to get out there and you want to turn on your irrigation system, if you, if you, if you have one or run your sprinkler, drag a sprinkler head out there and give it a nice normally 20 minutes.

But you want to make sure that you know how much water is getting put out by those sprinkler heads.

Amanda> I was going to the say because you know.

Carmen> A lot of people don't know.

If you've had it professionally installed, they should be good, that 20 minutes should do about a half an inch.

So you do that on a Monday and a Friday.

Deep, but...but infrequent.

If you're not sure, or you set it up yourself, like my husband did, you want to go out there and you want to calibrate your sprinkler?

We got lots of resources.

And I believe, the famous Terasa actually has a wonderful YouTube video.

<She did> on how to calibrate your sprinklers using the catch canned method.

That is the biggest question, to making sure that you're doing it effectively.

And at the beach, we're actually on water restriction now.

So you really need to be smart with your watering because you might be causing more problems than you.

Then...you're helping.

Amanda> Yeah, like loving your lawn to death.

Carmen> That's right.

...a lot of our world season grasses, they are best left to just look at from the window.

Don't touch it.

Don't mess with it.

Mow it once a week and leave it alone.

<Okay> But, you know, people love it.

It's a great hobby, taking care of your... (laughs) I have lots of people who come down here, and that's all they want to do is make, taking care of their lawn, their next job.

So it's a lot of fun.

You just got to be informed and we've got lots of resources for not only centipede, but Saint Augustine, Zoysia.

Just go to H.G.I.C.

Amanda> Okay.

Yeah.

Great resource.

Thank you very, very much.

Well, Terasa, let's go to- somebody else.

Terasa> Ready for another question?

Let's move around the state to Boiling Springs.

Ben had a question.

He is from Florida.

He was looking on social media to obtain some plants for a pond.

And he said he came across Water Hyacinth.

He says he knows it's invasive in Florida, but he says "Is it also invasive here in South Carolina?"

(laughs) Amanda> I don't know if they've, if they know when they crossed the state line.

Do you?

Nicole> So, yeah.

Water hyacinth is an invasive or is considered an illegal plant here because we do not want it to become invasive and, I did check out some of the marketplace posts on, on aquatic plants.

And there are actually a lot out there that are selling some of the illegal plants that technically we are not even supposed to be possessing.

So it's always good to just check your laws, local laws, because we want to obviously prevent an issue like we have with Kudzu or bamboo.

Amanda> So sometimes you might be at a place where people are selling plants and it might be for sale.

So it's good to know this kind of thing before you start bringing things home.

Because I've heard people say, well, it's just my little pond in my yard.

But, you know, if we have a a flood or something, well shoot.

Who knows where it's going go.

Nicole> That's correct.

Yeah.

They can easily cross into uninhabited parts.

And I think especially our aquatic ecosystems are just so fragile and sensitive, but at the same time very important to our environment that we really should take extra care there.

That's why I like that, to have a list on, on the, Department of Plant Industries website with all those illegal plants where you can look them up very easily.

Amanda> And also, I know Terasa they say that the amount of herbicide they have to put out in the Santee Lakes and other places is phenomenal.

You know, we're all trying to cut back on the use of chemicals.

And so one of the things is people can, I believe, try to wash their boat off after they've been fishing or whatever.

Will that help?

Maybe.

Nicole> Yeah.

Especially with like, the easy to propagate plants.

You just don't want to have any small little parts that could propagate in the next lake.

So, yeah- Amanda> What would be a good thing to put in your pond at home?

Or your pool?

Nicole> We have plenty of native species that you could do.

We do have the little floating heart, which is another, floating plant.

And then one little one that I learned, I do have a fish tank at home, and I've seen this plant, available at pet stores before.

And this is actually a native plant.

So the little banana plant is and it really looks like a little banana.

It is not a true floating plant.

It sinks to the bottom.

So it's more, nice to look at in a, in a fish tank where you have the science class.

Yes, please.

Carmen> Can I see.

Nicole> Yes, please.

Tess> Are those roots?

Nicole> I'm honestly not sure if this is just the, the part.

where it saves all the energy.

Overwinter.

I do see those little roots up here.

Not sure if they're going to come up.

So this plant is new to me, as well, but I was impressed to understand that this is actually a native plant, even though, you know, in a pet store, you wouldn't, come across a native plant.

(laughing) Amanda> Well, gosh, we've learned a lot from you.

Thanks for bringing all this to us.

Nicole> Absolutely.

Amanda> We sure appreciate it.

All right, Terasa.

Terasa> Well, there's, a lot of interest in pollinators, supporting pollinators in our own backyard.

And Carmen mentioned citizen science.

So I hope the test is going to tell us a little bit about a project that combines both of those things.

Tess> Yeah.

So in... in the southeast, we have something called the Great Southeast Pollinator Census.

This started in Georgia back in 2019, I believe.

So this has been going on for several years.

<Alright> And then on August 21st and 22nd, the census is open.

Amanda> So get ready.

Tess> So please get ready.

It is happening in just a couple of days.

So on the 21st and 22nd, you go out, you find a plant in your yard or in a park, and for 15 minutes you count all of the insects on the plant.

Amanda> So you don't want to look at a camellia I mean, you want to look at something that's flowering big time?

Tess> Something that is flowering in late August is ideal because flowers bring in the pollinators.

We're counting the pollinators, but there's only eight categories, so you don't have to be an entomologist to participate.

This is citizen science.

We want everybody to participate.

And so there are eight categories for people to, separate the pollinators into a carpenter bee, bumble bee, honey bee, small bees, wasps, flies, butterflies and moths, and other insects.

And so we want to know how many times each of those insects lands on the plant.

Amanda> Okay, >> And you do that for 15 minutes, you record it, you upload it to the great southeast pollinator census.

This is happening in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida.

So all over the southeast.

Amanda> What if you want to do it in the morning and then a different plant in the afternoon?

Tess> You can do, census as many times as you want on as many plants as you want.

But the idea is you look at the one plant or at least one area, a small area, and you count every time a pollinator lands.

Amanda> Okay, well, that is just too cool.

Terasa> I've participated.

It's so easy.

And it's a great way to get kids involved.

So classrooms and teachers can can do their own pollinator census.

Master gardeners sometimes organize events.

And, and you might not, think like, well, what can we do with the data, but there, is increasing utilization of that citizen science data that's giving us, like population trends.

Tess> Absolutely.

And, we're figuring out which plants the pollinators are also really attracted to, or the plants that we, at least the plants that we put in our garden, that the pollinators are attracted to, Amanda> Which is important.

Tess> Yes.

<Wow> So all of this information, Clemson has their own.

We have our own, Amanda> Page of- -information where you can download some of these materials and it's through Clemson online.

Or you can go to Georgia's website or the whole Southeast Pollinator census website, which is GSPC.org Amanda> Wonderful.

Everybody just loves when South Carolina peaches are around And Gaie McLeod from McBee, McLeod Farms came down with her daughter Rachel and Rachel's daughters, and they made some wonderful things for us to taste.

And you can try them at home.

And, McLeod Farms is one of our underwriters.

♪ Amanda> I just love it when the peaches are coming in, in South Carolina.

And today my friend Gaie McLeod is here from McBee and you've got part of your very large family with you.

Gaie McLeod> Yes, I do.

We're so excited to be here.

We love coming to this show and showing you some of our recipes.

Today I have my daughter Rachel McCormick, here.

>> Yes, and I brought my two daughters, Ruby Mae and Nora.

They're always grandma's helpers in the kitchen, so we thought we would bring them along today and help make these two recipes that we brought you.

So we're gonna start off, I think, with a peach cobbler.

That's one of our family favorites.

We do have a big family and so it's one of those recipes that feed a lot.

Even though we usually make two of them.

And I also thought we'd make a salad to have a savory bit as well.

Amanda> That's wonderful.

Okay.

Gaie> We start off with a peach cobbler with about four or five cups of peaches.

Amanda> And, you know, the nice thing about cobblers is it's pretty easy.

Gaie> It is, it is.

Amanda> It's not real precise.

Gaie> And it's not complicated.

<Yeah, yeah> And so then we're going to take two cups of flour and two cups of sugar.

And we're gonna let Ruby Mae do the eggs.

Amanda> Do you use self-rising flour?

<I use self-rising> So we don't have to worry about all that extra stuff.

Gaie> We don't have to worry about all that extra stuff.

Rachel> You want to do it together?

Gaie> And so now we're gonna put two eggs... [eggs cracking] in.

<Ta-da> There we go.

[egg cracking] That's great.

Amanda> Do y'all have chickens in the backyard?

Gaie> No, we don't.

[fork whisking eggs] We don't have animals on our farm.

[laughter] We're definitely peaches and strawberries and things like that.

Alright, Ruby Mae, let's put those in.

♪ And then I'm gonna stir this around.

And this is one of those things that sometimes I've just washed my hands.

So sometimes what I do is this.

Because it gets that- Amanda> You just want it to kinda be crumbly.

Gaie> You want it to be crumbly, and you want, it gets that egg mixed so well.

<Okay> So that you can do it like this, and we'll have it ready.

And now we're gonna pour it on top or place it on top.

So we're gonna just put it like this.

Amanda> Just scatter it around.

That looks pretty easy.

♪ Gaie> And then we'll be ready.

I usually always melt my butter so it'll be ready to go on as soon as I finish with this.

Amanda> Because everybody's hungry after church.

Gaie> That's right.

And we spread this out.

<Alright> I think that looks great.

Alright now, Ruby... you're gonna pour it all over here.

Amanda> That's a lot of butter.

How much butter was it?

Gaie> Two sticks.

Amanda> Okay.

Yum, yum.

This is gonna be delicious.

Gaie> And so it is pretty much... Where'd that spoon go?

I wanna spread this out a little bit.

Alright, Ruby Mae, I'm gonna spread this out a little bit more so that the butter gets everywhere.

Amanda> And once it starts cooking, it's all gonna melt together.

Gaie> It's gonna melt together.

And we are ready for the oven.

<Woah!> And I believe it is- Rachel> 375 for about 30 minutes.

Amanda> Okay.

That's pretty simple.

Gaie> So this is going in the oven now.

Amanda> Alright.

Rachel> Alright, so we're going to make a salad here.

We've just got a little bit of spring mix.

We've got some fresh mozzarella pearls that we put in there.

And then we also put in some prosciutto, okay?

And Nora is going to spray a little bit of olive oil on the peaches.

You go ahead.

♪ Alright, now mix that up.

Mix it up with the spoon.

Amanda> So you put some olive oil on the peaches.

That's cool!

Rachel> I do, yes.

Alright and then I put a little bit of fresh- Nora> Can I do it?

Rachel> Okay.

I put a little bit of fresh ground pepper.

Alright.

That's enough.

And then the salt.

Nora> I wanna do the salt.

Rachel> Alright, do the salt.

Amanda> Nora, you get to help us eat it.

(Amanda chuckles) Gaie> Nora is a great helper.

Rachel> Alright, and then mix that up.

Amanda> She's very eager.

Gaie> She is, she likes to help.

Ruby Mae> Can I drizzle it?

Nora> No, I'm drizzling.

Rachel> Yes.

We're gonna get Nora to help with the salad.

(laughter) Nora> Did it.

Rachel> You did it.

And then we are gonna put... Alright.

And then we are gonna drizzle it with some balsamic glaze.

<Mm-mm> It's my favorite.

(indistinct) Amanda> And the balsamic glaze is the sweet.

Rachel> That's right.

It is the sweet.

Amanda> You can put it on ice cream, it's so delicious.

Rachel> I know!

Gaie> It is.

Ruby Mae> Oh, that smells good!

Amanda> It looks so pretty on it too, don't you think?

Rachel> Yes, it turned out so pretty.

Amanda> It's really tempting looking.

Amanda> Thank you, Nora.

Rachel> Thank you so much.

And then that's how it's done.

So, it's very nice and simple and just one of our favorite treats in the summertime.

Amanda> Well, shall I check the oven?

Rachel> Yes.

♪ Amanda> Oh, gosh, it's pretty!

Gaie> And that is our- Amanda> That looks delish.

Gaie> -Peach cobbler.

It smells so good, doesn't it?

Amanda> Is it something you really look forward to?

(Nora chuckles) Amanda> Golly!

You could put ice cream on the top too.

Rachel> Oh, yes.

Amanda> Okay, well I'm gonna get some plates and we're gonna all get a chance to taste.

How does that sound?

Gaie and Rachel> Sounds great.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> We so appreciate their coming down and sharing family recipes with us.

And for bringing the two little helpers.

So I was looking for hat stuff Terasa and goldenrod is out now, and, you know, there are a million different kinds of goldenrod.

And so there'll be flowering and flowering and flowering.

It will be different species.

But, I was reading something one time, some garden club thing and it said, "Oh, if you're going to do "use goldenrod in a flower arrangement, "you must get it from the florist."

Because the florist one doesn't have any pollen, won't make you sneeze or something.

And I thought, this has a real heavy pollen anyway.

It's not going to make you sneeze.

And where do you think the florist goldenrod comes from?

I mean, I don't think they grow it.

I don't think they grow it- Terasa> They probably don't go on the adventures that you go on there, to source theirs, but there is a myth out there that people it usually coincides with ragweed.

And so people don't... Those flowers are pretty inconspicuous compared to goldenrod.

So, people make that connection, which is, sad because goldenrod is beautiful and so great late season for providing the, the support to wildlife and I have it in my yard.

Amanda> And staggered bloom times if you want to, And people used to think they had to get a specific type that wouldn't spread, you know, for Pete's sake, if you have too much, give some to a friend, right?

(laughing) Carmen> You know a lot of really good clumping varieties that there are species that are are nice and some of them are a little bit shorter.

Amanda> Yeah.

But I'm just yeah.

Yeah.

Well, it depends on what size your garden is.

Carmen> That's right.

Amanda> Right.

Tess> ...they can grow everywhere, including in salty soil on the coast.

The seaside goldenrod is the one that we have down where we are.

Amanda> Whoa!

Okay.

So people who are getting saltwater intrusion could maybe find that.

I imagine somebody is growing it.

<Yeah.> And plant that.

Tess> Absolutely.

Amanda> Well that's cool to know.

Thanks for sharing that.

Okay.

Well.

Terasa> Well it's time to.

Amanda> Yes it is.

Rustle up!

Terasa> You're looking at me for more questions.

Let's see.

Kathy reached out from Camden.

She said she's new to the area, and she's wondering if there are any more flowers that she could plant for this fall.

Amanda> Well, since fall may go till Christmas, this year, Carmen, do you think maybe there's some things that she can plant and enjoy?

Carmen> Yes, there's definitely a lot of stuff.

A lot of people will do a second round of zinnias, a second round of marigolds.

But one of the great things for people who are just moving down here is the ability for them to, over winter, a lot of spring flowers.

But plant them right now.

August, September, they say very small through the winter, over winter.

But then you get the earliest bloom.

And so I would tell Kathy that she can definitely do some quick annuals now, but start to think about what she wants to see in early spring with dianthus, things like that.

And, order the seeds now and go plant them.

Amanda> Okay, so if she starts the seeds now they'll be big enough for her to put out and they'll overwinter.

Carmen> That's right.

Amanda> Does she need to protect them, if something horrible happens?

Carmen> If something absolutely, if it gets very, very, very cold, yes, you can put down, a frost cloth fabric, something like that.

But a nice, leaf litter usually will insulate them perfectly.

And because we have, you know, fingers crossed, fairly mild winters, most of the early spring flowers can already take it.

So it works out very, very well.

Amanda> Won't that be fun for her.

Carmen> Yeah, yeah.

Now's the time.

Get going.

Amanda> Okay, well, speaking of fall, I stopped on the side of the road and, didn't have to go across a ditch or anything, but I found this.

It was way up in the air, but, I've managed, and I didn't think I had clippers in the car, but then when I got here, I did... go under something, a rock, but, these are everywhere.

I've been looking and Terasa, So they said there's more of this than people have seen, ever.

I mean, ever since I've been sitting around and I've been sitting around here a long time and, this is the fall web worm.

They've already done, but they're going to do.

So they came and the female lays, her eggs on the end of a branch out here on a end of a branch.

And when they hatch, they, start making this web to keep them from being eaten by birds and things.

And so they feed completely within this web.

So as they, as they grow, they just keep making a bigger and bigger and bigger, bigger web.

Anyway, but then they stop, you know, they're not going to be sitting there eating your plant forever and ever and ever.

And this one is full of frass, which is the fancy word for insect poop.

And then, you helped me.

It's had all these weird little structures in it, and I'll let them get a closeup of it later.

And that's because they, it's the larva.

And they're keep shedding their skin as they get bigger and they're real spiny, and people are afraid of them, but they don't.

These spines don't bother you.

So you could pick one up if you wanted to, and it's not going to do a thing in the world to you.

I would not automatically pick up a spiny caterpillar unless I knew exactly what it was, because some of them do have.

But this is just.

And Terasa, I remember one time seeing this old man up on a ladder trying to get one of these out of his pecan trees.

You know, I was just like, oh, you know, you're going to fall and kill yourself.

And, you know, this isn't going to hurt.

Nothing's going to hurt a pecan tree, you know.

Terasa> They're pretty unsightly, so I can understand why people feel motivated to do something about them.

I would encourage if, if you feel like you need to just break open the webbing and then maybe some birds will come by and get a meal.

Lots of things like to eat caterpillars.

But you don't have to worry about it really threatening the overall health and maturity.

Amanda> So cuckoos love these and they eat 100 at a time.

<Oh, goodness.> And you know, these are spiny.

So they make little pellets in their stomachs of the spiny stuff, and regurgitate it, or else they can kind of empty their stomach lining or something, really, really, really weird.

But they'll just sit there for an hour and just say.

Mmm, tsk tsk, Mmm Isn't that fun?

Terasa> It's like a buffet?

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But please don't worry about this.

Occasionally I think maybe people who've got an orchard with new little trees in it might go in, but there's a B.T.

that specific for this.

I'm sorry, specifically for caterpillars.

You know, there's B.T.

for fly larvae.

And then there's one for caterpillars.

But very, very seldom do you need to worry about it.

And it's just kind of a fun thing to know about, I think.

Anyway, so.

Terasa> So it's like a Halloween decoration that's already there.

So yeah.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

Well, maybe I'll save it for Halloween.

Anyway.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me bring that up.

Don't go climbing a ladder.

Okay.

Terasa> Oh, I got so enthralled with the web worms that I forgot you might be asking me for another question.

It seems that Anna in Spartanburg has reached out.

She said I have large hornets swarming my lights at night and I found the nest.

How can I get rid of them?

I'm glad she's asking because we want Anna to be safe.

Amanda> Well, Nicole, what do you think she can do?

Nicole> Well, she's not the only one who, has reached out in the Spartanburg area.

I already had 4 to 5 calls in just two weeks.

So with large hornets, a lot of people think, oh, it's going to be the yellow legged hornet, but we have several different hornets species out there, including the European hornet, which is very active right now.

And, it's not quite as invasive.

It's still a non-native species, but not as- Amanda> frightening as the yellow legged one.

Nicole> Correct.

So with hornets, it's always best to have a professional come out and take care of the nest if there is a nest on the property.

While the sting is not any more dangerous than a yellow jacket or a bee sting, it's still very painful.

I- Amanda> And they can keep stinging unlike a- Nicole> Correct.

Honey bees only do once.

Yes.

But with wasps and hornets, they can go after you a couple times.

I had those things as a child, so I do know how painful they are, and it's not fun.

So I always have a professional come out, to take care of the nest.

You could try and, and trap them up, but only in spring just to get the queens, off your property.

Amanda> Okay.

<Yeah.> Okay.

Tess> They have different sized nests throughout the year sometimes.

Don't they?

Or some species do?

Nicole> Yes.

And the big difference between the yellow legged hornet that we are looking for and also wanting to have the reports done, online, those are usually outside hanging on a branch while the European hornet is more like in tree cavities or in your attic or somewhere where it's enclosed.

Amanda> I get them on my porch, <Yeah>, my outside porch, you know which has a roof on it, and they seem to like to be there.

<Yeah.> Amanda> But Anyway.

Yeah, yeah.

Nicole> I have here a little specimen of the yellow legged hornet.

And another big difference between the two species is the yellow legged, the ones we want to have reported, is much darker than the European hornet, which is mostly yellow.

So that's also a good indicator on just giving, getting an overall view, should I report it or, or not?

Amanda> But they don't necessarily hold still for you to take their picture and see how yellow they are?

Right?

(laughing) Terasa> True.

Amanda> But you're saying look where the nest is.

And that's a good way to get information.

Nicole> Yes.

And very important.

If you come across a yellow legged hornet or if you just are not sure what kind of hornet it is, if it's safe for you to do, take a picture, because the reporting tool on the plant and the department of plant industries needs a picture in order to understand, is it really a Yellow Legged Hornet, or is it just a Bald Faced Hornet or a European Hornet?

So a picture is very important.

Amanda> Okay.

All right.

So that's what...you know, but be safe when you do it.

Nicole> Absolutely.

<Yeah> That's number one.

Amanda> Because they, they will defend their nest with great vigor.

Nicole> The nicest thing about the European hornet, though, is it's not like yellow jackets which will swarm you.

The European hornet is not quite as aggressive.

And, since we like to support our pollinators, Hornets are technically pollinators too, the European hornet is actually quite good at taking down larger pest insects we have in the garden.

So beetles, for example.

So while they are non-native, there is still a little bit of a positive edge there.

Amanda> Okay.

That's interesting.

Okay.

Well thanks for telling us that because there's been a lot of talk about that lately.

Nicole> Yes.

Okay.

Amanda> Thank you.

Okay, Terasa?

Terasa> All right.

Next up we're going to move down closer to the coast.

Joy in West Ashley said "I saw carnivorous plants "in the display window at the TEACH Center.

"How do you plant and take care of them?

"And aren't you worried that they could hurt you?"

(Amanda laughs) Terasa> She must be thinking of Amanda> Watch out Tess.

Don't put your finger in that.

Carmen> It's your Halloween costume number.

(laughing) Audrey Two.

Tess> So, unlike Audrey Two, these little guys... said this is a Venus flytrap.

Joy in West Ashley, actually works at the Citadel Mall with us.

And so she saw the terrarium that I built.

I built a carnivorous wetland terrarium.

And it sits in the window as a, as a display at the mall.

And so she was, like, very concerned that these plants might jump out and get her if that's how she acted.

Anyway.

<Yeah.> But these little fly traps, they are specially designed to catch flying and crawling insects and other arthropods.

They might be better named the spider trap because they catch a lot of spiders.

A lot of crickets.

Amanda> Crickets?

Tess> Crickets.

But mostly things that crawl right along inside those leaves.

And there's little trigger hairs in there, and I don't want to trip the triggers because they only have, Yeah, they only have so many times that they can open and close, but they close around.

How they work is they close around the arthropod, and then they form a seal and around the edge of that leaf.

And these are all modified leaves, and then they digest as they break down, They digest those arthropods in the leaves.

Very, very cool plants absolutely cause no problems to humans.

I have another carnivorous plant too.

Amanda> Oh, sure.

Come up here little fellow.

There you go.

Tess> So this is another great example of carnivorous plants.

This is a pitcher plant, one of the hooded pitcher plants.

And both of these plants are native to South Carolina.

And in fact, the Venus flytrap is only found in the Carolinas.

It's only in the entire world, only found in North and South Carolina.

Most people don't know that.

So these are very, very special plants.

The pitcher plant, the way that it works is inside these little pitchers are it's a tube.

And the animals, mostly arthropods will fall down in there.

There's little hairs that are angled downwards so that the insect, the animal, can't climb back out.

And then there's digestive fluid that hangs out down here in the bottom of this pitcher.

And so they will drown.

Some of these pitchers even have a toxin inside them and they'll poison them.

<Heavens> I know.

It sounds so vicious, but these plants are, have evolved this way, because the environment is nutrient poor.

Amanda> Nitrogen, particularly, wet soils, I believe.

Tess> Nitrogen, calcium, iron, none of that is moving through the soil like it does with other habitats.

Yeah.

Amanda>-the wet soil.

Tess> So in these very wet areas, very nutrient poor.

And so they have to get nutrients from somewhere.

Why not from bugs?

Why not from other animals?

So that's why they are the way they are.

They're very unique and interesting.

Amanda> Evolution is just fascinating.

Isn't it just the most fascinating thing in the world?

And then these flower.

Tess> Absolutely!

They do.

They, in particular the pitcher plants flower in the spring, they send up that flower before the pitchers so that they can get a chance to get pollinated before they start trapping.

(laughing) So they don't have too much theoretically, they don't have too much, carnivory of the pollinators that they need.

And then these Venus flytraps send out a flower that's like, much, much taller, way above these leaves.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, if you see them in a place where they're growing and they're in flower, you just feel like, gracious goodness, I've come across such a treasure.

Tess> And sometimes all you see is the flowers.

You don't even notice this tiny little thing on the ground until you see the flowers first.

Amanda> Oh, that's so nice of you to have that out there for people to learn from, <Yeah> And I'm glad that she now won't be afraid to put her finger in there.

Tess> Well, I think she, you know, I think she learned something, but I think she's still not going to put her hands in there.

(Amanda laughs) Amanda> Well, that's probably good, because, as you say, you're not supposed to make them work, unless they're going to get a reward.

Right.

Okay.

Thank you so very, very much.

Okay, Terasa.

Terasa> Let's see if we can help... Carson, in Finklea, said, this spring, I started plants from seed for the very first time, but it did not go well.

What are some tips for better seed starting?

Amanda> Oh, la, la, la.

Terasa> I think.

I can relate.

Amanda> Yeah, okay.

Oh, yeah.

Carmen, what do you think she could try?

Carmen> We've got all sorts of fun things.

A lot of what ends up being a problem with some of our seed starting, things is in the spring heat.

You need to have that soil nice and warm.

And if we're starting in winter, it ends up that the soil just is not that warm, if you put them out.

Right now is great because the ambient temperature.

Amanda>Everything's pretty warm.

Carmen> 75, 85.

So that's not as big of a problem now.

So I would encourage folks that are starting new plants to start them in late summer.

And that's going to give you a lot better success with starting new seeds.

You also want to make sure that you have a seed starting mix and not plain dirt.

Amanda> Not potting soil?

Carmen> and...not potting soil as much.

It doesn't need it.

But a nice, peat moss, something like that.

That will actually make for a very nice soil medium for them to grow.

A lot of the other times is when you're doing it, make sure that you have, the right type of container to hold it.

So here I brought, a nice 72 tray.

These, this has individual cells that they can start their seeds on.

But really, you could just do an open tray.

It's that, it is nice and shallow so that you don't have to worry about watering it.

And so it always has a nice shallow watering bed that allows for you to be able to make sure that you're watering consistently and often.

Amanda> So you want to be able to put the water in the bottom and let it move up... Carmen> Not necessarily.

<I'm kind of confused.> A lot of people will, will do a bottom water, but here you don't actually want to because you have your tiny little seed.

And it only stays about, a quarter, maybe an eighth of an inch below the soil, soil right here.

If you were to do a big pot and make sure it's watering, all of that is worthless.

at this point for baby seedlings.

So you want to make sure that you are, unlike, the grass we were talking about that you are watering often, frequently and shallow.

So sometimes twice a day to get these started.

Amanda> What do you use.

Carmen> For watering, I like a nice regular showerhead.

And- Amanda>-Attachment to a hose?

Carmen> Nice little attachment.

Yeah.

We're not doing the, the speed washer.

<Okay> We want it nice and soft, and good thing that you brought it up.

You want to make sure that when you go to water.

I see this all the time in the greenhouses that you overwater the edge.

A lot of people, they'll go straight across, but they won't get that second hit on the edge.

So they often have, as you can see, uneven germination on your edges.

Amanda> Alright.

Okay.

Carmen> Yeah.

And additionally, you want to make sure that everybody is happy.

And what Ms.

Carson was saying is she started picking her, she tried to pull these bad boys out when they still only had their first two cotyledons, Those two primary leaves, almost every dicot will have those, two primary leaves.

It's not ready then.

You have to wait for the true leaves to pop up.

Here you can see we've got our two primary leaves, and then we've got our adult leaves, and you can start to see that we got a fourth one coming.

I like to have five true leaves on your seedling before you go to start hardening off.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Carmen> Everyone on the panel loves a good hardening off, because one of the big things is, if you just were to take this and just put it out, oftentimes the heat and the humidity would get so overwhelming that it would kill these plants.

So you want to gently put them out in the sunlight for an hour, put them back in your nice shaded place where you were germinating, and then the next day, slowly move them back out for two hours, then three hours.

So they get acclimated to the environment.

And then you can go and you can pop them out and go for it.

Amanda> But what if you're not home?

Carmen> I know, that's where I, usually get my garden sitter.

But a lot of times, I- Amanda>-I guess you could bring it to work.

Carmen> We don't have a garden setup.

Amanda> Maybe you have a nice office, you could bring it to work.

Carmen> Exactly, exactly.

And a lot of the times I would set this up for the weekend.

<Okay.> So if you can start doing it even on a Friday over the weekend, that would even be better than nothing.

Amanda> All right.

Thank you so much.

Carmen> You're welcome.

Amanda> Well, now let's go to Roots and Shoots nursery.

We'll have a good time down there.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> I'm in Charleston, South Carolina, talking to David Manger.

And he is a person I've wanted to come see a long time.

Because you've got, a business that I think is part of what may save the world.

David> Thank you.

Yeah, we specialize in native plants and fruit trees, and we try to really stick with the sustainable message behind gardening and all that kind of fun stuff, when you're working with the outdoors.

Amanda> I think, like a lot of people, you studied something in college that turned out to be completely inappropriate for you.

David> Yeah, I did bioengineering.

And I think, right about when I was halfway through, I realized that I didn't want to be in a cubicle.

So, for the second two years of school, I tried my hardest to get further and further away from it.

Amanda> And so I believe that a very nice couple, started this kind of as a backyard hobby, and you kind of fell into it through that.

David> Yeah, I started as a sustainable landscaper, and I often, from the very beginning, had a hard time finding the plants and things that I needed for my projects.

So I ran into Jane and Lynn, who were the original... founders of "Roots and Shoots."

And after a little while, they decided that, they were ready to officially retire.

And that was a great moment for me and a great opportunity to, to add "Roots and Shoots" to my landscaping company.

Amanda> And you have a pretty big staff, and everybody here seems to share that same passion from what I see.

David> Yeah, we try really, our hardest to find everybody that's really, really into the, the insects and the birds and all the beauty around nature, that's not just flowers.

Amanda> But flowers are fun.

David> They are really fun.

Amanda> And so you got, herbaceous perennials.

Then you've got, woody perennials, I believe.

And, then because of your interest in permaculture, I believe you have fruits that can perform well in Charleston.

David> Yep.

We have, well in Charleston, we're in a really cool spot because we are almost semitropical <Yes> and we could bring a lot of the warm fruits up into here.

And we could also bring a lot of the northern fruits down into Charleston.

So we, I do a lot of research and figuring out what grows best here in our little special zone.

And we try to make it all available to the public.

Amanda> And so you've got two little boys and I think they can sometimes pick an apple off the tree.

David> Yeah, yeah.

(laughter) Amanda> And we've been told you can't possibly grow an apple in this part of the world.

David> Well that's wrong.

I think all it, all has to do with making sure you make the right selection when it comes to your fruit tree.

So, so we can, certainly grow some apples in Charleston as long as you're being well aware of finding things that are low chill hours.

Amanda> I think you have an affinity for citrus, too.

Some of them that are probably fun to bring inside, make orange juice or put in your sweet tea.

<Yeah> And then some of them are kind of exotic.

David> Yeah.

We have a handful of exotic ones that are good for making drinks and cooking with, and other ones that are good for squeezing for orange juice and just eating fresh.

Amanda> And when people come here and... decide that they want to add citrus to their landscape, I think you're very careful to give them the rules about not taking it outside of the county because of the citrus greening quarantine, if I'm not mistaken.

David> Yeah, totally.

We have a quarantine under all of Charleston and probably everywhere south of us also, is under quarantine.

So you just have to be a little careful about moving citrus, once you bring it home with you, it's got to stay there.

Amanda> I think you're interested in carnivorous plants, too.

And I think that's a fun thing because people can easily do that in a small area in their house can't they?

David> Totally.

So the carnivorous plants take a very special soil type and a special environment.

So you could build a mini environment, for that plant and keep it right on your porch or somewhere, really convenient for you.

Amanda> Gosh, I wish we could get one that just specialized in mosquitoes.

Wouldn't that be the bomb?

(laughing) David> That's like the million dollar idea.

Amanda> And then I think you've got, woody, you have some trees too... Are they also, is there a native selection of trees?

David> Huge native selection of trees, and a huge selection of shrubs and plants of all sorts of sizes?

<Really> Amanda> And I don't believe that you do installations but, you are willing to spend time with people, generously and guide them in choices.

David> Yeah.

Since our, since our nursery grew so much, we don't do landscaping anymore, but we have, a great list of other landscapers that we work with, and all of our staff is really well, trained and equipped to answer lots of questions about people's yards, if they bring in pitchers and things like that.

Amanda> So through Doug Tallamy, we're all trying to reduce the size of our lawn.

If someone wanted to start a meadow as part, instead of just all turf grass or start native grasses, would you be able to give some advice on how to do that?

David> Yeah, we can give all sorts of advice, for all sorts of different projects, whether you want to get rid of your yard or expand a really shady section of your garden and... and really, we hear all sorts of different things that people, people are getting into.

Amanda> I would think part of the joy is just to see people come and get so excited about, the opportunities and the varieties here.

Does it bring joy to you?

David> Every day.

Yeah, it's a great place to hang out and work and, and I think there's no such thing as a, as a sad plant person.

(laughter) Amanda> That is a wonderful way to look at it.

You certainly given us a lot of happiness today.

I've got a big basket that I'm going to put in the back and take home with me.

I've got a busy week for next week and, you know, I'll just have these beautiful native plants that are so easy to care for once I get them established.

And fall is the best time to plant.

So I'm doing it at just the right time.

And not only will I have the flowers, but what do you think I'll also get to enjoy?

David> Well, I think for years to come you're going to have lots of birds and bees and all sorts of other little creatures thanking you as well.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> I want to thank everybody for coming, our new people for coming.

Thank you so much.

I hope that we didn't scare you and maybe you'll come back?

(laughs) Maybe?

Nicole> I'll try.

(laughing) Amanda> Be brave.

<Okay> Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

We're the Clemson people.

We're brave.

Right?

Okay.

All right.

Anyway, so thanks for that.

And thank you at home for being with us.

We sure appreciate it.

And Terasa, you know what, we'll have more questions next week.

Won't we?

Terasa> We never seem to run out.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, night night everybody.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 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.

♪