<Narrator>: Making it Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina is a cooperative effort among farmers, retailers And the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, to help consumers identify foods And agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

The Boyd Foundation, supporting outdoor recreational opportunities, the appreciation of wildlife, educational programs, And enhancing the quality of life in Columbia, South Carolina And the Midlands at large.

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

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

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation And Farm Bureau Insurance And BOONE HALL FARMS.

♪♪ <Amanda>: Well, good evening, And welcome to Making it Grow.

We're so glad that you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a Clemson Extension agent.

And I just love doing this show.

Because every week it's continuing education.

We have so many wonderful people who come with new news And new plants And all sorts of things that just make it so much fun.

And keeping us current.

And it all turns right now on Terasa Lott, who's our Master Gardener, co coordinator And co host And Terasa, you are just wonderful with master gardeners.

And they do so much for the state.

<Terasa>: They really do.

But I can't take all the credit.

I don't do really the day to day work.

Right.

I'm the behind the scenes.

It's our Master Gardener coordinators, like Paul Thompson across the state And then our actual volunteers And I know you, of course Paul is known for putting on a wonderful symposium each year.

Paul>>: Yes, they do a really great job.

<Terasa>: With some help from you, I'm sure.

Paul>>: Well, no, I have I absolutely do nothing.

Except for they're kind enough to invite me to do one of the breakout sessions.

And so I have to come prepared to do that.

So they do everything.

And they've already, you know, lined up the date for next year, they've already lined up.

I'm sure they've already lined up some of the speakers because I have start early And it's basically a year long project that's really, really heavy in the last two months.

<Amanda>: Oh, you are the agent, the hort agent in York county.

And I was just curious, what did they ask you to speak about this year?

Paul>>: I spoke on a talk that I had done very similar of, you know, kind of honing your diagnostic abilities.

So, you know, looking at things.

Thinking a little more critically when you're looking, trying to diagnose what a problem might be.

<Amanda>: Okay.

Well, I think we're gonna do a little bit of that today, perhaps so we'll see how well, if you've sharpened your mind approach Oh, well.

Paul>>: Sometimes with pictures, it's only our best.

<Amanda>: Dr. Oliver Freeman.

We're so excited to have you here.

Welcome, welcome.

You are based in the coastal region, but I think you're an extension agent through South Carolina State.

And tell us about the 1890 extension program.

Dr. Freeman: Okay, so the South Carolina State at 1890 program is one of 19 across the nation, primarily located throughout the sub sorry southern US.

We basically not we aren't too much different from the 1862 Sys.. system, such as Clemson And basically covering the same programming areas for each ANR Ag.

FCS family consumer sciences And of course, community economic development.

We actually have one more unique program area.

Education innovate... innovation, support EIS.

<Amanda>: Tell me what that involves.

Dr. Freeman: It's a little bit... me I personal, I would call it an advanced form of Four-H.

Yes, they deal a lot more with your college students directly, you know, getting them more involved or on track for successful careers, what to do, what to look for what to even select as a, you know, select as a major, even so, that's one, you know, that's a actual plus for the university more for rather than the 1890 program, but um, additionally 1890 system was like a, I guess started with the second more or less, which allowed, like, many universities to now cater to small minority throughout the south mainly.

And, you know, with the exception of one, I believe Central State up in Ohio.

<Amanda>: Thank you so much.

And of course, I got my master's degree at South Carolina State, which was wonderful.

Right around the corner, And a gosh.

I met had some wonderful professors And met some great friends.

Glad glad to see another South Carolina State person here today.

Thanks so much for coming.

<Thank you.> Casey Cooper from Cooper's Nursery Oh, I'm just sitting here.

So many things.

You bought a fragrant Thank you.

Boy, this is the wide open time of year for you sir.

<Casey>: That is, that is And that's the native azalea you smell And the citrus blooming And this crazy time of year for us, which is a good thing.

<Amanda>: Yeah, yes.

Yeah, that's what keeps everybody in business.

And we'll have I can't wait to talk more about these And it does just smell wonderful so that you're after... it's not your cologne thanks a lot.

I'm so happy because I'm you know, I love to do things with Dr. John because it And I both have so much fun together.

And we went out to just this wonderful state park SESQUI Centennial State Park And had a grand time looking around out there.

And I know you're going to enjoy going out there with us a little bit later in the show.

So Teresa, I think we have wonderful people who've kept at least a portion of the yard exciting looking And have gardens of the week for us.

<Terasa>: We sure do this is your opportunity to shine And share with us photos from your yard, your garden or perhaps you've visited a beautiful place in South Carolina.

Today we begin our virtual field trip outside of the state all the way from Loxley, Alabama, which is 40 miles north of the Alabama Gulf Coast.

These are photos from Shaw-Finn Bertagnolli, so this is Vicki Bertagnolli mother, And these are some gorgeous vibrant Amaryllis along the entirety of her 1980s ranch style home.

Just such a vibrant red color from Deborah Syrett.

We have also a planting of Amaryllis these are ivory with sort of a reddish orange striping And a light green throat And outside of the state again to Georgia we traveled Tatyana Verina sent us some rhododendrons that were flowering.

From Marie Johnston, rapid eye blueberry flowers, complete with a busy bee working on those flowers.

And finally, from Linda Grooms, a little red wagon that was prepared for the Art Walk in Goose Creek.

Thanks to everyone who shared their photos.

There were far more than we could put in one show.

But we encourage you to visit our Face book page And see all the submissions there.

<Amanda>: Well, thank you.

And I was in McClellanville recently And they were having the Wisteria parade.

I'm just gonna say wish in honor of the native Wisteria, but you know, everybody's loved Wisteria.

Paul>>: It was like having a Bradford pear correct.

<Amanda>: But, but anyway, everybody had little children And wagons that they decorated.

It was kind of fun to see people doing that.

Casey, I think you've got some maples.

And of course, a little while ago, I was looking at the native red maples.

I was because I come across the swamp And they love that.

But you've got some different ones for us.

<Casey>: now do we got some Japanese ones?

The big leaf one that you see.

That one is called Rising Sun full moon.

It's got a really oversized leaf for Japanese Maple.

<Amanda>: cause usually we think of as having small often kind of dissected leaves.

<Casey>: These are really big leaves for Japanese maple And turns a nice bright yellow than bright orange in the fall.

Come on one of those colorful Japanese maples there is in the fall.

So good selection for you know, small tree where if you want to get that American maple color, but maybe you don't have the room for it.

So that's a good substitute.

And then the red one is a weeping style Japanese maple, the Crimson Queen keeps the kind of Maroon reddish leaves throughout the year, then turns like a fire engine red in the fall.

Good for, ornamental gardens, places where you need something small, that's going to be you know, 10 foot or under.

<Amanda>: Well, let's go back to the rising sun one, I think it's got a nice flower And fruit.

<Casey>: It does And that's, you know, something you don't see on all of them are sometimes not as big.

So just another interesting thing that goes along with it.

<Amanda>: Since it is kind of big for Japanese Maple, how big do you think it'll get in the landscape?

<Casey>: Still a smaller growing tree.

So in South Carolina around that 12 to 15 foot, <Amanda>: Okay, so And now, a lot of Japanese maples would like to not have afternoon sun, what would you recommend for this one?

<Casey>: Part shade would be best.

They can take full sun, I have them in full sun at my house, we just have to make sure you keep stay on on with the water.

So but you know, often they'll want part sun will be best.

<Amanda>: Well not everybody knows how to install irrigation as well as Cooper's Nursery people.

So I'm asking, really, if you should site it, perhaps in part shade?

<Part shade would be best would be preferable.> Okay.

Well, thank you so much.

That's really an exciting tree.

Well, Terasa, I bet somebody needs some help, And we'll do our best.

<Terasa>: We are going to try to help Tony in the Rock Hill area.

Tony sent us some pictures And was concerned.

<Amanda>: Now these can just live forever if their happy, ones in my yard?

probably well over 100 years old.

Paul, what did you think when you were looking at this?

Paul>>: Well, I mean, the die back is fairly widespread appearing on the planet, but it's really important to kind of trace back, try to find where you've got things that are not alive.

Is are all of those associated with maybe just a few larger branches?

Or are they still attached to something that is living?

<Yes.> You know, I noticed in the photograph, those plants have been there a long time And one of them that showed a lot of die back will look like this on the corner of the house.

And you know, I see a downspout And I see a fairly new, fairly new looking, you know, corrugated drain pipe?

Oh, I don't know, when that might have been put in did something.

You know, where's some of the routes cut which would impact, you know, top growth?

<Amanda>: Just that much water poured on it all the time.

Paul>>: Right?

Well, I mean, it looks like it's, they put in something to take the water away.

But then that that maybe just changed the moisture that it was it?

Is it related to drought?

Is it very dry soil when we had the Christmas freeze?

Which will cause dye back in some evergreens, where the tissue just becomes dehydrated.

So there's a lot of possibilities.

And it's really difficult to tell from a picture.

You know, I'm the agent in New York County.

So if he wants to give me a call, we can talk about it further, I guess.

<Amanda>: And, you know, they always say if we're going to have a really bad cold snap, to go out water your plants And people like well that doesn't make much sense.

But explain why that can be important please Paul?

Paul>>: Well number one, when you water the soil it it it warms the soil somewhat so it's not as likely to freeze if if you have a bunch of feeder roots up close to the surface And you do get you know the moisture in the soil there is frozen And the roots can't take it up And especially if there's a wind associated with the cold then you know an evergreen leaf is going to evaporate moisture if there's air moving across it.

And if the soils dry or frozen, then it's going to impact the uptake of water And it could just cause basically dehydration.

So that's another thing for him to check is you know in those areas where all you're seeing are the kind of fried looking leaves, take your thumbnail And start working your way down from the tips.

And see you know, keep going until you find some green even if you have to take a little pocket knife to just scrape through the bark.

<Yes.> And look for that green healthy layer of cambium tissue between the bark And the wood.

<Amanda>: And are you saying then you would remove the damaged?

Paul>>: You would you would cut back to where you still have you know good white wood And cross section And the green tissue under the bark.

<Amanda>: Goodness It really is like Being a detective, isn't it Terasa?

<Terasa>: It is and Paul is an excellent diagnostician.

I'm so good at seeing things that I didn't I did not pick up on that what looked like maybe a newer downspout or addition to a downspout.

<Amanda>: Okay.

How about somebody else?

<Terasa>: Oh, all right.

Well, let's move to a little different area of the state.

Bob writes us from Moncks Corner And said: <Amanda>: Well, Oliver, I imagine that you have clients who grow squash because everybody likes in South Carolina likes their squash.

How do you think these people should start?

And what tips do you have for them?

And what are some of the problems they're probably going to run into?

Dr. Freeman: Several things.

I guess, usually, I tell anyone to start with a soil test, you know, find out what nutrients are there.

Mainly, you know, once you get a soil test results, you basically follow along, they give you instructions on amounts And everything.

And, you know, apply those recommended rates in you don't want to planted squash you kind of watch it grow.

And, you know, basically, a lot of times you may see problems with the plant itself, you know, from there, they would go with a plant tissue test.

And this could, you know, let them know, if they have, like any plant disease issues.

Could be Soil, could be something in the soil.

It could even be something like aphids, attacking the roots, something as small as that, but, um, would actually have them just follow those procedures as well.

You know, getting that plant test, <Amanda>: Isn't there, ever Terasa?

I think the squash vine borer is one of the things that just drives her crazy every year.

And that's pretty reliable, something that's going to show up?

Dr. Freeman: Right, definitely be on the lookout for that.

You know, a lot of times the, you'll see, I guess, holes inside of the actual vines of the crop on also, there's another bore in worms, I believe it is Yep.

And a lot of times, those guys can just kind of magically appear on you.

So you know, be on the lookout for those.

For for a home gardener, I would recommend maybe just looking into something basic, as far as let you know, as a control method for any type of pest.

You know, a lot of these different products can be found at local hardware stores, things of that nature.

<Amanda>: But I think the most important thing is to diagnose what the problem is because we sure don't want to use something that is not exactly.

I mean, the culprit, don't we.

But the I've heard people say try to get the squash in early before some of those problems can be they tend to come if you get a real nice early crop, is that less likely to have some of these problems?

Dr. Freeman: Oh, yes, ma'am.

Basically, with any crop, I think a lot of times, you know, I guess we focus on platinum early to try And get the best market value.

But a lot of times, you know, we also have to focus on the pest because in the end that's going to affect the market value.

So um, yeah, I mean, the earlier you get in, you get, you know, you give your crop a fighting chance to basically take off And do well before the pest could come in, especially here or in the coastal plain where I'm from, you tend to get a lot of humidity.

(chuckles) <Amanda>: South Carolina.

Yeah.

Dr. Freeman: Yes, ma'am.

<Amanda>: Well, thank you, sir.

And it's always nice to know Terasa, we've got so many farmers who are more than... who are growing these things And I think Oliver more easily prepared to apply some of the things that are necessary sometimes to fight these pest.

And so when you're squashed out, Go ahead, go find some certified South Carolina squash.

Thanks a lot.

Can we talk about one of these wonderful, wonderful things?

<Casey>: We can.

<Can we bring it up?> Yep we can.

<Amanda>: Okay.

All right.

Oh, gracious goodness.

<Casey>: This right here is a what we call a cocktail tree.

That's actually a Meyer lemon And a key lime.

Within one.

<Come on.

Really?> Yes, ma'am.

Half your shrub is going to be lemon, half the is going to be lime.

<Amanda>: So they were grafted there <Casey>: actually two different plants planted in the same in the same container.

So great for containers you know in a back patio because you know if it gets below... <Amanda>: So tell me what what you call it a cocktail tree.. <Casey>: So it's it's a Meyer lemon And a key lime.

<Amanda>: And a key lime.

So whatever you want your cocktail to be, you got it cover.

<Casey>: Exactly.

You got both on the same tree.

<Amanda>: Well, the one of the wonderful things is, is there anything more fragrant than citrus blossoms.

<Casey>: The citrus, people talk about tea olives when they walk through the nursery, but when they walk through our citrus as blooming right now, they're, you know, amazed with the smell And, ah, great gift, you know, for someone to put on their patio.

I got them on my back patio, never gets below.

They're tougher than people think when we don't cover cover them unless it gets below about 27 so, you know, a lot of people would just slide them in the garage for the night or if you got a frost cloth.

And then also citrus wise, there's some newer varieties that are brought on a pasture.

Yes, what fun so I'm gonna set some of the tangerines that Texas A&M has came out with their hardy to five degrees.

So we've actually had a few professors from Clemson come And get some genetics grown up around Clemson.

<Amanda>: So the main thing of this is just to remember not to, since it's so easy And close at hand to set a limit on how many cocktails you're going to have.

Thanks so much.

That's really fun.

Alrighty.

It's so much fun to go places with Dr. John because Dr. John is just so much fun.

And just to share in the knowledge, it is just a delight.

And I know you're gonna have a delightful experience at it SESQUI Centennial State Park.

♪(Stringed music)♪ I'm with Dr. John Nelson, the retired curator at the University of South Carolina AC Moore Herbarium.

And John, when you are my field botany teacher, you brought us out to this wonderful place.

Dr. John: We came out here I remember that day very well.

<Amanda>: And this is SESQUI Centennial State Park, really close to the city of Columbia.

Dr. John: It's just on the outskirts of town.

And the way I look at it is it's a place in Richland County, which is a very well developed County, And it's sort of like a little pearl of the sand hills.

It's really a wonderful place.

It's surrounded by a lot of development And agriculture And highways.

And it's just a wonderful place.

It's one of the one of the most wonderful parks in the state.

I think there's a great deal of topography out here, which is just a difference in elevation in a given place.

And when you come into the park, that's where you see the high point.

That's one of the highest points in Richland County, actually, which is dominated by a certain kind of vegetation that differs greatly from what we found down here And the lowest part of the park, <Amanda>: The plants that are here, really like that wet foot, they're not in the water on they're not like cypress trees And things like that.

But let's talk about some of the ones that we see as we walk around.

Dr. John: Okay.

And we need to remember that there used to not be a pond here long, long time ago.

But there was just a creek And the creek is still here is just in large part dominated by a pond.

But many of the plants are absolutely as you say, evolved in wetland habitats as what we call clustering species.

It's just means I like to grow in wet or marshy in places that we'll see quite a variety of shrubs.

<Amanda>: Well, there's a little Holly And you can't tell it's a Holly unless run your finger around the edge And a few little serrations there.

Let's talk about that one.

Dr. John: Yeah, you're talking about what we call Ilex Coriacea, which is commonly called gall berry.

And when I was out here with the kids, I remember that it was one of these plants a shrub a very handsome shrub with dark green leaves.

But the leaves don't seem to be very special.

They're sort of shaped like little green footballs.

As lot of things are, but when you rub your fingers across the very edge of the of the leaf, you can see they're tiny little spines.

<Amanda>: And it looks like it kind of colonized us there were lots of little ones all around.

Dr. John: They're really variable.

The leaves from one plant to another don't don't look exactly alike.

They're different sizes, And texture.

But it's all the same species.

<Amanda>: And then there's one that's not in the ericaceae, but I thought it was.

And it's much taller And semi deciduous.

And I think it's a great looking plant.

Dr. John: This is one of the most common wetland species in South Carolina.

And it's called titi tree.

It's not always a little shrub.

Sometimes it can be a reasonably sized tree, slender tree.

And as you said that the leaves in the fall start to turn red, at least some of them And the plant will hang on to a lot of these leaves.

until spring, of the next year comes around.

So it's very tardily decisions.

<Amanda>:And the scientific name is?

Dr. John: The scientific name of the Cyrilla Racemiflora.

<Amanda>: I love to say that Cyrilla Racemiflora it's just, beautiful.

Yeah, it really is.

And then we see some things that we run into everywhere, we see some, some smilax Dr. John: there are probably four different species of smilax out here.

And one of the really prettiest ones, I think, is called Walters smilax.

And it's kind of unusual in having red berries, all the other ones around here have blackberries.

And they're spiny-ness can be that <Makes you stay away.> can be a bit of a problem, especially if you're a college undergraduate taking the botany class And you want to start tearing around in the woods.

And you got to be kind of careful, just because smilax species are out there.

You got to remember sometimes those plants, or something worse sometimes called blaspheme vine.

<Amanda>: You get stuck in one And you go say some words, you shouldn't say, <Sure, maybe a little course.> And then we have some things that are kind of in that general group we call bay, I think there are two of those that we'll see.

Dr. John: They're called Bay trees, because they grow in wetlands that the old timers used to call a bay forests, oh, just a bay.

They like to grow in places like this.

The one that we'll see most commonly is what we call Red Bay.

And it's a very handsome plant.

Again, it has sort of elongated green, sort of football shaped leaves, but they're very hairy on the bottom.

And many times the leaves will have insect galls, somewhere on the leaf tissue, which makes them very distinctive.

Problem is for the students that sometimes the leaves don't have those galls.

<Amanda>: And as that's the leaf the professor gives you when you're taking your test.

Yeah, yeah.

And, And the name of that one scientifically.

Dr. John: Yes, a Red Bay is called Persea palustris.

<Amanda>: And I believe there's an invasive insect that is harming that when they get larger.

So we're really happy to see these here.

Dr. John: Now, there's two things here.

The the insect that causes the galls on the leaves, perfectly harmless.

And that's a native wasp, a tiny little wasp.

But now the other thing that's going on with Bay trees, that is Persia, And also Sassafras is that there's an invasive beetle that carries around micro organisms that will cause it to wilt.

<Amanda>: the soil And I believe that the female carries the spores for that.

So when she drills in chews in to lay her eggs, she inoculates the plant, And then it's all through it.

So there's nothing much we can do.

But then there's the other bay.

That's just my favorite because I have one outside of our bathroom window And we have the attic fan on at night.

That fragrance comes down boy.

Dr. John: So we're talking of a magnolia.

So Sweet bay Magnolia, of course, that's Magnolia virginiana.

And they're the ones with a smallish flowers, not the great big flowers that you see with Bull bay or Magnolia Grande, Florida.

<Amanda>: And our state flowers down here.

Dr. John: And in great abundance.

<Amanda>: Yes.

So this really is And it's completely accessible.

We're near the spillway.

The noise is lovely.

It's just a great place to come And walk.

Pay attention to some of the things that you see.

Dr. John: It'd be a great place to come And spend the afternoon or in the morning.

<Amanda>: Well, I've enjoyed revisiting with you.

Thanks, Dr. John.

Dr. John: Thanks so much, Amanda.

♪(stringed music)♪ <Amanda>: We had a lovely day out there, obviously it was fall.

And we were looking at the plants that were near the water, certain plants really enjoy that setting.

So hats, hats, hats.

I was out there, of course with my dear friend, Ann Nulty And got some kind of this chionanthus virginicus.

Old man's gray beard, grandfather's gray beard.

And interestingly, the in North America, we have male plants And female plants And the male plants are showy-er than the female plant.

But the female plants has some fruits that are good for the birds, which I think is nice.

In Asia, they have one that is the male or female flowers on the same planet, it's even showy-er so I think that's kind of cool.

How different we have the same plants but they've just over generations And generations And 1000s of years And 1000s of years.

They've made some little differences.

So we now I think, are going to get to talk about this.

Oh, I suppose talk about what's in the hat.

So sorry about the grandfather's gray beard.

I had some... that was just the color was so much fun.

And then And my husband's probably made because yesterday says I've got an iris in the yard.

Well there's no iris in the yard anymore.

I bring home a paycheck right?

<Terasa>: Do we know which iris that one is?

<Amanda>: You have more than welcome to tell me?

<Terasa>: Oh no, I was asking you?

<Amanda>: Oh, I don't know what anything is already been know when my children were born.

Remember?

I don't know anybody's birthday.

I'm just hopeless was about specifics.

Over generalist there.

<Terasa>: And I have some lovely natives like iris virginica, And then Paul, I think you wrote maybe a blog or fact sheet about it's a small cristata?

Paul>>: The dwarf crested Iris.

<Amanda>: Oh, yeah, the lovely ones.

Yeah.

Because you always taking hikes And seeing things in the woods, which is fun.

Paul>>: Yeah, that's a lot of fun to take.

Well, I wanted to actually stop on the way down here, you know, when you drive through Liberty Hill area, And it's like you're in the mountains with the curvy roads and boulders And drop offs you see these little creek bottoms And you just want to stop the truck then.

well, you <Amanda>: Well, you could stop on the way home.

Maybe that's kind of dangerous And not apparently.

Casey, let's, let's talk about something wonderful.

<Casey>: Alrighty.

This right here is your native azalea one of many different kinds this is a hybrid called Great Balls of Fire.

They're going to bloom now of course, the early April, deciduous.

This one's gonna get about eight to 12 tall.

Very fragrant, <Wonderfully fragrant.> was And the color you don't see a lot of you know, people think of azaleas, they think of just the regular you know, formosa's And tapers And a lot of people just aren't even.. <The ones that aren't native.> Right.

That's not native, they're not even familiar with a native one And much less the colors that they come in, they come in yellows, even pinks, whites, oranges.

<Amanda>: And the fragrance.

<Casey>: just a great heavenly great under used plant.

<And this> <Amanda>: is an aromie hybrid I think.

<It is.> And now this is not something that you use as a foundation plant or in any of that kind of way because they do not grow like the azaleas that we traditionally think of back of homes.

<Casey>: Yeah, that's kind of a specimen plant.

You know, a lot of people for instance, we had a customer they had a wooded lot beside them with a nice creek running through it.

Ah, we just mixed in 20 different native azaleas.

That's gonna be really pretty every year, you know, under story of the trees by the creek.

<Amanda>: Well And the lovely thing is that with the natives you get a staggered bloom time Yeah, you've got a yard full indigos And because there's something else they don't bloom at the same time but then that's that but with the natives you're gonna have gosh, I mean months.

<Casey>: yeah, much of them.

I mean, some of them are still tight buds some of them have kind of finished.

So you know if you got a big area wooded area or lot, you want to just add a lot of color to this a good option.

Spread a bunch out.

<Amanda>: Well, you're lucky that I already had my hat made when you got here.

Or you would have a few fewer flowers of this absolute beauty.

Okay, so not full sun.

A woodland at the edge of the woodland plant under the best.

<Sure.> <Casey>: Yeah, parks as well.

what they were looking for.

<Amanda>: And I think a lot of people, you know, we don't think how important it is to not plant something low as with azaleas that's particularly true.

<Casey>: Oh, yeah, one of the main things we see homeowners mess up on or they want to bury things to deep then their volcano mulching around them.

So, you know, if you're in doubt you don't you know, level what the grounds, Okay, But if you're in doubt even you're better off having half inch of that root ball exposed than you're going to deep.

<Amanda>: well.

It's like me, I like to stand on my tiptoes so I can see so let them stand on their tiptoes.

Okay, thanks a lot.

All right, Terasa.

What's up next.

<Terasa>: So this is somewhat of a mystery, identification.

It comes in from Richard in Easley he said he was on a walk when he uncovered a volunteer tree: And he said the leaf has just started to unfold And sent us of course, a picture to help And wants to know, what can it be?

<Amanda>: Ha ha.

Well, Paul, Terasa was telling us about some of the questions that she'd gotten.

And we had a good time talking about this.

Paul>>: Yes, Amanda.

More than likely, this is what he was seeing.

Because of the kind of maple like leaves, star shaped leaves.

One big difference between this And a maple is a maple though has leaves opposite each other.

And this happens to be a sweet gum, the one that makes the obnoxious gumball's that so many people don't like.

<Amanda>: My son used to call them sweet bumble balls.

Paul>>: Back in the day, it's called a sweet gum tree because it's got a sweet sap And he's to actually tap Collect sap, just cut a little, you know, like a hatchet And cut a little chunk out of the bark And actually collect the sap And chew on it.

Yeah, I'll go try the original chewing gum.

<There you go.> Anyway, young sweet gum trees especially.

And sometimes you'll see older trees, where it's still kind of hanging on this characteristic of creating these Corky wings.

And sometimes they're even more, you know, exactly.

So what we're seeing on this particular sample it's usually a juvenile feature, you'll almost always see it on a young tree.

But sometimes the older, more mature trees will still hang on to some of that characteristic.

Another native tree that we have that does the same thing is wing dale.

And so it's definitely a lot more obvious on a wing dale than on this week.

And sometimes the wings come out all around the stem in different directions.

So it just looks like it's a big old fat stem this sweet.

Yeah, no, this is this is a is a wing dale And anyway, it is thought that what these are is anti- foraging characteristic, young plant, And the deer like to come And nibble on young new growth, twigs And stuff like that And might be more unpalatable for them to <That's cool.> eat on these plants.

Yeah, that's why it seemed like nothing ever eats them.

You know.

The deer had no problem eating all kinds of things they've never touched in their life this past winter.

<Amanda>: And of course, for people like me who like to do flowers arrangement, so just have collections of things in our vase.

These are just a dream, because there's nothing as boring as a straight stick.

Oh, yeah.

Or just Paul>>: very interesting.

You could even spray paint on gold.

<Amanda>: I don't think I don't know.

And Casey, there's, I think there's some cultivars of sweet gum that have all that corky tissue.

So I'm go And look into catalog And let me know what you come up with.

<Casey>: And they also have a variety that's supposed to be you know, without the gumball, so Okay.

I know a lot of people are scared of them.

<Amanda>: Okay, well, we used to when it got to be springtime.

In March, my brother And I would walk up And down our driveway that we had a gravel driveway.

And you know, we would do that every night a couple of times getting your feet in shape for being barefoot all summer.

Paul>>: The other thing about sweet gum is you can identify it blindfolded And all you have to do is crush a leaf And smell it so very unforgettable odor.

<Amanda>: Going to run right home And do that.

Thank you.

I'm not particularly I mean obnoxious, so just Paul>>: distinct, pungent.

Strong.

Yeah, <Amanda>: I can do pungent.

Excellent.

<Terasa>: It was one of the first plants I learned to identify, not by its fragrance but just the leaf is so distinctive.

Even so sometimes, like I hate trying to identify oaks, it's Oak, but, you know, there are so many to choose from.

So you see a sweet gum, it's pretty recognizable.

<Amanda>: but it's actually important food for wildlife.

There's the sweet Bumble balls when they open release a lot of small seeds that are, um, well, there's so many sweet gums And there are a lot of little seeds.

Paul>>: That is especially important in the wintertime, a lot of our over wintering songbirds, you'll see them up in the top of the sweet gum trees hanging on the sweet gumballs pecking the seeds.

Okay, excellent.

<All right.> <Terasa>: This question comes to us from Georgetown.

Drake's would like to know: <Amanda>: Uh, huh.

Well, to our agronomy specialist of the day, Oliver, what do you what advice do you have?

And what are some of the kind of cool things people not always are doing traditional farming?

Sometimes people are looking at ways of kind of having diversity?

Dr. Freeman: Yes, ma'am.

Um, so I guess, for any new beginning farmer or anybody starting out on one thing I do recommend is the, I guess, beginning beginner Farmer program.

I guess, the collaboration between Clemson, South Carolina Department of Ag, you know, kind of opens a lot of doors for them, you know, introduces them to, you know, different methods, or even different farming systems available that would work for them.

And one thing I like is that they actually focus a lot on the economic side too.

Dr. Freeman: Also, I guess, you know, again, those aren't one of those options, or one that I see is a growing trend around the state of agritourism.

<Yeah.>, Yep.

Well, yeah, so I met farmers, basically, throughout the state, or even again, outside of my coverage area, that are actually, you know, investing in, you know, into their properties, making it more of a agritourism type thing where, you know, people come And they go as far as going on hay rides, or any type of ride around the property looking at different farming systems or of the different types of ventures.

I know.

Well, I'll just give a quick example.

I know one farm in Georgetown County that actually acts has a guest sort of a campsite set up.

They've invested in, you know, renovating, like, well, recycling old pallets in a building, like sort of like a tent structure, which allows people to come by rent a room for the night outside.

<Amanda>: They have some plant from farming or, yep, the actually... Dr. Freeman: going on, And it's on, like a large landmass.

And people can come And actually view plants being grown.

Look at some of the animals that they actually have there.

That sounds fun.

Yes.

And tour the property.

Of course, <Amanda>: what's it called?

Dr. Freeman: I believe it's Candoco farms in Georgetown, South Carolina.

<Amanda>: Well, I'm gonna impose upon you.

That sounds like a fun place to visit.

Can we talk about maybe you're coordinating that for us?

Dr. Freeman: Yes, ma'am.

I will definitely get with them to see when they when they be available.

And I'm sure they'd love to have you.

<Amanda>: Okay, stay tuned.

I think we'll have a treat coming up.

Thanks.

Okay.

Well, we had such a good time at SESQUI that we filmed two parts of that fascinating property.

And boy, it is really diverse.

We go from absolute wet, wet, wet feet to a place where you couldn't get your feet wet, even if it was raining.

So back to SESQUI.

♪(stringed music)♪ I'm talking to Dr. John Nelson, the former curator of the AC Moore Herbarium at the University of South Carolina.

A botanist still, I'm so glad you have those botany skills today, John, because we are at SESQUI Centennial State Park.

And where we are, I believe is the highest point in Richland County.

Dr. John: That's what I understand is the highest point And it is right in the middle of the sand hills band that stretches from Aiken county up to Chesterfield County.

<Amanda>: And, you know, the Sand Hills has, you know, different degrees of Sandy And this but this is pretty, pretty Sandy.

Dr. John: The way I understand this is top of this hill, this is basically pure sand, so that when rain falls here, And of course, it seems like it's extremely dry and it is for this place gets as much rain as everywhere else in the county.

But the rain, when it does hit the ground, it goes right through the sand And takes most of the nutrients out, which has a lot to do with what kind of plants grow here.

<Amanda>: These communities were maintained pretty uniquely longleaf, because fire was very important.

Dr. John: That's right.

Pinus palustris, of course is the scientific name for longleaf.

And this species evolved with periodic fires, wherever it grew.

So that's one of the reasons that it's been able to sustain itself when they're successions of fire, then that can play around badly with the health of a mature forest like this.

<Amanda>: If we'd been back in the days when they were hundreds of millions of acres of this, we would have found not it wouldn't have been full of oak trees And all kinds of things like this.

But this property, they haven't been able to use fire on it.

So other things are coming up.

Dr. John: Right.

There are good many different native species coming in.

But not so many woody species that you could probably count on two hands, the different woody species that are here, <Amanda>: Only certain ones can survive.

Dr. John: Right I mean, this is a very difficult place to grow.

<Amanda>: Well, let's talk a little bit about the long leaf.

And some of the attributes it has that lets it survive Fire And other qualities.

Dr. John: Right, well, long leaf, they make big pine cones, as you know.

And when the seeds fall out of those pine cones, they land if everything goes right on sandy ground, oh, And Oh, so it's got to have enough root sometimes pure sand is what they need for germination.

And you can see that, that in itself.

If there's if there's no fire, then you have an accumulation of litter, And there's no sand for the seeds to germinate on.

And that's one aspect of the biology of this plant.

So when a successful germination occurs, the little plant starts out just tiny, tiny, And And starts to immediately produce a taproot.

And it'll eventually produce a fluff of needles.

And as this thing grows over the years, people call this the grass stage of the long leaf pine.

And it'll stay there for years And years on the ground, developing that tap root.

<Amanda>: Oh so it's got to have enough root system to support it when it decides to get tall.

Dr. John: Right.

When it starts making some size.

<Amanda>: What attributes does it have that lets it not get burned up when the fire sweeps through?

It's got a growing point or bud?

Dr. John: Right?

That's, of course, that's a natural question a good one.

If you take a look at the very tip, the tip end the business end of one of these grass stage seedlings, or even a younger plant like this, if we looked at the buds, the tip of the branch you'll see that they're covered with whitish, hairy scales sort of silvery white.

And moreover, the tip end of the stem is surrounded by all of these needles.

And if a fire upward facing And right clasping, if a fire goes through an area which has a grass stage plant, those needles are going to provide a really significant amount of insulation And protect the bud from getting burned up.

Now the needles might get all burned up.

<Sure.> No problem there.

But the next season the plant is going to be able to continue growing.

<Amanda>: You said that?

Interestingly, I think that when the British found out that we had these were full of Made of turpentine or whatever all was in the, in their SAP.

That was a big deal.

Dr. John: It was of course, historically the British had been dependent on naval stores or being able to find turpentine And the ability to make these stores for for taking care of the sales And the ropes that the Navy use.

Yeah, they use SAP from trees that were growing in Sweden, And of course they weren't longleaf pines.

So I went to this the British found out that Whoa, they have a ready supply of an even superior turpentine source.

They just switched to Long leaf pine.

<Amanda>: And so how did they do it?

Did they cut into the wood>?

Dr. John: And well there were, there were different ways, but most of them did involve wounding the tree so that it would drip SAP.

And if enough of this is if enough of this takes place, over a certain amount of time, the wound on the tree would have to be enlarged a bit to get more And more sap.

And there are very few trees that we find in the woods anymore, that have this very characteristic wound that we have one here you have one here.

That's pretty cool.

And it's kind of interesting that historically, I guess those wounds are called cat faces.

<Amanda>: But let's talk about some of the other things that here boy, the ground is covered us what I guess are oak leaves?

And um, are there certain oaks that don't need as much water And are more adapted to this kind of situation?

Dr. John: Yes and of course, the big winner with that is called turkey oak.

Yeah.

Which is common all over the coastal plain And well into the Piedmont.

And Turkey oak is one of these trees that will be killed back by fire, but it's got to be repetitive.

So this sort of suggests that the reason that we're seeing again, the reason we're seeing so many Turkey oaks in this area, is because of the absence of fire.

<Amanda>: Okay.

And I think there was some other oaks that have mixed in here too.

But when I go to from St. Matthews to Camden And start going up And down those hills, you see just huge expanses of those turkey oaks.

They don't get as big as some of our other oakes.

Dr. John: Right there.

And that's one of the reasons are called scrub oaks.

And then there's things like Laurel oak, high ground Laurel oak.

Which is Quercus hemisphaerica.

And then beyond that there are some other woody plants such as Hawthorne, there're several hawthorns And, of course, our state flower loves it up here.

It doesn't have to have its feet wet, And it'll, be blooming any minute now.

<Amanda>: Well, And I will say that with all these oaks, they're acorns.

And so that's another food source.

So it's not this isn't a bad community, because things, here.

Dr. John: Their are things that love to eat here.

Of course, that's what nature is all about.

Every place there is.

Is home for something, we need to remember that.

<Amanda>: Well.

I just think the sound of the wind in long leaves is one of the most soothing.

I wish that was on my noise machine that I have at home.

But I'm glad that today I got to be here with you.

Dr. John: I very much enjoyed it.

<Amanda>: Thanks a lot.

♪(stringed music)♪ The longleaf pine ecosystem was unimaginably large.

And it's fun to get to go out there And see remnants of it.

Go to take a trip, do take a trip.

All of our state parks are worthwhile.

SESQUI is pretty special to me, alrighty.

You've got lots And lots of things that you brought, but let's pick one to talk about.

<Casey>: So we'll talk about the red Buck eye <Oh, Okay.> Great plant great for pollinators.

Native, you're gonna see it mostly, you know, above the fall line in South Carolina, but has a pretty red bloom in the springtime, unique kind of really large leaves.

Just kind of a shrubby tree, they're gonna get that 8 of even some sane some around 14 15 feet tall.

Pollinators, they love them.

And just a really interesting specimen tree.

<Amanda>: And if you go over to, And I would encourage people to do this, go to Edisto gardens over in Orangeburg And start walking down by the river.

Oh, they're just everywhere.

Obviously, it's just a place that they love.

And also tell people what's going to come on a Buckeye tree.

<Casey>: Oh, yeah.

And also just jumping back.

I misspoke.

You're mostly gonna see them in the lower half of the state.

<Amanda>: You got me?

Oh, I've got...

I'm so ignorant.

I've made another mistake.

<Casey>: Then you get like the little the little fruit on them.

So that's interesting.

<Amanda>: Buckeyes are poisonous, But there's supposed to be good luck.

And so a friend of mine, when her grandmother sadly passed away, they go through a pocket books Terasa.

So they went on in every single pocket book.

I mean, she had, you know, I mean over a lifetime of pocket books.

She never throwed away.

Every one of them had a Buckeye in it.

So I'm gonna this year.

I'm gonna get some Buckeyes from my buck eye tree And bring you want to put in your pocket book.

How about that?

<Terasa>: It sounds like it'd be a good luck charm.

<Amanda>: Okay, well thank you all for being with us.

We can't wait until you're with us next week.

And until then, night night.

(Thanks for watching.)

♪♪ (Captioned by: SCETV) <Narrator>: Making it Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina is a cooperative effort among farmers retailers And the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to help consumers identify foods And agricultural products that are grown harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

The Boyd Foundation supporting outdoor recreational opportunities, the appreciation of wildlife educational programs, And enhancing the quality of life in Columbia, South Carolina And the Midlands at large.

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

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

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation And Farm Bureau Insurance And BOONE HALL FARMS.