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.

♪ opening music ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ <Amanda> Good evening, and welcome to Making It Grow.

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

I'm Amanda McNulty.

I'm a Clemson Horticulture Agent, and I get to come over here and have continuing education because Terasa, I'm getting a little long in the tooth, and so I can't remember things, but also there's so many new things to remember they keep changing the names on all these plants.

I just get so put out with them, sometimes.

<Terasa> Yes, I to try to learn something new every day, Or perhaps recall something I learned a while back, and I need to get it from that that long term memory.

<Amanda> Terasa Lott, of course is our co-host on Making It Grow and Terasa you also oversee The Master Gardener Program, which is just a remarkable asset for our agents, and I think for the state.

<Terasa> It really is and not just our state, but in all 50 states and it has reached outside of the US.

This happens to be the 50th anniversary year.

So it began 50 years ago in Washington state and we are happy to have them in South Carolina where they basically serve as extensions of Extension.

So helping us to share that research based information with those that want.

<Amanda>...and so many people are moving to South Carolina, I think it's 300 and something a day, and so it's a wonderful opportunity for them if they want to take the course to learn this different year, and then also, they call the Extension offices, new people, for help, and the master gardeners can help.

<Terasa> That's right.

It all works out really well.

<Amanda> Ok, Christopher Burtt, you're down in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester.

That's a lot of places for a hort agent to try to keep everybody.

<Christopher> Yeah, and speaking of fast growth, Berkeley County is one of the fastest growing counties <Amanda> Isn't that just studying it for a long time.

It just sat and sat and sat and I think you've been contributing to the growth.

<Christopher> I sure have.

We just - me and my wife just welcomed a baby boy in February, and so he's four months and some change as of now.

<Amanda> Okay.

Yeah.

Well, that's a lot of fun, a big, the first baby's a big difference.

<Christopher> Oh, yes, absolutely.

<Amanda> Anyway, I'm glad you could slip away and come to help us.

We've missed you.

Okay, and Philip Carnley, you are over in my neck of the woods Orangeburg and Calhoun and you are the commercial horticulture agent.

So tell people what commercial horticulture is.

<Phillip> So a commercial horticulture agent deals with the non commodity crops of agriculture, like sweet corn,...green peanuts, for boiled peanuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens, those sorts of crops.

<Amanda>...and do we have people who are diversified, people who before had been maybe just doing kind of commercial AG, you know, the big crops and now they're decided to put some other things in just to... <Phillip> Absolutely.

A lot of a lot of your traditional row croppers are diversifying and moving into that vegetable oriented side as a supplement to some of the other crops and to help with rotational requirements.

<Amanda> I was thinking for rotation.

That's probably a big help, and I think since we have places that can use what they produce, we've got a big cannery in South Carolina places like that.

So they have an outlet, and then also I guess, the markets.

<Phillip> That is correct.

<Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you for being with us today.

We sure do appreciate it, and Austin Jenkins, who taught me when I took the Midlands Master Gardener course.

We just had the very, very best time.

You're a professor over at USC Sumter, and, are you the biology or what are you?

<Dr.

Austin> So, I teach natural history of South Carolina, which is geology and flora and fauna of the state, and another course called Environmental Biology which I wrap mostly around the insect world because it's one of my favorite worlds to live in.

Yeah.

<Amanda>...and I think you also interested in spiders, particularly, I think we took a walk in the woods and looked at spiders one day.

<Dr.

Austin> Yeah, we had a spider workshop.

I do a few workshops in the summers for the Wildlife Federation, and one of them was spiders.

I think dragonflies we've done before, and so just kind of some deep one day dives into some of those interesting animals.

It was a lot of fun.

<Amanda> Well, we're so excited to have you here.

<Dr.

Austin> Thanks for having me.

<Amanda> Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So today, we're going to enjoy sharing with you a visit from the watermelon queen, which is always a happy day for us, and then Davis Sanders came down from Southpleasantburg nursery in Greenville and bought some salvia and mangave and it's always wonderful when Davis comes he just brings beautiful plants.

He decides to walk out and look where he works Terasa and share with us.

We appreciate his coming.

Don't we?

<Terasa> We do.

>> Okay, Well, Terasa, we also appreciate your getting together Gardens of the Week and also the people who submit them.

<Terasa> We do.

The Gardens of the Week is your time to shine.

It's where you can submit photos of what's growing in your yard, your garden, maybe indoor plants or even one of South Carolina's many beautiful places.

Today.

We begin with John Doctor who shared a spot in his backyard prominently featuring white datura.

From Kim Owens, she sent her mother's Amaryllis that just happens to be growing right in the middle of a patch of iris.

Olivia Walters sent us a closeup of a red zinnia where we can see it is a composite with Ray florets and disc florets.

Ethan Hodge's subject is white flowered crinums growing in his yard, and then we wrap up with Terri Jones who submitted a Gloriosa Lily with its solitary flower containing wavy margin tepals that are bent backwards.

Thanks to everyone that made submissions.

Don't be shy.

When you see our Facebook page say call for Gardens of the Week, simply post your photos in the comments.

We can't select all of them, just a random sampling, but you can see all of them right there on our Facebook page.

<Amanda> Terasa, the zinnia that you featured.

I like to grow the zinnias that aren't the double ones, because if they have some sexual parts that are still active in the center, then they can also support the pollinators.

<Terasa> That's right.

So sometimes people get excited about double flowers and things like that, but if we're going for wildlife benefit, we need things that- where those creatures are going to be able to access those resources.

<Amanda>...and so things don't necessarily have to be native to be a part of the natural environment and feeding things too.

Yeah.

It's always fun to plant natives, because of the- particularly when they're larval food sources, but also, if you're just making other choices, look for something that's going to be able to support our wonderful invertebrates.

<Terasa> >> Okay, all right.

Terasa, do you have a question we can start with?

<Terasa> We do.

We are going to try to help Pam in Summerville who said my gardenias finished blooming then all of a sudden started turning black.

Every time I touch them, a swarm of bugs comes out.

What is it, and how would I treat?

<Amanda> Oh goodness, you know, Terasa, my grandmother once went to a wedding where the groom fainted because they decorated with gardenias, <Terasa> Was he allergic?

<Amanda> Apparently, some people are kind of overwhelmed.

I think it'd be embarrassing if your future husband fainted.

(laughing) <Terasa> Maybe just a little.

<Amanda> I do know people, who are very affected by that fragrance, which I just think is marvelous, but it's no fun when your gardenia has black leaves and stuff flying all around you.

<Christopher> No, and gardenias unfortunately, are very prone to getting this specific insect which is white fly, and white fly, of course, is a sap sucking insect, and when they're feeding, they tend to feed a lot, but it's very nutrient poor, and so they tend to excrete a lot and that excretion of course becomes what's known as honeydew, and that honeydew that sticky substance then colonizes or is colonized by sitting mold, which is what's turning black so it's not necessarily a disease, but it is going to unfortunately stop photosynthetic activity and can cause the plants to go into decline, unfortunately, <Amanda> Gardenias are a little bit iffy sometimes I mean, you know, occasionally one or just kind of not as bad as some other things but they just aren't always as long lived.

<Christopher> Yeah, unfortunately gardenias are being one of those exotics that we introduced, it really needs a good place if it's not in the proper place and is not cared for properly.

Unfortunately, they can really struggle in, <Amanda> Well, how would you treat this situation?

<Christopher> So, my recommendation has always been to do it preventatively Unfortunately, by this time of the year, it's a little too hot to use the products that are really the best for your gardenias, and that would be horticultural oils, which are going to be fairly effective as far as the city mold breakdown, but also control for the white fly.

Generally, this is something that you can actually put on as new growth appears, and try to do some of that control prior before it gets too hot.

Once it's too hot, unfortunately, oils cannot be applied.

That's where you're going to start to burn the plant.

You can use insecticidal soaps, you can use some other different products, but for the most part, if you're more preventative with it, as well as making sure that you're pruning properly and fertilizing properly, generally, gardenias can last a lot longer than you think.

<Amanda> Okay, and so what would you use at this time of the year since you said we can't use those other things?

<Christopher> So, you can use something like insecticidal soap.

Again, it's a little bit more difficult, because the oils are much more effective, they kind of a treat all they take care of the city mold as well.

If you use something like the soaps that'll work for the white fly for the most part, but you then need to work on something to control or get rid of the city mold.

<Amanda> Are there some soil drenches, is that can go into the plant and keep the white flies from coming.

<Christopher> So, there are -and since we're done flowering, generally we're not as concerned.

So there are various different soil trenches that will work on pretty much any systemic insecticide that's labeled for gardenias will work.

<Amanda> So read the label.

<Christopher> Yes.

<Amanda> Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you so much.

Okay, Terasa?

<Terasa> This question comes from Theresa in Florence.

She says, I am planning to plant beans and have been reading about inoculant.

Is that necessary?

<Amanda> Okay, and of course, you said, Theresa, and I want to remind people that you are Terasa, and if they want to send you emails with Gardens of the Week, once again, tell us.

<Terasa> That is important.

So it's T-E-R-A-S-A @clemson.edu, and the reason why it's so important is there is someone with the traditional e-s-a spelling and so you will think that your message went to your intended recipient, when in fact it went to someone else.

So it is very important to get the spelling right.

<Amanda> Thank you.

Well, Philip, what recommendations do you have?

<Phillip> Well, peas and beans are a little bit different.

So both of which are legumes.

Just like peanuts and peanuts do require an inoculum.

A rhizo- bacteria, which is part of the root system, which helps uptake nitrogen.

Beans can be inoculated.

<Amanda> So this is kind of a symbiotic relationship that they have a little bit?

<Phillip> It is a symbiotic relationship.

It's not 100% necessary to inoculate your beans.

It can give them an early boost, but it's not always a guarantee.

<Amanda> Well, so should you just say I'm not going to plant it or just go ahead and plant it and you said an early boost, so it sounds like this is something that would be resolved with a little bit of time, <Phillip> It does resolve with time because that bacterium is always nature's or is always present in nature.

So your peas and beans will develop that symbiotic relationship naturally, this would just be giving them a little bit of a jumpstart.

<Amanda> Okay, Okay.

So don't, don't hesitate.

<Phillip> It's never a bad idea.

<Amanda> Okay.

Okay, well, Austin, you always would point wonderful things to us when pouring out wonderful things.

That's when I was taking class with you.

Did you bring something?

<Dr.

Austin> Yeah.

So <Amanda> for our viewers today?

<Dr.

Austin> We were talking about fragrances earlier.

(laughter) I'm going to be the bad guy.

Because this is a mushroom that has a fairly repugnant smell to it.

it's called commonly in a group of mushrooms called the stinkhorn mushrooms.

This one is often called the anemone stinkhorn mushroom because of its shape and character.

<Amanda> I'm gonna let you hold it still.

<Dr.

Austin> Sure, sure, and so but I lately had a lot of people, you know, call me and ask me about this, "Is it a flower?"

and that's not a flower, it's actually a mushroom.

If you get close to it, it'll probably be the last time you do so because you'll smell this repulsive smell, but what that's doing is quite important.

It's actually attracting little flies just to the rim here where all the sticky stuff is.

So, the flies move in.

They're feeding on some of this slime, and in doing so, they're ingesting spores, and spores are the little reproductive parts of mushrooms.

So they're gonna fly away somewhere and, you know, go to the restroom and deposit those spores in new places.

Those will grow into tiny little filaments, and ultimately those filaments will one day turn back into one of these mushrooms and so they're just doing the job of breaking down.

You know, mulches, where I usually see this, and that's why a lot of gardeners and homeowners run into it as well.

Hardwood mulch will especially, you know, harbor, this mushroom, pine straw and other things, you can probably not have to worry about it so much.

It's not doing any harm, though.

I don't mind seeing it and I kind of like observing these types of things <Amanda> Well, and no matter what mulch you use, you want the mulch to break down, because that is the way we're going to get organic matter back into the soil.

<Dr.

Austin> That's right.

That's right, and it's carved out a place for other fungi to live to, which might partner up with other plants in the garden, and help the roots absorb more moisture.

So you know, mushrooms are an important part of the natural world.

<Amanda> What do you think the color is there to- is to let things know to come, we're interesting?

<Dr.

Austin> That's a great question.

The insects don't as easily see red as, like hummingbirds and things tend to hone in on red, but the insects are not- they're more in the blue and violet spectrum.

So I think it's more the smell that attracts the insects.

Perhaps this is suggesting to nature and other things to please stay away.

It might be some kind of warning coloration.

Just a couple of ideas.

<Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you so much for sharing what's out in your yard.

<Dr.

Austin> I'll put it away...(laughing) <Amanda> Okay.

Watermelons are an important part of South Carolina's economy, and we have farmers and growers who just, I think have the most wonderful watermelons in the world, and we were fortunate enough to have some of those the other day when the watermelon Queen for South, for 2023 came to visit us.

<Amanda> Well, I'm delighted to welcome Ansley Still to Making It Grow, because you are the 2023 South Carolina Watermelon queen.

<Ansley> Yes, and I couldn't be more excited to be it.

<Amanda> Well, and everybody loves watermelon in the summer, and but it's an important thing to South Carolina's economy even though people don't grow thousands of acres.

Watermelons are a crop that you have to really be careful with.

The quality of them is important and I think you grew up learning and acting as a farm girl.

<Ansley> Yes, I did.

So my dad grows lots and lots of watermelons for the certified South Carolina, but yes, so I ride around with my dad, checking his fields, making sure the waters working, checking insects and making sure they're coming in good.

<Amanda> Ansley, when do our South Carolina watermelons get ripe and really come to the market?

<Ansley> about mid June, early July.

<Amanda> Okay.

<Amanda>...and I think that they're not only real popular in South Carolina, but I think across the country, are many of them shipped...?

<Ansley> Yes.

We send them to a packing shed, and they are shipped all across the United States and even some to Canada.

<Amanda> Wow, and of course, we know that in South Carolina we like to promote locally grown South Carolina produce.

It's important to our economy.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

Everybody should look out for this SC Certified.

<Amanda> You're going to be going to schools and other places to promote watermelons, and at the schools you go to field days because watermelon is apparently really a great way to end up a busy Field Day.

<Ansley> Yes ma'am it's because they're so hydrating and they're full of antioxidants and vitamins such as A, C, B-6 and lycopene.

<Amanda> and is the lycopene what makes them so pretty and red?

<Ansley> Yes ma'am.

It is.

<Amanda> and then also um, usually I believe y'all are down in Charleston at the bridge run for the... fastest of the race.

<Ansley> They get to them fast because they want that delicious bite of hydration.

<Amanda>...and it's so much better than a sports drink I think <Ansley> Yes, ma'am, and it's because it's natural, and you know those sports drinks they're so sugary and have a lot of additives so we have the natural substitute for it.

<Amanda> Promoting South Carolina watermelon is part as your queen ship, I think.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

Anywhere the watermelon is found in so can I.

<Amanda> Okay, and so I know every year y'all bring some wonderful recipe and we've been so surprised at how varied they are.

What are we going to do today?

<Ansley> Today we are making watermelon bruschetta.

<Amanda> All right, and I didn't have a great big breakfast.

So I think I'd like go ahead and start it.

and try some.

Can we do that?

<Ansley> Yes.

Let's get started.

Okay, so first, we're going to add in our two cups of watermelon.

<Amanda> Okay, I've got two cups of watermelon and I'm gonna put it in here.

Okay, there we go.

<Ansley>...and now we have about a teaspoon of dried rosemary, and a dash of salt and pepper.

<Amanda> Dried rosemary, this is going to be fun and different tasting.

<Ansley> Yes ma'am.

<Amanda> There we go.

<Ansley> Next we have about a fourth cup of feta cheese.

<Amanda> Okay, I love feta cheese, voila.

<Ansley>...and last, we have our tablespoon of olive oil.

<Amanda> Oh, just a tablespoon.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

<Amanda> Just to blend and meld those flavors.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

<Amanda> All right.

<Ansley> Now today we are going to be using a cracker, but it can also be put on toast of your choice.

<Amanda> Okay.

So sometimes I make homemade bread when I get towards the end of a loaf, I'll slice it and put it in the toaster real slow, so it's real crispy and crunchy.

That would be a good thing to do.

<Ansley> Yes, that makes it absolutely delicious.

<Amanda> I think it's gonna be good to do even on a cracker.

I think it will too.

<Amanda> Should we try one?

<Ansley> Let's see.

<Amanda> Well, it looks delicious.

Should we give it a try?

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

<Amanda> All right.

(crunching) <Amanda> This is really, really good.

<Ansley> It is really good.

<Amanda>...and such an unusual way to have watermelon.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

It is, and you can check out plenty of other recipes@watermelon.org.

<Amanda> Okay.

Well, I want to thank you so much for coming and for representing South Carolina and our delicious watermelons, and we hope you have a wonderful reign as the watermelon queen.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am Thank you, and it was so great to be here today.

<Amanda> Well, we look forward to seeing you.

<Ansley> Yes, ma'am.

(crunching) <Amanda> I really was not expecting it to be absolutely as delicious as it was.

They always surprise us with something that is an unusual use of watermelon.

Give it a try.

It was just fabulous.

All right, Terasa, what can we try now to help someone out <Terasa> Let's see if we can help Thomas in Beaufort, who writes in.

"I've planted many "different native plants that are supposed to be "pest and disease free.

Unfortunately, my bee balm "and coreopsis have this white substance on them.

"What is (it) and how would one treat it?"

<Amanda> Well, you know, native plants had been here for millions of years and so they're even before we brought things into the country, there's going to be stuff that comes in that finds a way to interact with them for that...organisms benefit.

Christopher, what do you have as a suggestion for this person?

<Christopher> So unfortunately, that's pretty common for both coreopsis and monarda, and actually quite a few different species of plants.

Powdery mildew is the disease that is causing that.

It is a fungus that is fairly ubiquitous amongst the landscape, and fortunately, there are a couple of different ways you can treat it.

Unfortunately, when it comes to native plants, one of the things we tend to want to avoid is any type of chemical sprays.

Even if we are using things like copper, or sulfur where we're using kind of the safer, quote unquote, ingredients <Amanda> because we don't want to interact with the insects that are that are coming to that... <Christopher> Exactly, so we kind of want to be a little bit more careful.

We're planting natives for a reason.

That being said, there are, of course, species that are a little bit more resistant.

So coreopsis, there's dozens of native species of coreopsis, but there are cultivars that are being selected.

They're being bred that are actually resistant to a lot of these diseases, and though the debate of course, behind native cultivars is ongoing.

There is - <Amanda> are they called nativars?

<Christopher> Nativars, yeah!

Usually where we like to shorten everything in horticulture, but yeah, nativars or native cultivars in those seem to show some prevalence of being actually resistant to these diseases.

<Amanda> Do you think they're value is though to the as a larvae food source or as a source of pollen or nectar.

<Christopher> So I think for the most part, as long as we're keeping the flower intact, we're not changing the bloom period, and we're not changing the flower structure or anything like that.

I think disease resistance should not affect the actual benefit of the plant itself.

I think the main concern really gets into actually introducing natives into landscapes in general, and so if we're introducing plants that are disease prone, unfortunately, people are not going to want to plant them, and so one of the ways we can encourage or at least kind of set the gateway up for native plants is by introducing them to these native cultivars.

<Amanda> Because you're thinking, well, you know, maybe you're used to planning the things your mother planted, and but now you want to try to help our indigenous organisms and so if you just don't have any luck with it, you're not gonna be a proponent.

<Christopher> Oh, absolutely, and so sometimes set them up for successes.

<Amanda> Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you.

That's, that's encouraging information.

Okay.

Terasa?

<Terasa> Our next question comes from James Island.

Sam writes in, "my lawn has been looking "somewhat dry but I've been watering it every day.

"How much water does it need "and when is the best time to water?"

<Amanda> Every day.

Every day.

<Terasa> He didn't say how long.

(laughing) <Terasa> It sounds like maybe not very long, right, like high water every day for 10 minutes, or something like that.

<Amanda> I miss Tony for so many reasons but this you know, Tony would just could talk so eloquently and really make a wonderful explanation for this, but we are going to look to you, Phillip to help us on this We're going to give you Tony's hat.

You don't have to use his accent though.

(laughing) <Phillip> I don't know that I could to be honest with you, Amanda, but turf is unique, and I'm very fortunate to have the largest turf farms in the state in my area of coverage in Orangeburg County, with super sod and modern turf and a few others, but watering turf is, it can be tricky.

Here in the South.

With our warm season grasses, we can develop a very thick hydrophobic thatch layer, <Amanda> hydrophobic meaning it repels?

<Phillip> water repellent, and so if you're not de-thatching regularly or deep raking, that thatch layer can repel water from the root zone and cause inadequate root to water contact.

Also, here in the south, we are very blessed with beach sand soils, which for certain things are great.

Vegetable Production is fabulous, but for turf not as adequate.

So if you're not watering long enough or frequent enough, those soils drain naturally, quickly and can leave you with less water than you thought.

<Amanda> Is there a rule of thumb, kind of depending on the under the turf grass itself can make a difference, but also, you should have some idea about your soil.

<Phillip> Usually, a good rule, a good rule of thumb is an inch of irrigation per week, and you can split- <Amanda> Does that mean divided by seven every day?

<Phillip> Yes.

An inch of irrigation per week or seven days.

So usually how the landscape trade does that or they'll use every other day.

So like a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule with a third of an inch of rain on those days.

Now, don't use the old tuna can method where you put a tuna can out in the yard and catch that water because if you get a quarter inch in tuna can that's more like an inch in a rain gauge, really, because that tuna can is such a broad area.

So a rain gauge is most optimal to check to see exactly how much water your irrigation system is putting out.

<Amanda> Okay.

<Terasa> Oh, but Phillip mentioned a tuna can and that reminded me that we made, I made a video a few years ago about how to cali- brate your irrigation system.

So, you know, people want to know well, how long do I have to let my system run, -there's no way to know unless we know how much water your system is putting out over a given amount of time.

So if folks want to go to HGIC, they can watch the video and it explains how you can use tuna cans put out.

Let the system run for a period of time.

See how much water is applied.

and then you can say, well, if I want to put out a third of an inch, I need to let it run you know X amount of minutes.

<Amanda> Because you're gonna take an average of what's in the cans, which is going to take care of the problem of just one tuna can.

<Terasa> It'll help you know if anything's broken, misdirected.

So, if you see a huge discrepancy in one of the cans, we kind of need to inspect the system and see what might be going on.

<Amanda> That's a good point.

<Phillip> It's also important to know exactly what is around your turf area as well, because certain tree species use a lot of water as well.

Water oaks, in particular, all your oak species really, and that can also affect how much your irrigation system should run and how much water you apply.

<Amanda> So you might have to tweak it for different parts of your yard if you had a very large lawn?

<Phillip> If you have a large lawn with different species.

Yes, there are different water needs and requirements, which is why you have different zones in your irrigation system so that you can fine tune that irrigation system for your needs.

<Amanda> Terasa, I believe that there are devices you can put to keep your irrigation system from coming on during a rainstorm.

<Terasa> You are correct and so that one inch of water is one inch no matter how it's delivered whether Mother Nature provides it or it's supplemental, and we don't want to waste our precious water resources.

So there are devices, sensors that can be set usually even installed on an existing system and that will prevent the system from watering during or right after a rain event.

That's one of my pet peeves especially to see it running while it's raining.

<Amanda> I mean, I've got my umbrella up and somebody's yard is the irrigation zone is getting my feet wet, because yeah the sprinklers.

Oh gracious goodness.

Well, Austin, I bet you've got something else to share with us.

<Dr.

Austin> Well, so yeah, to kind of neutralize The last smell.

This is a de... Oh yeah.

Probably my favorite smell of The summertime.

and you know The people that are reaching out to me about this magnolia.

This is a southern magnolia.

They're up set because The leaves are coming down and it's springtime when that happens sometimes.

and so, you know, they can be worried about this in some cases.

and so I'll kind of explain why that might be happening.

but The other set of people that they're, they're mad about that right, because they've got this great turf grass, it's all immaculate, and all of a sudden, that magnolia tree has decided to lose this leaves at The wrong time of The year, according to them, and they want somebody to blame and usually that person sometimes, anyway.

but The Mag... helps in those kinds of situations, I think it's some sometimes to know a little bit about what's going on.

and so The magnolia leaves are indeed coming down in The spring and that supposed to happen.

So, <Amanda> you know, we talk about deciduous and evergreen plants.

but evergreen doesn't mean forever.

<Dr.

Austin> Doesn't mean forever.

That's right.

and some and some of them are quite clever.

and, you know, think about what's coming up from The ground this time a year that you might want to suppress.

If you're a gardener, you putting out mulch to try to suppress The growth of weeds.

Well, magnolias are doing The same thing that dropping down leaves.

That's going to supply their, you know, garden with a fresh layer of mulch, essentially, and, and on top of that these leaves have been found to be helpful in releasing chemicals that also suppress The growth of The growth of different weeds.

and so, so yeah, not only you're shutting out The sunlight, you're also releasing chemicals that suppress The germination of some weed plants.

So they're just they're just being clever, it's all they're doing.

and it's not such a bad idea and The flowers to, I think it's good to get to know them.

If you peel them open Magnolia will surprise you sometimes because it is full usually.

I hope I didn't bring anybody with me.

But we might.

but this is often full of full of beetles.

I think people don't give credit to all The insects that do pollination.

The bees do a lot of pollination.

They deserve a lot of credit.

but they weren't The first in The business.

The first in The business were The Beatles.

<Magnolia is a very ancient plant.> That's right.

They were around before The bees were and so The beat... but The Beatles were here.

They hone in on smell quite readily instead of sight.

and so you want to attract somebody to your flower magnolias do not produce nectar.

So what you do is you put some perfume out and this actually magnolia flower will actually send out pulses of heat.

Of course, heat rises, and that pushes The smell out into The atmosphere like putting perfume on your pulse points.

Same deal.

So they've just figured out a lot of things.

<Amanda> Happily married.

[Laughter] <Dr.

Austin>...but that's what they're doing.

They're trying to attract The Beatles and keep them in there.

The Beatles are going they're not just for The smell, but they are interested in The pollen pollen has a lot of protein, nitrogen, so they're eaten and raised in families inside there and The magnolias know how to keep them around just long enough to manufacture a few beautiful ripe fruits and in The fall.

<Amanda> One of The things else about The ancient aspect of Magnolia is The flower.

We're used to The female structure in The center and The male ones coming out on The side and The magnolias more of it world or something.

<Dr.

Austin> Yes, yeah, it's all it's all kind of in one big world.

So you can you got The yeah, there, you Ota see you got The girl parts here and The boy parts here and they both wrap all The way around, sometimes becoming ripe and ready at different times.

But if as long as you're pumping out that perfume, you can hopefully keep The Beatles around to do both of The jobs and I suggest you know what I tried in The garden last year, instead of, you know, having a negative attitude about The leaves coming down.

I raked all these up and I went over to my vegetable garden and I put The leaves down, see how flat they sit.

and that suppressed The weed growth.

My garden plants were already up and robust so it didn't harm those but it kept The weeds down so it makes a fantastic mulch, not just for The magnolias, but you can steal a few for yourself.

<Amanda> That is not thought of that thank you so very much.

<You're welcome.> and thank you for coming up so much fun.

Davis Sanders is so kind we just thoroughly enjoy his trips down here.

He has a car twice I think that has something like 800,000 miles on it, maybe.

The Black Pearl, I <Terasa> The Black Pearl, I think he calls it.

<Amanda> He loads it up with fascinating things.

So let's enjoy a visit from Davis Sanders.

I'm with David Sanders.

He comes down from South Pleasantburg Nursery in Greenville and brings all kinds of fun plants and I think these are things that we could really have color in our gardens this summer with.

<Davis>: These are a lot of fun to there.

They're all long blooming annuals or even perennials.

They're all of The same genus.

These are all salvias or sages.

The ones that The people that most people are most familiar with are going to be The culinary sage that brings up evokes memories of Thanks Givings past and cornbread dressing in just that wonderful fragrance.

Beside that are some of The annual salvias that are grown as bedding plants they make excellent boarder plants.

The thing about all of The salvias, The flowering salvias is The fact that they set a lot of nectar so there are they're excellent hummingbird and butterfly attractors.

They're great little plants, they don't need a whole lot of water.

They'll thrive in full sun or just a little bit of shade but long blooming, very long blooming, all of these will bloom all summer long.

The one just in front of you, Amanda there is a is salvia fernaicia that's The mealycup sage.

That's The Victoria cultivar, which is by far The most common one.

But those have been further refined to produce either more compact foliage, more compact or larger flowers, and just a nicer form.

That one has one called Misty The purple one.

and The white one is simply white.

mealy cup sage, but both of them are equally beautiful and equally attractive to insects.

<Amanda> So it really would kind of depend on if you had a big space, you might want one that's taller, but if you use containers, these might suit you better.

<Davis>: Exactly.

and The one thing about those is, although they're usually offered as annuals, They're pretty dependable perennials.

So we tell people to take it home planet give it a lot of love and if it comes back next year, rejoice.

Moving into some of The some of The newer hybrids, we've got a couple here.

This one is part of The unplugged series.

This one is unplugged rose.

This one is purple cultivars basically The same plant now these are definitely tender perennials, probably in The Pee Dee and even in The Midlands, these are probably going to be pretty dependable perennials, but in The upstate we treat them as annuals.

and moving on from there we have The jewel series of these are extremely floriferous tiny little salvia that just have beautiful flowers.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any of The red ones to bring with me I did bring The white and The pink.

The flowers are a lot more delicate, a lot more further spaced out on The it's an excellent filler for a container because it's just it's going to be very open and but still have a lot of foliage and a lot of flowers.

This one while not a perennial, being a true annual will occasionally reseed.

So if you have it done a pot, don't be surprised if next year you see some of them springing up from The ground around it, <Amanda> but if not, you can always go to The nursery.

This is similar this one has a very different aspect to it.

<Davis>: Right It really does and The volunteers if they do if it does reseed, The volunteers usually don't start blooming until July or even August.

So it's a it's a very late bloomer, but usually when you find it in a nursery setting, they're already in bloom and they will continue to bloom as long as you trim them back a little bit deadhead them periodically you'll have color all summer.

This is one of The most popular of The of The hybrid salvias.

This one is called black and blue.

Can you guess why?

<Amanda> Well because this unopened boats are really almost like ebony.

<Davis>: Uh huh.

and then The, The flower itself comes out into a really nice deep purple, which actually horticulturally speaking that's a blue collar.

but this one is extremely popular.

It also gets extremely large.

This one can get up five or six feet and this is one for The back of The Border <Amanda> Gollie Pete.

What a stunning thing to have there.

<Davis>: and last but not least, we have a very large group of salvias that are known as The autumn sages.

These are The greggii salvias.

and originally you could get these in pink or red but in The past few years they've developed salmon they've developed purple, they've developed a blue one that's closer in color to this one.

There's hot pink, there's one called Hot Lips that is quiet and red by color.

There's radio red that really broadcasts its color out.

it's just a wonderful group of The salvias.

and this is also another great one for a filler in a bed because these are gonna get up to three feet tall and they can spread four or five feet if you if you don't trim them back but most people dead head them and trim back a little bit and keep them more compact and keep them flowering longer.

<Amanda> What an incredible group of plants The salvias are and I think a lot of people would love to incorporate them into their containers or just their beds.

Thank you so much for telling us about them.

<Davis>: You're welcome.

Thanks for having me.

<Amanda> Salvias are a glorious part of The garden and there are so many new ones that you can add.

and The old ones are kind of fun too Terasa?

<They are.> Okay.

Well, if we got another question we might be able to have some with?

<Terasa> Always there.

Plenty of questions.

Alex wrote in from Moncks Corner and said I've got some plants that are starting to look straggly especially my geranium.

Is there anything I can do to freshen them up?

<Amanda> Oh, well, you know, it's we all get straggly when it gets hot in South Carolina.

Hot and humid.

<Terasa> But sometimes I feel like I melt from The humidity.

<Amanda> Christopher, what do you think?

<Christopher> So I actually brought a geranium with me this is one that I over wintered, but did not over winter properly.

and so I wanted to kind of call it still alive.

It is it is but I did not prune it appropriately before I did so.

So geraniums are kind of fascinating group of plants.

The nice thing about them is they respond very well to kind of that severe pruning and so generally, when you start to have a plant that looks very leggy, looks kind of rough, usually taking about a third of The plant back is The best way to do it.

With geraniums, obviously, you're going to want to cut essentially, you'll see along The stems, you can see those scars, there those leaf scars, those are going to be a lot of times your nodes.

So you want to make sure you're cutting above those, because that's where a new growth is going to come out and so usually you can find a set of leaves on The stems that you're going to cut above, but sometimes you don't.

and sometimes you get a stem that does not have that.

and so when you're taking it, you want to take it back really kind of force it back all The way down.

Really what that's going to do is not only trigger a re growth response, but that's also going to allow that root system to kind of re calibrate within The pot.

Usually when you have especially something like a hanging basket, and I tend to grow my geraniums and hanging baskets, where we don't tend to repot them, we don't put them in bigger pots.

So sometimes that is a good thing, because then we can get it to flower a little bit more that stress actually helps them produce a few more flowers.

<Amanda> It wants to survive.

So makes the plant make seeds.

<Christopher> But The other thing we can do, of course is we can take back that foliage and kind of that'll reduce The root system for a bit and kind of force it to re flush back out.

Unfortunately, we can only do that for a couple years.

but when you are over wintering a geranium or you are trying to get it to revive.

Cutting, cutting it back is really The best thing.

<Amanda> Okay.

Now some people just want to propagate, propagate, propagate, is it easy to propagate The cuttings that you took <Christopher> so fairly?

geraniums are what are in that group are kind of similar to like begonias where they really propagate fairly well, whether from stem cuttings, whether from leaf cuttings, for The most part, though, geraniums if you want to propagate them, obviously you can with all The cuttings that you're taking, but I always recommend anytime you make a cut, if you're going to propagate from it, make sure it's a healthy one.

<Amanda> Oh, Okay.

Okay.

Now what exposure if this is a hanging basket does a geranium want.

<Christopher> So generally, I give my geraniums kind of that afternoon shade, if you can help it if you can't just want to make sure it's getting kind of partial sun throughout The day.

They can tolerate.

They're not gonna love it, but they can tolerate more sun.

and of course, they can tolerate more shade.

Keep in mind, The more shade The fewer flowers.

<Amanda> Okay, and The more sun, The more often you're going to have to water.

and so sometimes you're going to have to make a supplemental fertilizer application.

<Christopher> Exactly.

Okay, absolutely.

This <Terasa> is one we talk about common names, scientific names, changing names, if I'm not mistaken, we call this a geranium.

but it's technically not a geranium.

Right.

Pelargonium I believe is The genus and I think so, like Cranesbill are native geranium, I believe is technically any, it's very complicated.

[Laughter] <Amanda> Sometimes we like common names for reason, Christian, I sure do appreciate it.

Okay.

All right Terasa?

<Terasa> We have a question from Sumter, this comes in from Mandy.

She said our pear trees seem sick.

The ends of The branches are crispy and look burned.

What should we do?

<Amanda> Oh, my goodness, um, well, pears are sometimes your backyard fruit.

It used to be The old pears that were kind of gritty.

but still, they were they could count on them.

What do you think Phillip in this case?

Phillip: Well, you're right, Amanda.

The pear trees were at one point in time very prevalent in The southeast United States, particularly kefir and Bartlett pears, which are The old varieties that are hard.

and if you let them get too ripe, they do get very gritty, but they're great for pickling.

It sounds to me Terasa that this is a case of Fire blight which is very common in The Prunus genus, Which is what pears belong to.

It's characterized by what we call a shepherd's hook at The end of The branch where it just turns into a complete J Yes, and it looks like somebody held a blowtorch to it.

It is a systemic fungus.

So it is within that tree.

and The best management practice for it is to prune it out.

So anywhere or any branch that you see that is affected, locate where that death or die back has finished, and prune at least 18 inches below that die back so that you're avoiding any micro Razi left in The xylem of that plant.

There are some chemical applications that you can use, they are not as effective as pruning, good cultural practices are your best bets.

So proper pruning so that you have good airflow in The orchard, you're making sure that you maintain dry foliage.

and any damage through The winter or winter kill that makes sure that gets pruned out as well.

Okay.

<Amanda> So you're gonna have to have a ladder, and somebody's gonna have to hold The ladder for you or get something.

Phillip: If you prune your tree properly to begin with, you don't necessarily have to have The ladder.

<Amanda> I'm going to need.

Austin, do you have anything that maybe doesn't need a ladder?

<Dr.

Austin> Well, that's for sure.

So my son does a little bit of a landscaping business and he brought home a snake scan a ship a shed snakes.

Of course, The homeowner was worried about what it might have been.

and that can be fairly nuanced.

but one of The one of The easy things to me, because The first question is, is it venomous or not.

and so that can be discerned by a clever little trick.

and looking at The underside of The snakes, shed skin.

and so I'm just clarifying, because we don't want to do this on a live snake, you know, but a shed skin like it would not lift The tail up of a snake but you want to look underneath The ventral side there.

and so every snake has one row of scales, there's one scale road that goes from left to right all The way across The bottom.

and then when you get to this little break here, that's a section that's called The Cloaca.

That's where The snake goes potty and all that stuff.

I used to think that a snake was just a head and a tail.

but that's not true.

Officially, The tail starts at The close.

and so if you look at The bottom side of The Cloaca, as well at The tail after that, so that's The reproductive and reproductive going to The restroom and everything else.

and so, but if you continue to have one scale row on The ventral side of The tail, that means in South Carolina anyway, you have a venomous snake that has shed its skin in your backyard.

and if on The other hand, you look at a snake shed skin, and it has one scale row on The abdomen, just as The other one did find The Cloaca go past it.

and then you have to scale rose, it's broken instead of just having one.

Okay, that means you have a non venomous snake that works in The southeast don't take that to The Pacific Northwest or out in California anything but that's a clever little trick.

It has nothing to do directly with venom.

but it's just a circumstance that we can use to say, Oh, that was <Amanda> Austin, I heard that 80% of The people who had been had an unhappy encounter with a snake knew The snake were there.

and usually we're interacting with it.

If you just leave The snake alone, yes, yes, it will do The same thing.

It will do The same for you.

Okay, <Dr.

Austin> We have... 40 species in our state.

So we kind of need probably learn to live with them to some extent.

<Amanda> considered very beneficial and <That's right.> A lot of things that we don't want around our yard.

<That's right.> Okay.

Well, Davis brought another interesting group of plants for us and all kinds of new things happening in the family too.

Our Davis Sanders, who comes down frequently from South Pleasantburg Nursery in Greenville, and bring some fascinating plants.

and these are new looking.

<Davis>: They are relatively new plants.

it's a bio generic hybrid, a hybrid between two different general plants.

These are hybrids between The common agave and The less common manfreda.

They're both desert natives and there they are semi tropical plants so they're really not Hardy in any parts of our state except possibly Beaufort and point south there but they're just an extremely interesting plant.

They maintain The character and The form of The agave parent, but they have The vigor and The faster growth habit of The manfreda Oh, and so they've just they just gave him that cute little name of man gave these three varieties that I brought are actually some of The more colorful varieties but since they've been in our greenhouse at South Plesantburg Nursery, they've only been getting filtered light through The through The Andorra roofing.

Well, I'm <Amanda> looking here at The target it says full sun intensifies my colors, it looks like something that might fry in The sun.

<Davis>: No, these are their desert natives.

So they would love full sun The more sun they get, The more colorful they're going to be.

That particular one is called Night Owl.

and it will be almost black in full sun.

When it gets <Amanda> to approaching it's full size.

How big do you think it'll be?

<Davis>: Well, I don't know.

Because they've you know, some of The agaves can get eight feet across and 10 feet tall.

I'm not as familiar with The with the manfreda so I'm not sure exactly how big they'll get.

but if it maintains The faster growth habit of The man, Manfreda, it may be something that you'd want to get out of The way of once you've gotten it in a pot, but they are semi tropical, so they are better for container culture where they can be brought inside and put in a sunroom or even just in a sunny window during The winter months, but outside they will make an outstanding colorful showpiece.

This one is called Lavender Lady you can see it's got almost a waxy coating on The leaf which will allow which will turn a really pretty lavender color in full sun.

<Amanda> Just beautiful and The shape of this one I must say is particularly uniform and just lovely, very <Davis>: symmetrical and but organic at The same time.

Yes.

<Amanda> So and you can have so much fun because if they're going to be colorful, you could coordinate The container with it and really have an eye popping display.

<Davis>: Exactly, or use something contrasting now or even a white container just to really show off those colors.

<Amanda> Y'all have some wonderful containers out there.

So you could have fun.

I'm deciding what color container contrasting color to make it pop even more shows.

<Davis>: These would look I think these look stunning and a white container that would just really show off The colors of these in full sun.

<Amanda> If you could keep it clean Exactly.

<Davis>: Well outside you can just hose it, and The third one is called racing stripes.

it's not quite as obvious but if you can get a little bit of a close up shot of The of The inside The crown you can see it does have that yellow variegation in The center of The leaf similar to age or seen on The Sanjana The common corn plant.

So you can imagine what this racing stripe would look like if it's been out in full sun and has really brought out that color in the center.

<Amanda> Isn't it nice to have something that has these colors in it that you can put in full sun and they're gonna get even brighter and brighter and more vibrant.

Thank you.

<Davis>...and not need a lot of water.

Okay, sounds like a <Amanda> cool plant to try and <Davis> I think is very cool plant.

<Amanda> The Black Pearl once again made The trip and bar all kinds of wonderful things for us and, and also it's fun to have some upstate come because sometimes they do things a little differently up there and maybe can go some things we can't.

Okay, well anyway, I want to thank everyone so much, Austin.

It was great having here for The first time I hope that you'll come back.

I wish you'd bring a lot of snakes.

Anyway, but we'll let you know if that's going to happen so you won't have to worry.

Join us next week night night.

♪♪ ♪♪ <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 Mc Bee 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