Florence County Master Gardeners Blog

A Peach of a Day

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:51:33 GMT

Many perennial readers of this article know that I grew-up in McBee. I think that we grow the best peaches in the world in McBee. If you ever been to McBee you would know why, “There is Nothing Else to do in McBee.” Everything in McBee centers the peach crop. Even on hot, humid, summer days when thunderstorms loom in the distance you here a constant boom. It is the hail machines protecting the peach orchards from the imminent danger of hail damage. The hail machines are big propane cannons that when ignited sends a sonic boom into the clouds to break-up hail clusters before they get large enough to cause serious damage to the peach crop. Kemp McLeod the owner of McLeod Farms says they work rather well except when the hail clusters are formed far away from the hail gun’s location. However, the joke is that since they got the hail guns “You can no longer raise hail in McBee, but you can still raise the best peaches in the world.”

I no longer live in McBee, but I still visit frequently especially during peach season. In fact, I will be at the McLeod Farms Peach Festival this Saturday, July 12th as a celebrity judge in their peach recipe contest. My TV show co-host Amanda McNulty and I will get to taste some of the best peach delights ever. I know it is a tough job but someone has to do it. Come join us in all the activities including tours, rides, music, and my favorite “eating peaches.”

SC is second in the nation in peach production behind California and just a head of Georgia (The Peach State). However, because of insect and disease problems peaches are very difficult to grow in SC. One of the only reasons for homeowners to grow peaches is for the joy and pride of accomplishing and growing something difficult. One of the easiest ways for homeowners to control the problems that accompany peach production is to apply a “Home Fruit Spray” once a week from petal fall until the label specified pre-harvest interval. A “Home Fruit Spray” is usually a premix of an insecticide and a fungicide, eliminates mixing, and will control most of the problems on peaches. Remember to always follow all label directions they are the law.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. If you enjoy gardening and using flowers and plants in decorations, please watch Down Home with Tony and Amanda on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm on the SC Channel (ETV's digital station). If you don't get that channel, you can go to www.mig.org, select streaming video, and scroll down to where our shows are archived.

Selecting the Best Watermelon for the Fourth

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:08:22 GMT

Pardon me, but it’s just ain’t the fourth of July without a crisp, ripe, sweet watermelon. I get many questions on how to select a ripe or quality watermelon. Nothing is more disappointing than to gather or buy, wait to cut, and then the melon is green or worse – mushy! My wife loves watermelon, but she‘s really disappointed when it’s not top quality. As a County Agent, many people give me melons. I can’t control what people give me, but when you buy or harvest a melon, there are certain traits you can look for to get a the best possible melon.

   First of all, a watermelon is ripe when its belly turns from white to a cream or yellowish color. The belly of a watermelon is the part that rests on the ground and is white when the melon is green and will get, as we say in the south, “yellower” as the melon gets riper. But be careful --    if it’s real bright yellow, it’s probably over-ripe.
   Next, if your melon is an oblong-type melon, slight longitudinal (lengthwise) ridges can be felt on the upper surface when it is ripe. Like Ruffles, ripe melons have ridges. If the belly is yellow but no ridges the melon may have been picked green, allowed to ripen, and will be of poor quality. If harvested green, the watermelon flesh will turn red but will not be sweet. In the real world, unless they are picked out of a garden or bought on the farm, most melons are harvested a little early to allow for shipping and handling. The earlier they’re picked, the less time for the fruit to get sugars from the plant and the poorer quality.
   Next, if you are picking a melon out of the garden, the curl (tendril) nearest the melon’s stem will be dried when ripe. However, once ripe, the curl dries, and if you wait too long to check the curl, you may be harvesting the melon over-ripe.
Next, if the stem is completely dried the melon most likely has been harvested for a long time. Sometime vendors keep cutting the stem as it dries to make it appear that the melon has been harvested recently.   If the stem has been removed, most likely it has totally dried.
Finally, don’t depend on the old method of thumping the melon – thumping is a rather poor test of ripeness. The thumping method relates to the relative density of the interior flesh which varies with the rate of ripening, growth rate, water levels, sugar content, and other factors.
   Watermelon not only tastes good but is good for you. Fresh watermelon contains higher levels of lycopene that any other fresh produce item, including tomatoes. A number of studies have drawn a correlation between lycopene consumption and the possible prevention of cancer, heart disease and stroke.
   Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. If you enjoy gardening and using flowers and plants in decorations, please watch Down Home with Tony and Amanda on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm on the SC Channel (ETV's digital station). If you don't get that channel, you can go to www.mig.org, select streaming video, and scroll down to where our shows are archived.

Plants and Animals Need Water

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:26:57 GMT

   As my daddy would say, “It is hot as fire.” In actuality he would pronounce it “pharr.” Well, I have been to Pharr, a city in Texas, and it is hot there also. When it is hot we need to remember that plants and animals need plenty of fresh cool water.
   First of all, if you are working in the yard or garden do it in the morning or late evening and drink plenty of water. I have had heat exhaustion, and I can tell you it is no fun. It can sneak-up on you so just be careful.
   Next, most vegetable gardens and lawns could benefit from about 1 inch of irrigation per week if it doesn’t rain. However, keeping the foliage of plants wet will encourage diseases. So, if you are wetting the leaves water at night between midnight and 7 a.m. and no more than twice a week. The theory behind this is that the foliage is already wet from dew at night and you are not extending the wetness period. The longer the leaves are wet the longer diseases have to have a party on your plants.
   Finally many animals especially birds need water. With our extended drought less and less water is available to wildlife. When you add water to your back yard, there are a few points and tips to consider. For example, if you have an outdoor cat, an elevated birdbath is a necessity. Place the water source in an open area, away from nearby garden shrubs and trees, to prevent predation. If you don’t have a cat, put the bath near trees and shrubs so the birds have a place to wait and to preen their feathers after bathing.
   If you opt for the traditional concrete or a similar birdbath design, place a flagstone in the bowl off to one side to give small bird’s easier access. Avoid placing your birdbath too near the bird feeder, so seed and bird waste do not fall into the birdbath.
   To give an added dimension to your backyard water plan, use drippers and misters. The sound of dripping water is irresistible to birds. A dripper is usually constructed in the form of an arch, which can be attached to an existing birdbath. Some have a catch basin already attached below the dripping arch, which provides an additional bathing area all its own. A mister is similar to the dripper, only smaller. It sprays a fine mist. It is usually hung from a tree or shrub. Bird drippers and misters can be found at specialty nature/bird stores and catalogs.
   Cleanliness is a must for birdbaths, since birds use them daily for drinking as well as bathing. Clean the birdbath weekly with a brush and a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water. This solution will help prevent diseases and algal growth. During extremely hot weather, replace the water daily. Just think, if you had to drink your bath water, you would want it replaced daily too.
   Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. If you enjoy gardening and using flowers and plants in decorations, please watch Down Home with Tony and Amanda on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm on the SC Channel (ETV's digital station). If you don't get that channel, you can go to www.mig.org, select streaming video, and scroll down to where our shows are archived.

Thrips are Small but a Big Problem for Gardeners

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:49:40 GMT

   Forget spring the heat is on! Wheat and winter weeds are drying so watch out for thrips. As these winter host plants dry, the thrips start moving to find other plants on which to feed. In fact millions upon millions of thrips are looking for a good meal, and your tomatoes, beans, roses, and etc. look mighty delectable. In fact, a worried homeowner called me the other day concerned about his home, which was setting in the middle of a drying wheat field, being totally covered with a layer of thrips.
   Thrips are very small, longer than they are wide, and look like a fine pencil mark. They love to congregate in flowers because they are attracted to color, especially light blue. My favorite way to detect thrips is to take a flower and observe as it is being torn apart. The thrips will scurry around bringing them out of their hiding places where they can be seen. A flower is a regular buffet for thrips. After being damaged by the thrip feeding, many flowers will fall off or just look ugly. With vegetables, this means no fruit. With ornamentals (especially roses), this means ugly damaged flowers.
   Thrips, also, carry or transmit certain diseases. We all remember the 2002 tomato fiasco, where almost all locally grown tomatoes were destroyed by Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV). Well, thrips transmit TSWV. However, controlling thrips doesn’t do a very good job of preventing TSWV because it only takes one thrip to give your plant TSWV and there are millions of thrips out there. Thrips also transmit other virus to both vegetables and ornamentals.
   Since total thrip control is impossible, we recommend monitoring the thrip population and control when you see a lot of them in the flowers. Where an organic control is wanted, insecticidal soaps work fair and beneficial insects are available for thrip control. Chemical sprays such as Orthene, Malathion, and Thiodan are very effective and labeled for many ornamentals and vegetables. Remember the label is the law; therefore, always follow all label directions.

Centipede Decline

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:51:47 GMT

Everything and everyone in the Pee Dee is dying, mostly of old age. I'm sorry, but no matter what the all-knowing-TV-talk-show-hosts say we need to face the facts that everything has a lifespan. Trees, shrubs, lawns, pets, and people have a typical number of years on this earth. People are always coming up to me and asking what is causing all the people to die. What they want is for me to blame it on the farmers, ranchers, and the chemicals in our food, and they're disappointed when I say "Old Age." The fact is we are living longer than ever before, averaging somewhere around 78 years of age in the United States, but this doesn't make exciting TV shows. Maybe farmers are killing us by producing the best, safest, and most abundant food supply in the world which allows us to eat ourselves to death through obesity. We are a spoiled nation.

Believe it or not, centipede lawns have a lifespan, too, and in my travels around the Pee Dee I see many dead lawns. When a centipede lawn that is 20 to 30 years old experiences a very stressful period like drought, excessive heat, or a sudden cold snap, many times it just gives up the ghost and dies. Our scientific term for this is centipede decline.
I can't take the stresses I easily withstood in my youth. It's the same with plants -- when they reach the end of their typical lifespan, little things that were just annoying in their youth are now life threatening situations. However, you can extend the lifespan of many plants with some preventative maintenance. For instance, if it's needed, dethatching centipede (which removes thatch and old runners and encourages new runners) may extend the life of your lawn many years. Also, you can shorten the lifespan of centipede by what I call spoiling it. Over-fertilization, over-irrigation, too much shade, mowing too high, and scalping will slowly kill centipede.

Also, trees, shrubs, and perennials have a typical lifespan,
too. Bradford pear trees usually live about 25 years and then fall apart, Laurel (Darlington) oaks do the same at about 30 years, and
sections of limbs die in redbuds after about 25 years. Azaleas need
rejuvenating pruning every few years, and aucuba has a lot of stem
dieback that requires pruning. I consider gerbera daisies, one of our
favorite perennials, a short lived perennial. The moral of the story is
when something dies try to find the cause and correct it if possible,
but if it's natural mortality, plant something else and keep-on-gardening.

The best way I know to extend your lifespan is simply
getting outside enjoying nature and gardening. This works better than any apple at keeping the doctors away, but works most efficiently when it starts in your youth and continues all throughout your life. A great
for a youngster is the 4-H20 Water Quality/Outdoor Summer Adventure Camp for youth ages 8 to 14, offered by Clemson Extension and Kalmia Gardens of Coker College. The cost is $14, and call Mrs. Harris at (843) 992-9620 or Mr. Hill at (843) 383-8145 for more information. Also, we are now taking applications for the 2008 Master Gardener Class at Kalmia Gardens in Hartsville. Classes will be held Tuesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., July 15 through September 30. The cost is $150. Again call (843) 383-8145 to register or for more information.

A Devastating New Disease of Centipede

Mon, 26 May 2008 06:01:33 GMT

Warning! There is a new devastating disease of centipede, which I have coined Squirt Bottle Blight (the Blight), rampant in the Pee Dee. The Blight shows up this time of year, coincides with a high number of TV commercials advertising weed killers, increases with neighbor watching (mimicking), and results in dead areas in lawns. As the result of a squirt bottle application of an herbicide, the centers of these spots usually are totally void of anything green and have varying levels of green growth outward. Believe me it took quite awhile asking questions of many homeowners to diagnose this problem because no one wants to take the heat or responsibility for killing his own lawn. Also, I don’t like being the bearer of bad news or serving as the referee for angry spouses.

The weed killers responsible for the Blight are usually one of two different types -- broad spectrum or broadleaf herbicides. First, the broad spectrum materials kill anything green or growing, usually are systemic (move in the plant), and usually would not be applied to grass in the growing season (late spring or summertime). The main cause of the damage is the false belief that centipede grass goes totally dormant in the winter which rarely happens because under the surface green material can be found. Therefore, when these materials are applied they leach downward to the green leaves and stems, move into the centipede plants systemically, and kill a large area of the grass. Also, if these materials are applied to weeds in the lawn during the growing season, again they move systemically through the centipede runners (rhizomes), and kill large areas of the lawn even if they are only applied to one single weed. The second cause of the Blight, the broadleaf killers, is an even more deceptive cause of the disease. Most broadleaf herbicides labeled for centipede usually are safe if they are applied at the proper time. TV commercials falsely spread the word that that these products can safely be used anytime on any grass, when actually, if these materials are applied during centipede green-up, the Blight will occur. The bottom line is to never apply any weed killer to centipede during green-up. Also, an additional problem with the application of these types of weed killers is that they can travel through the air. Because most of the products contain 2,4-D they are volatile and even without the presence of wind they can turn into a gas and move across your yard, your neighbor’s yard, and down the street causing all types of damage as they contact untargeted foliage. Lately I have been swamped with samples of deformed, curled, strap- like leaves of ornamentals, fruit trees, and vegetables which are typical symptoms of 2,4-D injury.

The perpetuators, carriers, or transmitters of The Blight are usually non-suspecting, non-questioning, believers of TV commercials who do not read the entire label of these weed killer products. I know labels are long and boring but they are the law, and that small print usually contains all the information to keep you from making devastating mistakes.

Where Is the Heat?

Sun, 18 May 2008 10:28:50 GMT

I love this cool weather; however, sooner rather than later it will get hot in the Pee Dee. Soon that coat I sported this past week will turn into a sweat soaked tee-shirt. If it doesn’t get warm up before long, those recent northern transplants might think I am lying about our hot summers, but I’m sure July and August will make them believers. The one thing I’m sure of is that they’re delighted to have given up the frigid north for our ten months of glorious weather here in the Pee Dee. It may take a few years, but they will learn how to answer the question “How hot is it in the Pee Dee?”

    It’s so hot that so-called June Bearing strawberries stop bearing in June and folks are trying to hold onto spring by fighting over that last gallon of these locally-grown crimson beauties.

   It’s so hot that lavender and lilacs don’t live long here, and the only time we get to smell those fragrances is when we use perfume to cover the scent of our glistening, perspiration, or just plain sweat.

   It’s so hot that tomatoes drop their flowers, stop producing, and give us little sustenance since homegrown ‘mater sandwiches are our #1 favorite summertime food.

   It’s so hot that beans drop their flowers, stop producing, and give us little sustenance since butterbeans are our #2 favorite summertime food.

   It’s so hot that okra has to be picked daily, and fried okra (taking the place of ‘mater sandwiches) becomes our #1 summertime food because southerners love anything fried, and boiled okra becomes #2 since it so slimy that it doesn’t take much effort (in this heat) to swallow.

    It’s so hot that sweet potato becomes our favorite pie because sweet potatoes (and their close kin morning glories) take over our gardens in August since they love the heat.

    It’s so hot that Camellia sinensis becomes our favorite plant since it is the source of those tiny little tea leaves which when combined with tons of sugar make our southern life-blood, sweet tea, which keeps us hydrated and sweating.

   Finally, it’s so hot that kudzu grows faster than some folks walk, talk, or work.

Don't let invasive plants lure you in

Sun, 11 May 2008 02:23:15 GMT

I just visited a home with a beautiful specimen tree growing in the backyard. It was prized by the homeowner because it exhibited unusual rough fissured bark, highly branched limbs, dangling yellow flower spikes, and lustrous-dark-green-heartshaped leaves. During the fall, its small clusters of threelobed fruit split to reveal unusual popcorn-like seed.

I tried to explain to the homeowner this tree (Chinese tallow tree or popcorn tree) is listed as a "nonnative invasive plant" by the USDA Forest Service, but as sometimes happens to us all, he was blinded by beauty: Many nonnative invasive plants have certain desirable characteristics but owners beware. Because of their invasive nature these plants multiply rapidly, outcompete native plants and are trying to take over the world.

Do not be deceived by the lacy foliage of the mimosa tree, the showy flowers of the princess tree (paulownia), the sweet smelling flowers and beautiful fall colors of the Chinaberry tree, the silvery foliage of the eleagnus, the bright-red fall color of the burning bush, or the beautifulsweet-smelling flowers of the privet. Also, let's overlook the beautiful flowers and fruit of the honeysuckles, the red glistening fruit of the nandina, the natural appeal of the multiflora rose, the scarlet seed of the bittersweet, the cannonball shaped fruit of the air potato (yam), the scrambling nature and violet flowers of the perlwinkle, the lustrous leaves of the English ivy, and last but not least the lavender waterfalls of the wisterias.

Having these plants is like having a lion by the tail or like I say, a three-legged dog. My three-legged dog incident started one Sunday after church. A friend of my wife's was out of town and asked us to let her dog(s) out. As I opened the back door of this upscale home, two dogs scampered out. One was a dust-mop type dog, which I expected. The other was kind of a scraggly threelegged dog which seemed a little out of place. Mavbe thev felt sorry for the dog and loved its three legs.

When I called the dogs back inside, the dust-mop dog scampered right back inside, but the three-legged dog ran down the neighborhood. Have I lost the dog they loved?

Therefore, I chased the dog all over the neighborhood, finally got him pinned, dragged him all the way back, stuck him inside, and locked the door. Thank goodness he was three-legged, or I still would be chasing him.

The short of it was, it was not their dog. They had left their garage door up a few inches with the door inside cracked, and this three-legged dog snuck inside. He messed up their entire house, and I assisted.

The moral of the story is: Please do not assist these nonnative invasive plants to mess up our forests.

How to Kill My Centipede Lawn

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:52:09 GMT

Centipede is a low maintenance grass. It was developed to flourish in situations where it would be ignored or left alone, except when it comes to mowing. Many homeowners simply over-maintain centipede which leads to its demise. I have had hundreds of phone calls where they begin by telling me how beautiful, thick, and lush their centipede lawn was for four, five, or maybe six years and now there is nothing but dirt. Therefore many folks call centipede a poor man’s grass, a lazy man’s grass, a golfer’s grass, or my favorite a redneck grass.

If you fertilize your grass enough to keep it darker green than your lawn mower but it stills turns bright yellow in the spring (Iron deficiency) then you might have a redneck grass.

   If your lawn is cushiony, soft, and feels like a lush carpet and then it starts to dying then you might have a redneck grass.

   If you plant bag after bag of that expensive seed and water it daily to keep those tiny plants alive but it bears quicker than your balding husband then you might have a redneck grass.

   If your irrigation water bill is higher than your child’s tuition and your lawn still gets bad grades then you might have a redneck grass.

   If your lawn prefers a good long drink once a week to a sip everyday then you might have a redneck grass.

   If your lawn prefers a shower in the wee hours of the morning before sun-up then you might have a redneck grass.

   If your kid loses his football in the tall grass of your front yard and your grass loses the game because it prefers to be cut short (1 to 1.5 inches) you might have a redneck grass.

   If your lawn prefers not to be wakened in the early morning by a lawn mower spreading disease (Large Patch) then you might have a redneck grass.

If you love to give your lawn a crew-cut with your thousand horsepower zero-turn mower faster than a qualifying pole lap and your grass wins the race then you might have a redneck grass.

If you prefer setting in your porch swing, drinking a cold ice tea, and watching Down Home with Tony & Amanda on the SC Channel to irrigating or fertilizing your lawn and your grass appreciates the relaxation then you might have a redneck grass.

Finally, if you spend more time babying your lawn than you do watching Making-it-Grow on ETV and it still dies then you might have a redneck grass.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. If you enjoy gardening and using flowers and plants in decorations, please watch Down Home with Tony and Amanda on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm on the SC Channel (ETV's digital station). If you don't get that channel, you can go to www.mig.org, select streaming video, and scroll down to where our shows are archived.

Tomato Growing Time

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:11:41 GMT

    Because of that late frost, thank goodness I waited until last Saturday to plant my vegetable garden. I’ve seen some yards that were fertilized too early turn totally black from frost damage. I hope the turf is strong enough to overcome such damage. Again, fertilizing anything too early is always a bad idea.
   This year I am trying something new for my garden -- no-till. I’m going no-till because my garden is near my house (only ten feet away), on a slope, and I don’t want any erosion. So this year I simply sprayed the area with glyphosate (Round-up) and the next day troweled-in my seed and transplants. I was amazed at how much softer and moister the soil was under an area I had used newspapers and leaves as mulch last season. Be sure I will mulch the entire area this year. Periodically I will report in this article on my no-till experience. I am sure there will some negatives but I hope mostly positives to report as the season goes on.
   I hope my tomatoes grow well because I can’t wait for my first home-grown “mater.” I planted a few good standard plants like Celebrity, Betterboy, and Big Beef. However, just in case tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is bad this year, I also planted some TSWV resistant varieties like Amelia, Southern Star, Red Defender, Crista, and Bella Rosa. Some of these varieties have shipping tomato characteristics and taste, but, like my daddy used to say, “A home- grown mater beats any store-bought mater.”   And if TSWV is bad this year the only home-grown mater I’ll get will be from a TSWV resistant variety.

   Maybe I got my love of gardening from my dad; however, a lot of things have changed since Dad’s ten-acre garden. First of all, Dad had to plant on bottom land and count on rainfall, but I have trickle irrigation in my garden. With trickle you don’t wet the leaves of the crop; therefore, you don’t encourage disease, you can water anytime day or night, and you put exactly the amount of water the plants needs. Also, you can add fertilizer through the irrigation water, called fertigation. This allows you to give the perfect environment for plant growth and crop yield.
   Next, Dad spread things over ten acres, but there is no wasted space in my garden.   Bare spots allow weeds to grow and can promote erosion and leaching of nutrients. Every gardening guru seems to favor a certain gardening technique such as square-foot, relay, inter-planting, succession or vertical gardening, I suggest using a combination of all techniques; however, whatever gardening technique you choose, the important concept to remember is conservation. Conserve light, space, water, time, and nutrients. In other words, don’t allow anything to be wasted. The older I get the main resource I don’t want to waste is Tony (myself).
   Finally, Dad and Momma had plenty of planters, hoers, picker and eaters. Were they better, stricter or meaner parents than those of today’s times, I don’t know? We were tired but happier, healthier, and less stressed in those days. In your planning, always consider who will be doing the work and eating the fruits.