Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

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

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

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, good evening and welcome to Making It Grow.

We are very happy that you're tuning in and being with us tonight.

Thanks for joining us.

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

I studied horticulture, and, it was just the most wonderful thing in the world.

I can't begin to tell you.

And Terasa Lott is also a Clemson person.

And the other day, I was up in, Clemson and I went to see David Bradshaw, who was my favorite professor when I was there.

Terasa> Isn't that wonderful?

Amanda> Yeah.

Oh, he was just the best.

He was just great.

Great, great, great, great.

Yeah.

Anyway.

Terasa> There are people that can leave lasting impressions.

So someone was asking me kind of what put me in the trajectory, to be involved in all things natural world.

So I was a biology major and, secondary education.

And really one of my most inspirational, figures was my high school biology teacher.

And we still keep in touch and send Christmas cards and that sort of thing.

<Yeah> So, people might not know it, but they can really be influential, for a long period of time.

Amanda> Well, you know, when I first started college, at Carolina, I was in the international relations department, and I was going to be a diplomat.

If you know anything about me at all, you know, I would not be a good diplomat.

(laughs) So fortunately, when I went back to school when I was at Clemson, I just, you know, it was just the most wonderful thing.

Yeah, yeah.

Anyway, and, thank you for everything you do for us, Terasa.

Terasa> It is certainly my pleasure.

Amanda> Gosh, Pete Stephanie Turner way up there in Greenwood, which, I was somewhere and they had some little cups of pistachio ice cream that came from someplace in Greenwood.

That was the best thing I've ever had in my life.

Stephanie> Oh, okay.

Okay, good.

<I'll try to remember where it was.> Stephanie> You'll have to tell me.

Amanda> And you can (laughs) Yeah.

When I'm going to.

Anyway, maybe sometime you can, you can help me find some one out there because pistachio is so good.

But anyway, you teach master gardeners and do all kinds of things up there, and y'all are a really vibrant community.

>> Yes, we have a great, group of master gardeners and Greenwood is just a lovely place to live, a wonderful uptown area, lots of things to do, lots of improvements and new parks and <Are there?> Yeah.

So.

Amanda> So it really thinks about people.

Stephanie> Oh, yes.

Yeah, yeah.

Lots of good, living value living kind of activities that you can do.

Amanda> And, Tom, you live there and you're someone whom Stephanie taught in Master Gardener training and, And y'all are from Greenwood and Abbeville, and you call the Lakeland.

You all have a Lakeland in Greenville, a big lake.

Tom Nelson> Lake Greenwood, yes.

<Okay.> Yeah, but it was about, what, ten miles out of town?

Stephanie> Yes.

Tom> Something like that?

Amanda> Is it...do people use it a lot for recreation?

Tom> Very much so.

Very much so.

Amanda> Okay.

>> And I want to add to Stephanie's comments and say that, when asked about Greenwood, I've always said that Greenwood is a great place to make a living and to make a life.

It's...has been a great place to live.

It really has.

I'm involved, of course, in the Master Gardener program It just helps to deepen those roots within the community.

Amanda> But there's a lot of ways to become involved.

Tom> Oh, yes.

Amanda> Isn't that wonderful.

Tom> Yes.

Amanda> And it's nice looking.

It's a nice looking place, too.

Tom> Yes.

Very much so.

Amanda> Yeah.

Isn't that fun.

And I think when you have universities nearby that, that makes a difference too, don't you?

Tom> Yeah.

We are a college town.

Yeah.

We have two.

Amanda> Do you.

Tom> Lander University and Piedmont Technical College.

Amanda> Whoa, good for y'all.

Okay, well, thanks for making the trip down.

And Brady Badder, you're up at Forest Lake Greenhouses in Florence.

And did you study horticulture or anything, or did you just kind of drop into this wonderful world of plants?

>> Yep.

I get asked a lot of questions at work and, so I've been a lot of Googling and a lot of reading and a lot of just teaching myself over time.

So I, I struggle with calling myself a horticulturist sometimes, but I think I'm getting comfortable to the point now where I would call myself that.

Amanda> I think we'll give you that title, happily.

<Yeah.> What got you interested in the world of plants?

Brady> I mean, Forest-lake Greenhouses needed a cashier, and I started working because I had some cashier experience.

I needed a job, and, it just snowballed from there.

Amanda> Isn't that wonderful?

Brady> Yeah.

Yeah, it's been great.

I've learned more than I would ever imagine.

Amanda> And, you have nice people there.

Brady> Oh, yes.

<Everybody is> That's what I like about it.

Everybody's so nice.

Brady> People have been there forever and are a good group of people.

Amanda> And you don't have to you know, you don't have to be embarrassed to ask questions, <That's right> which is really nice.

Brady> That's good.

And we tell our customers the same thing, like, we want you to have success and, you know, don't be scared to come ask and tell me what's going on.

Amanda> On, okay.

Yeah.

Wonderful, wonderful.

Later on in the show, we're going to learn about repotting orchids with Clay Owens and Terasa.

That was fun.

Yeah.

And Terasa, I think you have some Gardens of the Week for us.

Terasa> We sure do.

This is the part of the show where we highlight what you're doing in your yards or your gardens, or maybe you've captured some beautiful spaces, either in South Carolina or maybe a surrounding state.

We've had such a tremendous response.

We've changed our format a little.

So we're featuring what we call a montage, which means we get to show more photos.

So let's take a look at this week's submissions.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Terasa> So many beautiful flowers were shared.

And also some butterflies that were utilizing those flowers for their nectar resources.

I encourage you to visit our Facebook page where you'll see additional photo submissions.

And of course, be on the lookout for the call for Gardens of the Week .

That's your cue that we're looking for your photos to assemble them to show on some of our next episodes, so don't be shy, post your photos in the comments, and then be sure to watch to see if they appear on air.

Amanda> There you go.

There's the key.

Yeah, and I hope you'll watch for lots of reasons, of course.

Anyway, but that's a good one.

Well, sometimes people have questions and you are getting ready to fire off some of those questions for us, Terasa.

Terasa> Indeed, Let's start with Clara, in Ninety Six.

She is looking for a plant I.D.

and sent us a photo and said, what is this prickly vine growing through my shrubs and how do I get rid of it?

Amanda> Okay, well, Ms.

Stephanie?

Stephanie> Yeah, so, that photo is actually a picture of Greenbrier or Smilax.

And, it can tolerate quite a bit of shade.

And so it does like to kind of, you know, find spots underneath shrubs or go through shrubs and can get pretty established.

It's spread by birds.

Amanda> And they're male and female, Stephanie> Right.

<Yes> yes.

And so some plants will be female and produce fruit.

But, if it's, you know, in your landscape beds or whatever, and it's bothering you, you can cut the stems out, but it has an underground tuber, so it comes back pretty regularly.

Amanda> But you can paint the stem?

Stephanie> But you can use an herbicide like a.... Stephanie> Full strength.

A full strength glyphosate, Amanda> Cause you can't dig it out.

<No.

Well, I mean,> Amanda>....some of them.... Stephanie> Well, I mean, you would probably ruin your shrubs Both> You would have to get...an excavator.

(laughter) Stephanie> Yeah.

And they can get pretty large over time.

So there's, tubers and so forth.

So, yeah, the best way is you're going to have to probably repeatedly cut and apply herbicide until, until you get it.

Amanda> And, you know, there's several different varieties of smilax, and some of them are very beautiful.

And, I go out in the spring and get the new shoots and break them off and eat and cut them and cook them like asparagus.

And it's actually called wild asparagus, sometimes.

Have you ever tried it?

Tom> I've not.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

It's good.

Anyway, and then of course, it was famous for decorating, or weddings, for funerals.

At Christmas, we would always drape it over the doors.

It's just a fabulous thing, to use for those kind of things.

But it's hard to get out of the trees.

And my friend Ruthie and I used to go out and try to get it, and you have to pull and pull and pull, and then you fall on your behind and then you gather some more, and you pull and pull and pull and you fall on your own behind again.

Stephanie> They have those clasping tendrils too.

So they're hanging in there pretty tight.

Yeah.

Amanda> You can get it.

But anyway.

Tom> ...lots of thorns don't they.

Amanda> Well only some.

<Some?

Okay> Only some.

Stephanie> This one in the picture has the thorns all up the stem.

Amanda> Sure you don't want them.

Stephanie> On the bottom of the leaf, like you think you could maybe grab the leaf and pull it.

No.

There's pretty, clearly not a safe space.

Amanda> That's not the one you want, that you want to twine through the stems- Stephanie> Or snack on probably either.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I just cook it like asparagus.

It's just wonderful.

Yeah.

Give it a chance.

Yeah.

Give it a shot sometime.

Well, I didn't mean to go on and on about the smilax, but I do love smilax.

Terasa> I think it's a good point that, different sets of circumstances can give you... You know, you might accept it here.

So in a forested landscape, maybe where it grows natural and you can harvest some to use, but in the middle of your prized azalea.

You probably don't want it.

Amanda> Yeah.

I understand.

Okay.

Good enough.

Well, What's next?

Terasa> I think, Tom always has interesting things to share.

And maybe you have some photos of a plant that you wanted to share.

Is that right?

Tom> There was a...a conifer that I saw that absolutely stopped me cold when I was in Brevard, North Carolina, over the 4th of July weekend.

Amanda> Listening to music?

Tom> Well, just going up for the 4th of July celebrations and enjoying reconnecting with a college classmate.

Amanda> Wonderful.

Tom> But we were obviously having to drive through the residential neighborhood because streets were closed, with all the activities in the downtown area.

And we rode by this garden and there was this beautiful conifer with white needles and- Amanda> With white needles?

Tom> I said, stop, and I got out, (laughter) I got out and took a picture.

If it hadn't been so big, I might have tried to dig it up and bring it home.

(laughter) (indistinct) Tom> The owners of the house might have had something to say about that, Amanda> How tall was it?

Tom> About ten feet tall, I think is what it was.

But it's a Burke's Red Maple, Variegated, Japanese Red Maple.

And it has variegated needles on it, and it's just absolutely beautiful.

Amanda> I thought you said it was a conifer.

Tom> It is a conifer with the variegated needles.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Terasa> Pine.

I think.

Pine.

Stephanie> You're saying Maple.

Amanda> You said Maple Tom> Oh, I didn't say Maple.

Stephanie> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Amanda> Welcome to the club.

Tom> Yeah.

(laughs) Thank you.

No, no.

Yes.

It's pine with the variegated... Amanda> Needles?

Tom> Needles.

Amanda> How long were the needles?

Tom> They were just regular...Yeah.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Not too long.

Tom> But when I started to look it up, it was not easy to, to discover what it was.

<Whoa> But my first question is, when I found out what it was, why in the world is it called a Japanese Red Maple when it- All> Red Pine.

Tom> Pine.

I'll get it right.

(laughter) Yeah.

Tom> A red.

Amanda> When it's not a bit red.

Tom> No.

Well, no, it's because as the tree grows, the trunk- Amanda> Oh, the bark- Tom> exfoliates and the older it gets, the redder that trunk gets.

Amanda> Gosh, it sounds glorious.

Tom> So it's beautiful from the standpoint of the needles in the pine and the, the bark, as well.

So it, it's a great specimen plant that could be used in an Asian garden.

This is sort of an Asian.

Brady> You're saw... bonsai on those?

Tom> Yes.

Yeah.

Well, in fact, the guy who, cultivated this was a bonsai specialist.

So, which would make it very interesting as a bonsai.

Brady> Yeah, exactly.

Amanda> I wonder, how far south you can grow it, because Brevard, you're getting up in the mountains.

Tom> I think that it could grow in, if I remember correctly, in, zone eight and... <Oh> as low as where we are, but not any further south.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

Tom> So just a spectacular specimen plant.

Terasa> You didn't happen to talk to the property owner?

Tom> No, no.

I didn't see them.

Terasa> It'd be interesting to hear the story about- Stephanie> How they found it?

Amanda> So you might have to order it through the mail or something, or.

Tom> Yeah, I'm not sure exactly where one would get them.

They're not- Amanda> Brady, you look into that.

Brady> That's right.

Yeah.

Amanda> Please.

Brady> I have some sources.

Tom> They're rare.

Amanda> Yeah.

He could find it.

Brady> Yeah, I can definitely try.

For sure- Tom> but they are.

It really is a spectacular showstopper Amanda> I'm so glad that you could stop without, You know, stopping traffic too.

Isn't that wonderful!

Tom> That we.... Well, it was kind of funny because I was not subtle in my request to stop, and I'm surprised I didn't bang my head against the windshield.

(laughs) Amanda> Oh, well, what a wonderful tree.

<Yes.> Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

That was a lot of fun.

Thank you.

Tom> Very much.

Amanda> Okay, Brady, I bet you're going to have a show and tell.

Brady> Yeah, we have, I have a couple monsteras to show off today.

<Okay.> Actually, it's a little tricky.

So people call these a Mini Monstera because you get these small leaves with the, (indistinct) it's actually Rhaphidophora, so it's in its own genus of plant.

<Okay> but similar care, similar growth and everything.

They do climb up trees in nature.

This guy a couple weeks ago was four foot tall and just one vine, and wouldn't stand up anymore.

It was madness.

So I just cut them all to the length of this and re-propagated them into here.

And now it's looking all bushy and gorgeous.

Amanda> Oh, you've re-propagated.

Tell me what you mean.

Yeah.

Brady> So I just cut the vines I grow these area roots.

<Yeah.> Those area roots turn into feeder roots when they hit soil.

So as long as when you take a cutting from the main vine, as long as you got one of those area roots down in the soil.

Amanda> You can stick it down there?

Come on.

Brady> No rooting powder, no anything.

They take very easily.

<Wow.> So these are wonderful houseplants to give to your friends and to multiply and keep for a long time.

Amanda> And so what kind of light does it want?

Brady> Oh, medium.

Nothing too particular.

Yep.

So in nature these are climbing up the tree.

So they always get beat by the tree on water and light and fertilizer <Okay> and everything you know.

So they're good about neglect.

Amanda> And I like your trellis.

It's a very nice little.

Brady> Trellises are a good way when you have...a lot of times when you buy monsteras they come with multiples in the pot.

So even though they would really prefer a moss pole, it might be a little better to do it, a little better for you, a little easier for you to tie it to a trellis rather than a moss pole.

Amanda> Of course, I think that, yeah.

What an attractive, <Yeah, very attractive> attractive plant.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Brady> So I just want to show it off a little bit.

Amanda> Thank you.

I have some things I brought too.

I brought some fruits.

Tony, whom we just, you know, miss still, always told me that if you got a cantaloupe and it had a full slip where the stem had been, in other words, it didn't tear that it would be.

It would, be ripe and continue ripening.

And you and I were talking, and apparently cantaloupes do continue ripening, unlike watermelons.

Terasa> Correct.

Amanda> But anyway.

Y'all pass that down and smell it.

Stephanie> Yeah, I can smell it from here.

Brady> Yeah, I can smell it now.

Yeah.

That's crazy.

Amanda> I love mangoes, and Everett always said that you were supposed to stand in the bathtub to eat a mango.

And so a really ripe mango, is just so, (slurping sound) you know- (laughs) Terasa> So juicy.

Amanda> And it's got that the pit is hard to get them, you know, but anyway.

And, but, I made some ice cream with some, which was great, because, you know, if you're going to cut it and have it in a fruit bowl, you don't want it to be that, that ripe, but for ice cream, you want it to be, you know, just almost liquidy, you know, perfect for ice cream.

And it makes it really good ice cream.

That little homemade ice cream maker I got, is a little bit deadly.

You have to take ice cream to your friends.

(laughs) but, but I just think... and they're real pretty, too, don't you think?

Yeah, yeah.

And as they ripen, they get softer and softer.

So I'm.

I'm going to...I'll let these, continue to ripen, but- Terasa> The color kind of matches your shirt.

Amanda> It does, but, you know, it's pretty if you have a fruit...you know, some people like to have a fruit basket on the table and, I think these would be, you know, real pretty... to put in there while they're...Yeah.

Tom> Amanda, I grew up in Central Florida.

<Ohhh!> and the neighbors had a mango tree across from us.

And I remember just wanting those mangoes, but my parents were very clear about the fact, "No, you can't you can't go over there "and pick them unless you're asked to do it."

And it was just so hard to watch them fall on the ground.

Amanda> Oh, and oh, and y'all didn't make friends?

Y'all should have made cakes and all kinds of things.

Tom> I know, and I adore mangoes.

Amanda> But I imagine they were somewhat available down there too.

Tom> Yes they are.

I still have a friend who makes trips to Florida and she brings back bags of them.

So I cut them and put them in the freezer.

Amanda> Oh you do?.

<Yeah.> Okay.

Well.

You'll have to start making ice cream too.

<Yes.> Or stand in the bathtub.

(laughs) Okay Terasa?

Terasa> I must say when you first said about standing in the bathtub, I thought I have no idea what, but, that now makes sense.

Amanda> Where we're going.

Tom> Yes, Terasa> They're juicy.

Oh my goodness.

Well, we've been talking about Greenwood and what a beautiful place it is.

And they have their annual festival of flowers, and, Stephanie has some photos to share of a feature called a moon garden.

Stephanie> Yes.

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

So, during the Festival of Flowers this year, we had garden tours.

Amanda> Of people's- Stephanie> Of people's personal gardens.

<Oh, okay.> And three of the Lakeland's master gardeners, and they live in a close proximity in their neighborhood, and they all put their gardens on the tour.

Amanda> How perfect.

Stephanie> And so, in addition to just here's my pretty garden, they all have some kind of little educational set up at each of their gardens.

You know, one's talking about mosquitoes and one was talking about deer and all, and one of the gardens was a moon garden that was on tour.

And our master gardener, Lisa Heller, had this wonderful display of her moon garden.

Now, of course, everyone got to see it during the day.

(laughs) But, it's absolutely captivating in the evening.

And so we've also, cajoled her to give us a nice lunch and learn presentation.

And so she did that this week.

Amanda> How wonderful.

Stephanie> And came in and told everybody about how she had kind of researched and created her moon garden.

Of course, it has lots of different, night blooming and white, white flowering plants.

The plant that got her started on that track was the moon vine.

Amanda> The moon vine.

Stephanie> Yes.

So that was what she started.

Amanda> I mean, it's just I mean, children just go, you know.

Stephanie> Uh huh.

And that's exactly what she said.

So her grandchildren were visiting with her this summer, and they would sit on the stoop and wait for the moon... the moon vine to unravel.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

They should have one of your white pines up there.

Stephanie> Yeah.

(laughs) And she also included some.

Amanda> She probably gave some seeds to people.

Stephanie> Oh, yeah, because we had.

Yeah.

She collects her seeds.

Amanda> What a lovely thing.

Stephanie> It was really nice.

And she had a wonderful plant lists.

We talked about, you know, the moths that, you know, visit night blooming plants.

Amanda> Yes.

Oh, yeah.

Lots of different things, like silver leaf, Ticonderoga, Silver Falls and, you know.

Amanda> So she'd really been working on this?

Stephanie> Oh, yes.

Yes.

And, really pretty.

And her husband was building obelisks for the vine to... (laughs) to crawl up.

And of course, now he's busy because everybody wants him to build one for them.

Amanda> Yeah yeah.

Oh my gracious goodness.

Yeah.

well, that was so lovely.

And you know master gardeners do have a sense of service to community.

I think that's part of their requirement to stay active: service to community.

Tom> And one caveat to that is that if you're trying to grow tomatoes, you don't want a moon vine because the hawk moths that visit, the moon flower <Yes> are also the source of tomato hornworms.

Stephanie> So the adult moths from the horn worms will eat your tomatoes.

Amanda> And Conrad out in California, in Los Angeles, made me do that Facetime business the other day because he had those in his, on his tomato plants.

Yeah.

And, you know, we were talking about that, although they look kind of scary with that, you know, the thing on their tail, that looks like it might, you know, be damaging or hurt you, they're not.

But, anyway, I said, well, you know, you can just pinch them.

I mean, he said, I got a lot of tomato leaves.

They can- Stephanie> They can have some.

Amanda> And then, Terasa sometimes they get those kind of wonderful parasitoid.

Parasitoid... Terasa> Yes.

Amanda> wasp on their back.

Don't they?

Terasa> Yes.

And you'll see- Amanda> Tell us a little bit about that.

It's really pretty gruesome.

Especially like, it eats the insides out like liquefy it.

But usually when people will see it they'll think they're eggs on the outside, but they're actually little cocoons.

<Yeah.> So it's yeah, it's really like Halloween in your, in your backyard.

Amanda> And if you see them, <Like zombies> And if they've already got those things on them.

You don't need to- Stephanie> Right.

Leave it on.

Amanda> Because the adults, the caterpillar's not eating anymore, so you could just enjoy, the cycle of life in your vegetable garden and, Terasa> Two different species that we will see, tobacco and tomato hornworms, can both be on your tomatoes.

Amanda> On tomatoes.

Yeah.

Okay.

Isn't that fun?

Yeah.

Okay.

Now what?

Brady> Yeah.

So this time I have an actual monstera.

But not one like many people have seen before.

So this is a monstera.

I'm going to try to pronounce it right, Monstera lechleriana <Okay.> And this is a variegated variety.

So they call it the Unicorn Monstera because it gets these super long, super big leaves that will get all the splits all down it.

It just like a regular monstera.

Amanda> Oh it will?

Brady> You just have to climb it so it wants a moss pole or trellis.

<Oh> So I have this one on the trellis now, but yeah, just another, another cool monstera variety that we've recently found and got into the store, that I was, like, super excited to find.

Amanda> Pull that one leaf down that's so variegated so people can see it a little.

Brady> Which one we're looking at here?

Let me bring it to you.

Amanda> Well, I mean so they can see that some of them are more colorful than others.

Brady> And you can lose variegation with your plants sometimes, like if you're not fertilizing it enough or if you're not getting enough light, <Come on>, They're going to revert back to white.

A lot of times they can sometimes.

Amanda> The leaf has a very interesting and nice texture too.

Brady> Yeah, they're very thick, which means they hold their water good.

So, like, when I get a new plant at work and I'm wondering how I'm taking care of it, I can use the leaf texture a lot of times to judge how dry it likes to go between waters.

<Oh> The thicker the leaf, the better it holds on to the water, typically.

Amanda> That makes sense.

Yeah, yeah.

Brady> And then your little dainty leaves like maidenhair ferns and stuff can not go dry at all, you know.

<Yeah.

Yeah.> This guy really handles himself quite well.

Amanda> Okay.

It's very handsome.

Brady> Yeah, it's very nice.

It's very cool monstera.

Amanda> Okay.

So it can go as tall as you want.

Brady> Yeah.

It's a vine that will not stop, as far as I know.

Yeah, I think it'll climb up whatever height you give it to climb.

<Yeah.

Yeah> For sure.

Yeah.

Amanda> You can have extensions all over your living room.

Brady> You know, people do that.

Amanda> I've seen that.

Yes.

Brady> It's very gorgeous when you let them do that.

Amanda> It's pretty when they do that.

Okay.

Well that's a lot of fun.

Thank you.

Brady> Yeah.

These are cool.

Amanda> Okay, Terasa.

Terasa> Let's go back to questions.

<All righty.> We've got one from Keith in Greenwood.

And, it's an ID question or identification, but we could say it's like a mystery.

So we need a detective.

I have a low growing plant spreading through my lawn and flower beds, that looks a lot like a strawberry.

It has yellow flowers and tiny red fruits, but the berries aren't very tasty.

Is this a wild strawberry or is it something else?

Amanda> Okay, well, Tom, should we go gather them up and have some whipped cream and shortbread and everything?

Tom> You can.

But I think you'll be very surprised that they have a rather spongy and tasteless flavor to them.

These are mock strawberries, <All right.> They look exactly like strawberries.

But the way that you can tell the difference between the, the true strawberry and a mock strawberry, the mock strawberry has yellow flowers and the true strawberry has white ones.

Amanda> Well, and you're unlikely to have a true strawberry running all over your yard.

Tom> No.

Well.

Stephanie>Just showing up, yeah.

Tom> The the, the mock.

Yeah.

You're right.

The, the mock- Amanda> With the mock- Tom> Are just about as aggressive as the true strawberries.

They, they, propagate very, very easily.

Amanda> We had a pet chicken and I think it would eat them.

But, that's... I think the chicken had different taste buds from us.

Tom> And then of course the, if... if the, the plant has already passed the bloom stage and you can see only the fruit.

The fruits on a mock strawberry point upwards whereas the, the true strawberries go downwards.

Amanda> Gracious goodness.

Fun to learn more about it.

Tom> They're just very, very small.

But very, very tasteless.

Amanda> Yeah yeah, yeah yeah.

Stephanie> Don't eat things that you don't know what they are either.

Tom> No Stephanie> If you don't know what it is, don't, definitely don't taste it.

Amanda> Yeah.

After no rain, we finally got rain.

And so I've thought once again I talk about the mosquito bite.

Give me just a second, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

Okay.

Doug Tallamy started with mosquito buckets.

And of course, he's just the most wonderful person in the world.

If you haven't been reading his things about being, bringing nature home and having less lawn.

Yeah, you should.

But anyway, this is one my brother made, Terasa.

He's got a little woodworking shop, and he, made when I got somebody to duplicate it.

And so you just make a little box and, I need to get some black spray paint.

But this is the way the person who made it sprayed it for me, which is fine.

You know, because black just recedes and you can just stick this, you know, in the at the edge of your flowerbed, and nobody's gonna notice it particularly.

And you get a little bucket and spray it, too.

And so when you make if you go make one, be sure you're making it so that it'll hold a bucket that you can get at a local hardware store.

And you put, some water in and then just some, you know, a couple of crunched up leaves or some stuff because that makes the mosquitoes like, you know, kind of grungy water.

So you put this mosquito dunk, and these only control flies things in the fly family.

So people, worry that their dog might come and drink out of this.

It's perfectly fine if your dog does drink out of this because your dog is not a fly.

And so it may be annoying like a housefly, but you've had some that were a little bit for us, but, anyway.

And so you just, you know, you put a lot of water in and pop this in.

And I think every two weeks you put some more in.

But if you've got a fountain or anything in your yard, you can just put some of these in it.

They're real easy to find, mosquito dunks.

Stephanie> I put them in my, on my air conditioning drips outside.

It gets in puddle and I put those in that.

Amanda> Do you really?

Anyway, so then you just stick this in here, and I put them about 15 feet apart.

And the nice thing about this is it keeps the rain out so that you don't have to constantly be refilling it, so I don't have to change the water.

You know, it's just perfect.

And, anyway, they fit in so nicely and, and we couldn't even, Terasa we couldn't even go get the mail without getting a mosquito bite, because and, you know, I mean, it's just amazing.

I mean, it's changed life.

I give I've gone and had several people who've made these and used them in their yard, and they're just like..., it's like, you know, dying and going to heaven.

Anyway... Terasa> And really it's getting at the root of the problem rather than killing the adults.

You know, it's preventing the reproduction, which is where you start to get the explosion of the population.

Amanda> Yeah.

And when those people come and spray your yard, they kill everything that's there that day.

And every single thing that's there that day, every insect, that's there, and it doesn't last, you know, it's just horrifying.

And, so I just think this is, you know, a remarkable treasure.

Amanda> And for us to know about it.

Stephanie> Yeah.

And if you have, like I said, my air condition return, but there are like little places in your yard that don't drain really well.

Amanda> Just, you know.

And about every two weeks I think.

Is that about right, I think.

Stephanie> That sounds right.

Amanda> They've got the directions and you could find these at big box stores or my hardware store has it.

Stephanie> They also make bits that are like little, little sprinkles that you can do too, if it's a spot that you can't put the big donkey in.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Okay.

Anyway, it's just it's pretty wonderful.

Yeah, yeah.

Anyway, so, I just think it's so much fun when we found something that is like a miracle because it's not going to harm anything that's so targeted.

And it's not going to be dangerous to children or pets or anything else in the world.

Stephanie> Yeah.

Okay.

Okay, I'm going to put this up and let you bring something wonderful out.

Brady> Yeah.

So I got, a really cool plant, one of my favorites that we have.

Amanda> Holy Moly, That is kind of cool.

Brady> Yeah.

So this guy has a cool story, too.

So this is a, Senecio vitalis But it has a mutation, which makes it- Amanda> It looks pretty... Yeah, it looks a little weird.

Brady> Yeah.

So they call it mermaid's tail, because these guys up at the top are going to get really wide.

We have one of these at work that was 30 years old and unfortunately got hit by the cold a couple years ago.

So this is one that we took, cuttings from, from our mother plant.

And I will continue to take cuttings from it to reproduce and have it work for other people that need it.

Amanda> So, I mean, it looks so dense and rolled over on itself.

Brady> Yeah.

So it actually has like 360 degree curves where it's grown out before.

And then now that it's up here happy, this will start to spread out and get real wide.

Amanda> Oh, it will?

Mercy.

Brady> Yeah.

And it's a succulent, so, you know, very, very bright light could even take some full sun.

Oh, nice and dry between waters.

They can live for many years.

The one that we had was over 30.

Amanda> And where did y'all have it, So that it got hurt by the cold?

Brady> It was in our, we call it the blooming house at work.

So it's where we grow our annuals and stuff like that.

Amanda> Oh, just there, Brady> We had a heater that was broken but we did not know yet.

So it got bit, but I was able to save a bunch of tips from it before it fully died.

Amanda> Whoa!

Boy, that was fortunate.

Wasn't it?

Brady> Very fortunate.

Yeah.

So we have a couple of really cool ones you can see there.

Amanda> And the color is lovely.

Brady> One of the, Yeah not, not a lot of blues in nature but this is one of them.

Yeah.

Amanda> That is truly, lovely.

Brady> Yeah.

One of its common names is blue fingers.

Amanda> I can see why.

<Yeah.> Yeah okay.

Brady> Very cool Amanda> Polydactyly (laughs) Thank you.

Okay, Terasa.

Terasa> And Jim reached out from Hodges and said he has access to some fresh wood chips, and some are really fine.

Almost a sawdust, and he wants to know, can I use those in my vegetable garden?

Amanda> Ah goodness, goodness, goodness.

Stephanie, what's your advice?

Stephanie> So you have to be careful with fresh wood chips, especially if you mix them into the soil because they, as they break down, they will just sort of suck out all that nitrogen and use it up.

So, if you wanted to though, in your vegetable garden, you could use those fresh chips in the rows.

<Oh, okay> to keep down the weeds.

<Okay.

That's a good idea.> And then, you know, over the course of the season, they'll start to break down.

And then when you till up your garden for next year, that's great.

Just organic material to enrich your soil.

Amanda> And I guess if you wanted to, you could sprinkle a little nitrogen fertilizer on it to be sure that, I mean, to accelerate the decomposition, I would think.

Stephanie> Well, I mean, it's actually good that it it takes a lot of nitrogen out of the soil in the rows, because then it would cut down on weeds and things, as well.

So you want to have that nutrition to grow.

<So okay.> Yeah I wouldn't, I wouldn't try to put any extra to it.

I would just use it.

<You would.

Okay.> Yeah.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, anything you can do to cut down on weeds and what are some other things that you might use to cut down weeds?

Stephanie> Yeah.

So, it's always a good idea to mulch in your vegetable garden.

You can just use pine straw.

Amanda> Okay.

I think pine straw's great.

Stephanie> Perfect.

<Yeah> Yeah.

Easy, accessible mulch and.

Yeah.

Help with your moisture control as well.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you for that good advice.

I'm glad I learned something from you, too.

That's always fun.

Yeah, there's a lot I can still learn, frankly.

Now, let's go with, to Clay Owens with the Columbia Orchid Society and learn how to repot orchids.

Carmen Ketron> Hello, my name is Carmen Ketron.

I'm the Urban Horticulture Agent for Clemson Extension in Florence and Darlington Counties.

And today I'm here with Clay Owens of the South Carolina Orchid Society.

Clay> Hi, how are you?

Carmen> Good.

How are you?

Clay> I'm doing great.

Carmen> Excellent.

So, one of our big questions, always with anyone who comes in and ask me about orchids is "How do I care for it?

"Did I kill it?"

Things like that.

Can you help us?

Clay> I am definitely here to help you.

If you give me a little bit of time, I can ease all your fears and show you how to make sure you're successful with orchids that you might buy in your local stores or nursery and garden centers.

Carmen> Wonderful!

Where do we start?

Clay> So, the first thing that happens is most people say, "I bought an orchid, what do I do?"

Fantastic.

Well, these are the most common orchids.

You have the Phalaenopsis or moth orchid.

You're going to find these in stores and they come in mini, medium, or standard size.

Any one of these has the exact same care requirements.

They will stay in bloom up to three months.

So you may lose a few blooms, but they will stay in bloom and could even rebloom for you in that time.

But, you need to know how to take care of your plant to be sure to do that.

The first thing I want to talk about is these plants come in these decorative containers.

These are just decorative.

They are not what you want to keep the plant in when you're watering the plant.

That's why you can take your plant out gently, and you're going to see that they have usually a transparent cup inside.

And that cup has a hole in the bottom.

When you water your orchid, which should only be approximately every 7 to 14 days.

Now, every plant is different because everywhere you grow it is different.

So there is no answer of "how often do I water my plant?"

You water your plant when it needs to be watered?

You can look here and see this plant is very, very moist.

You can see the water, but look at the roots.

The roots are very green.

Green means they've absorbed water.

When they are dry, they're going to be silver color or gray.

Gray means that the outer cover of the root, which is called velamen, is dried out.

When you water it, you're going to make it green and that's how you know it's absorbing the water.

So if you ever think "I need to water my plant," the first thing you do is take it out and look.

If you see water... it's not time.

Let it keep drying out.

They need to have a dry period because they actually breathe through their roots.

Carmen> Fascinating.

Clay> If you keep them in water they're going to drown.

So, make sure that you're doing that on a regular basis.

Water your plant with room temperature water and ideally water it on the side.

Don't water directly on the top.

And I'll tell you why, because these plants normally don't grow straight up and down.

We do that so they look pretty.

They normally grow on the side so the water runs off the plant.

If you let your plant hold the water in the top, it can actually cause rot and it could kill your plant.

Carmen> Nobody wants that.

Clay> That's the bummer of plants.

So make sure it stays dry.

And once you have watered it, let it sit and just drip dry.

When it's completely stopped drip drying, take it back, put it back in your container and put it back where it came from.

That's all you have to do.

You want to put them in an indirect light area.

The rule is let them see light, but don't let the light see them because they can burn.

Think about it, orchids aren't at the top of a tree.

They're in the middle or the bottom where they have diffused sunlight.

That's what they need for care.

You want to have a temperature that's comfortable for you.

Anywhere between 65 and 80 degrees is about the average.

If you're comfortable, if you don't get too much sun and you have a good airflow, that's exactly what the plant wants as well.

Carmen> Easy enough.

Clay> It is.

If you like it, they'll like it.

So once you have your plant and it has stopped blooming like this one, people will say to us, "My plant's dead, there's no more blooms-" Carmen> Hardy all the time.

Clay> And they throw it away.

Your plant's great.

Your plant is beautiful.

Look at these leaves, they're upright, they're solid.

They're very full plant leaves.

Carmen> And they see this, the silver that you're talking about with the roots.

Clay> Exactly.

This means this plant is dry.

So this one has not been watered recently.

So this is a perfect time for us to do a little repotting.

You can see that it's a white root, but the plant is still vigorous and you have two spikes.

The spike is where the blooms used to be.

And you can see all the little blooms have fallen off.

This plant is ready to go.

It doesn't have to be repotted because this plant doesn't need to be in a huge pot.

But we're going to do that today to show you how to take care of your plant.

Now, sometimes... your plant may actually be on the way out.

This is an example of that.

You can see we've got yellow leaves.

They're falling off the plant.

This is saying, this plant had water in the wrong way and it's rotted.

You might be able to resuscitate this plant, but honestly, just start over.

Just take this and say "it was a good try," but we're not going to do that one.

And then finally, if this is your plant and you have this on your desk or at home, yes, you have unfortunately found a dead plant.

There's no leaves.

This is brown, it's dried, the roots are shriveled, they're bad.

There's nothing to be done for this plant.

This is truly the dead plant.

So we're going to get rid of this.

And instead we're going to focus on how do you take care of a plant like this.

<Ah> Now, a question that we get asked is, "I have these two spikes.

What do I do?"

You have choices.

Choice number one... first thing you want to do is these little, spikes are held up on these rods.

The rods here, can come out very easily.

So you want to get rid of those.

They're just there to support a blooming plant.

And if you look along the spike you have little nodes.

Each of these little nodes is an opportunity for something to happen.

So, when a plant blooms it takes a lot of energy to produce blooms.

If you want it to rebloom, you can take a pair of clippers just like this and you want to disinfect them.

We do this with alcohol, 70 percent alcohol just like you would for your own cuts or wounds.

You want to disinfect- Carmen> Always good practices.

Clay> And you have a choice.

Choice number one... cut the entire spike off so that all the energy goes into the plant.

You go about a half an inch from the bottom, <Oh> right down here.

And then you're going to just take it and clip it off.

Carmen> Vicious.

Clay> Done.

That's all you do.

And now the energy that would have been in two spikes is going into the plant.

Think about your spring blooming bulbs, your lilies... they have to recharge.

Your Amaryllis blooms, if they're constantly in bloom, you're going to have smaller flowers or it's going to hurt the plant.

Your other option is to again take the, little support rod off.

And now... instead of cutting off on the very, very bottom, what you can do, is you can cut it off at a midway point.

If you've select a node, which I have one right here in the middle, I'm going to cut it right above the node, just like so, at a little bit of an angle.

Now, I want to take a little bit of my alcohol, I'm going to just put it on because it's a wound.

We want to make sure that it's disinfected.

You can put alcohol or ground cinnamon.

Ground cinnamon is great for orchids because it seals the cut and it doesn't allow infection to go in.

Now, one of three things is going to happen.

Number one, this may just turn brown and die off.

You just cut it off.

It's done.

Number two, it may decide to send up another little spike off the side and you can have another set of blooms, probably less blooms and a little bit smaller, but you'll have blooms again.

Or, it might start to produce a little plant with little roots and leaves.

And that's called a Keikei, K-E-I-K-E-I.

It's the Hawaiian word for "baby."

So it's a little baby plant that eventually will grow leaves and roots.

And when it gets large enough, you can cut it off, repot it, and you'll have an exact duplicate of your original plant.

Carmen> How fun.

Clay> So you have all those options.

Now, if you decide, "you know what, my plant needs to be repotted."

If you want to... you say "it's in good shape like this one "and I want to change it."

The reason you would repot is number one, the plant has outgrown its pot.

If it does get larger, you only want to go up one pot size, so about another inch in diameter.

Or, you need to inspect the roots.

"I can't see what's happening.

Maybe my plant is getting soggy leaves or wrinkled."

Very often, people have wrinkled leaves and they think, "Oh, it needs more water it needs more water."

It's the opposite.

The plant has rotted the roots and it can't take up water anymore but I need to inspect it.

Or, it's been in the pot so long that all of this bark is turning into dirt.

They need to have air flow because those roots need to breathe.

And so if it's been in the pot for some time, you want to refresh it.

You want to give it new nutrients.

And that's what we're going to do today.

This plant has been growing in here for some time.

So what we've done is we've taken a mix and our mix was made with orchid bark, which you can find in the big box stores.

And you want to make sure it's orchid bark.

It's not soil, it's not dirt.

And it looks a lot like this.

There's different sizes and grades, but you want a little medium size, maybe like the size of a dime or smaller.

And you want to put some sponge rock or perlite into there as well, all to create that airflow, so there's space around the roots.

I actually prefer to buy the bark and the perlite that you can see.

The bag has little windows in it, you can actually check it, or if you get in there and feel the bag, you can know how big it is.

And sometimes it's sold with orchids, it tells you the size, it says it's the size of, you know, fine grained, medium, or bigger.

And that's what you want.

The bigger for the bigger plants, medium for the smaller plants Carmen> Need that air.

Clay> Exactly.

That's what you're going for.

And then it's kind of like cooking.

You blend it together.

And so I've created a little mix here that is all of the bark mixed together with some of that perlite.

And you'll notice it's in water.

I've soaked it.

And here's why.

We just said this plant hasn't been watered recently.

And so if I put dry media with this, any water that's still in the plant could get sucked out into the bark.

I want the bark to provide some nutrients instead.

So the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to take my plant and just gently loosen it up by squeezing the pot all the way around like this.

And then very gently, I'm going to extract my plant.

I'm just going to take it out and hopefully it's going to cooperate with me, and I'm just going to keep moving it around until it slides right out.

Just like so.

Carmen> Like a glove.

Excellent.

Clay> Now, I want to get rid of all of the bark that is in the pot, because it could be old, and it's the only way that I can do an inspection of the roots.

So, we've done this we've gotten our plant and our roots, and now you're going to see something that's very common.

If you look in the middle there is a little plug.

That plug is sphagnum moss or tree fiber.

It's what the plant, when it was a little baby plant was originally put into.

But it doesn't need it anymore.

So we're going to get rid of it And now, it's clear and easy.

Look at these roots.

Feel that root.

What does it feel like?

Is it firm or is it squishy?

Carmen> It's a little squishy.

Clay> It's got a little squish, but it's still firm compared to maybe a root like this one.

Carmen> Oh yes.

Clay> If the root is flat or the root looks brown and desiccated, you want to get rid of it.

So we're going to take our little clippers and we are going to disinfect our clippers with our alcohol.

So we're just going to make sure we have our alcohol.

We're going to make sure this clears it up.

A blowtorch is also great, to make sure that you take care of it.

But no one wants to have me with a blowtorch in early morning.

Carmen> Me neither.

They don't let me play with those toys.

Clay> So then you're going to go in and just clip off any little dead roots.

If you see something dead, like, if this looks suspicious.

Carmen> Oh, see and it's got that papery... Yes.

Clay> So we're going to take that and just clip it off like that.

Now, look at the rest of these roots.

These are some champion roots.

Carmen> Everybody else is looking fabulous.

Clay> I've got one down here.

Do you want to try cutting that one for me?

Carmen> Okay and where... do I cut all the way to the node?

You want to cut down to wherever it doesn't look good anymore.

Carmen> Okay, so that looks, that still looks pretty good.

So I'd probably cut right there.

Clay> There you go.

Carmen> Is that okay?

Clay> Perfect.

Carmen> And then I go back in.

Clay> Exactly, disinfect.

And now, it looks like we've got some really good root system.

So the last thing we want to do is disinfect.

<Okay> We talked about alcohol earlier.

Hydrogen peroxide, like you would use in your home is another great tool.

I can take hydrogen peroxide, lightly spray my roots a little bit, and any little pests or bacteria that might be on the plant are now going to be killed.

Because usually they are soft bodied and so the hydrogen peroxide will actually kill the little pest, and it's going to break down into water.

So it's not going to harm anything.

Now, we have a plant that's ready for repotting.

So you have to be sure that you have the right pot.

And I've given you two examples here that you can easily find at any store.

You have your traditional terracotta pot, like this one or you have a clear pot.

This one has holes throughout the pot, which is perfect for all types of orchids, so they can have that airflow.

And it's great because you can see the roots through something like this.

This pot is wonderful because... being made of terracotta, the water and the air can still permeate through the pot and you can see based on where the water is, if it needs to be watered once again.

And because, you know, these plants get very top heavy, you want to have a little extra weight.

So what we're going to do today for a Phalaenopsis is put it into this pot.

Because phalaenopsis or moth orchids are special in that their roots are photosynthetic.

So they actually process energy through their roots as well.

Carmen> They have to have the light.

Clay> So we need the light and that's how it keeps them green.

We are going to put them into a pot.

You can see it's just a little bit bigger.

<Yeah> And I'm going to get it down so that it's a little bit below the line of the pot, but not, so the leaves are not below where the bark is going to go.

Carmen> Okay.

Clay> We are then going to take... go for it.

We're going to take a little handful and we're going to just put it on one side and then the other.

(clattering sound) Just like so.

(clattering sound continues) Carmen> Oh.

Clay> Yeah.

Carmen> This is so much easier than I thought it would be.

Clay> And notice I'm holding the plant, <Yes> so it doesn't sink down.

And we want to keep a level area.

Carmen> And I'm just pushing gently.

Clay> You got it.

That's all you're doing.

So we're going to keep going.

Just pushing down gently.

Yep, you want it in there firm.

And I keep checking to make sure that none of my roots and none of my, my leaves are lost.

We're going to turn it around a little bit so that we can get all the sides.

And notice I've kept it in the center of the pot.

The phalaenopsis only grows from one point and goes up.

It doesn't grow out like an ivy or another plant that goes side to side.

It only goes up.

So now I'm pressing it in firmly, making sure it's all there.

Maybe a little bit more on this side.

Carmen> Yes sir.

Clay> A little more cause it's going to settle a little bit.

Perfect.

All of our leaves are up and now, we're going to give it a little inspection.

We are going to look through that clear pot to make sure that there's not an air pocket anywhere.

So as we look around, see down here, we got a little bit of an air pocket.

I'm going to push a little bit, make sure it goes down... like so.

There's a little more space, a little handful.

And guess what?

You have just repotted an orchid.

That's all you have to do.

And it's already wet.

It doesn't need to be watered because we pre-watered it.

But there is a last step to be covered and that is some nutrients.

Carmen> Okay, this is where I get nervous.

Clay> You can find something like this in any store.

It is a liquid form of an orchid fertilizer.

You want to mix this.

It's about a quarter of a teaspoon with a gallon of water.

Carmen> A little bit goes a long way.

Clay> The rule is water orchids regularly, but fertilize them weakly.

And I mean W-E-A-K-L-E-Y, Not a lot.

[laughter] Now, I'm a lazy orchid grower, so I love a granulated fertilizer.

A little granulated fertilizer like this, you sprinkle on top and it lasts for six months.

Every time you water it, it's going to get fertilizer on your plant.

So you simply take a little bit, sprinkle it on top, sort of like your saltine or a dessert or something.

And then, you are done.

And always remember put your plant tag in your plant so you know what it is for later when it gets ready to bloom.

Carmen> Well, thank you so much!

I cannot wait to try this at home and I feel a lot more confident about doing it.

Clay> Well, fantastic.

I'm glad that we could help and remember, the South Carolina Orchid Society is here for anybody that has any orchid questions.

You can find us anytime, day or night at the Internet with southcarolinaorchidsociety.org or South Carolina Orchid Society on Facebook and Instagram.

We have care sheets, videos, information tips, and of course, our meetings are in Columbia every third Sunday, once a month.

We're happy to have you there and we can answer anything you might need to know.

Carmen> I'm excited to use your resources.

Clay> Fantastic.

Carmen> Thank you so much.

Amanda> There's a lot of interesting orchids, and we are so glad that we've learned more about how to care for them from Clay.

So my hat is Hydrangea paniculata.

It's just beautiful.

And actually, Stephanie, we've just got a little bit of time left, but you said it had an interesting feature to it.

Stephanie> Oh, yes, my Hydrangea paniculata, the honeybees love them.

And so underneath those larger, showy flowers there, there's some littler flowers and they will climb up inside and gather.

Uh huh!

Amanda> How exciting.

Stephanie> It's funny because the bigger carpenter bees can't really get their big old butts in there.

But the honeybees love it.

Amanda> Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

We'll boo to the carpenter bees Yay!

Yay for the honeybees.

Well, thank you all for being with us.

We sure enjoyed having you with us.

I hope you'll join us next week.

Night, Night.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

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