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.

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

We sure are glad that you can be with us tonight.

I am Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson Horticulture Agent.

For many, many, many years ago.

And fortunately Terasa, I get to come over here with you, my co-host and now the Midlands District Director.

And it's kind of like continuing education, I can remember some of the things I forgot.

(laughter) Terasa> Yes, it's always wonderful to have our talented panelists, who are here to share information.

I try to learn new things and we hope our viewers at home do as well.

Amanda> And you know, it's so wonderful that Hannah Mikell, who is a field crop agent.

An Agronomy Agent, I guess, is the fancy thing?

Because, you know, that's a massive amount of stuff, farming is a big part of South Carolina.

Hannah> Oh, yeah truly, it is.

Just in Clarendon County alone, I pulled some numbers from the drought we had the summer, and we had just 40,000 acres of soybeans alone.

Amanda> Whoa!

And, so, you know, we used to just talk about garden plants, but I love it that you come and tell us about the plants that really are an economic driver.

Hannah> That's true.

Very true.

Amanda> Thank you so very, very much.

Yeah.

I really appreciate it.

And I guess back in the day Terasa, all the Ag agents were kind of dour and, you know, (laughter) not much fun.

And now when Hannah comes, they're just, "Oh, we're so happy to see-" Hannah> I don't know about that, I work with all men still.

But, yes, it's a good job.

Amanda> It is.

Yeah.

Anyway.

And John Nelson is, Doctor John Nelson is the retired Curator of the Moore Herbarium at University of South Carolina.

Dr. John> Yes.

It's been a long time, but, they let me come back in there and putter around and- Amanda> Oh, John, they'd love for you to come and help.

And I think they like volunteers in general, don't they?

Dr. John> They do.

In fact, their, the current curator who is Herrick Brown.

Amanda> What a great guy.

Dr. John> He's been on the show before.

He's actively seeking additional volunteers to come in and, help do some of the busy work.

If people would like his number- Amanda> Please.

Dr. John> I can give everybody Herrick Brown's phone number, which would be 8-0-3, let's see if I can remember it.

7-7-7-8-1-7-5.

Amanda> Good for you.

Okay.

And so what kind of things do people do when they're there, John?

Dr. John> Well, there's day to day activity involving the preparation of these pressed specimens.

And, you know, I brought some of those in before, that people can see.

But as well, there's a lot of, what they call a lot of herbaria now.

The personnel and herbaria these days are really interested in taking information from the specimens and getting it into the internet.

So there's a lot of this business of, data transfer.

Amanda> So that first of all, other people in other states can access it.

Dr. John> Around the world.

Amanda> Wow, isn't that something.

Okay, well, thank you for all the work you did there.

And I'm glad you were so nice that they let you come back.

Dr. John> Well, you're welcome.

Amanda> We're going to let you keep coming back here as long as you're nice.

How 'bout that.

Okay.

(laughter) Well Terasa, we usually start out with "Gardens of the Week," and sometimes they're kind of funky, and sometimes they're just glorious.

And I think actually, every now and then, somebody will just send, something really beauty... beautiful in the landscape.

It doesn't have to be in your yard, I don't think.

Terasa> That's right.

We try not to put too many restrictions.

It's your time to shine.

Whether that means showing off, what you're doing in your yard or garden, or a beautiful place.

And it doesn't necessarily have to be in the great state of South Carolina.

Sometimes we see photos from our neighboring states as well.

Let's take a look at, Sharon Chandler, sent in a vigorous hydrangea behind her house in Seneca, South Carolina.

And it's such a vibrant blue, almost like a blue-purple.

From Mary Bradshaw, right here in Sumter, a close up of a ripening lemon.

Timothy Mills shared, the peachy colored flowers of Angel's trumpet, that's Brugmansia, in Columbia.

From Jean Barlow, Jean is in Cleveland, North Carolina.

She sent a blue ground cover, sometimes referred to as blue leadwort or dwarf plumbago.

Doctor John can correct me.

I don't know if I can get this scientific name out very well, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides.

Is that close enough?

Dr. John> Beautiful.

Hannah> Wow.

That was impressive.

Amanda> Was that a native groundcover or one that has been planted, John?

Dr. John> No, that would be an introduced one.

Amanda> Okay, now what is the thrift of the mountains that you see sometimes, that people would have on the sides of their yards?

Dr. John> And not just in the mountains, but one of the things that's called thrift, that you see in the country and beautiful rural places, are a certain kind of a Phlox.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Okay.

It is pretty to see.

Dr. John> Oh yeah, it's great, very low and very vibrant.

Well, thanks Terasa.

Terasa> I have one more from P.S.

Lane, and, no doubt this is a hummingbird haven with all of the tubular flowers of firecracker vine and crossvine.

So I hope you enjoyed.

That's just a small sampling of what was submitted.

I encourage you to visit our Facebook page, where you can see all of the photos that people have posted.

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

Post your photos in the comments.

Amanda> Okay, I've really enjoyed seeing them.

Thank you so much- Terasa> Me too, I can't remember how the idea first came about, Amanda> You have good ideas Terasa> I don't really think... it might have been Sean's idea actually.

Amanda> Well, y'all can share the credit.

Well, and later in the show, we're going to show you the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium and Reptile Conservation Center out at Riverbanks Zoo.

And if you haven't been... What we're going to give you is just scratching the surface.

Please make an appointment to go, because it's just fabulous.

Gosh.

That octopus.

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo.

Yeah.

Okay, well, I bet we have some questions.

Terasa> We sure do.

We're going to try to help Jimmy in Sumter, who submitted a photo and said, "I drove by a field and have no idea what is being grown.

It looks like Burgundy seeds.

Can you tell me what this is?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Hannah> I can tell them, I think.

Amanda> Well, you know, I ride by a lot of farm equipment, flower fields all the time and I haven't...

This will be fun for me too.

Hannah> Right.

You might not see as much over your way, but over, in this Clarendon, Sumter, Williamsburg kind of area, Florence even.

We have, some growers that are growing for, like, quail plantations.

And so the Burgundy, I think he's referring to, looks like this.

<Ooh> So there's all different stages that this plant goes through, and I'm gonna try to put them in order for you.

But as it starts to mature, this is an easy color scale, but you have your, your redder, more vibrant colors like this.

This is probably what he's seeing this time of year.

But this is actually, does anybody know what this is called?

Amanda> Grain Sorghum.

Hannah> Grain Sorghum.

Some people call it milo.

We actually had a litter of puppies and we named them all after crops.

We had, peanut, we had milo, cotton, and all- Terasa> That's cute.

I like it.

And how appropriate.

Hannah> It was until my daughter named one chicken table, because the dog stole the chicken off the table, it's ridiculous.

(laughter) I don't think the puppy's still named that anymore, but nevertheless, this is Sorghum or milo, and it's, as it's called, kind of in the Midwest.

But it starts here, with a little bit of flowering, and if I hold it really still, you might be able to see the little anthers of pollen on there.

<Okay> And as it starts to flower, it will of course pollinate.

We need ideal weather.

So generally, a light rain shower or something just to kind of keep the plants going.

But we don't want overcast long periods of really rainy, nasty weather.

Amanda> And that's self-pollinating.

<Correct> Hannah> And then we have, when it's trying to fill the grain, so this is maybe, more in like a milk to doughy stage.

This is fully filling.

And then you have it where it's starting to dry down and turn.

And so as it gets older and older, you'll see, it turn to a darker color.

Amanda> And it's relatively tall.

Hannah> It can, it can be.

So this that we are growing here, is going to be more along like my shoulder height, then a little below.

Depending on how well it grows.

Amanda> Well, that's tall to me- Hannah> That's true.

It does, it does tiller out.

So you have one seed that you plant and then as it starts to grow like wheat, it'll tiller.

And that's how I'm able to get all these from the same field at the same time.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

It's beautiful in decorations.

I just used to love to cut it and, take it when I had to do big events because it's so stunning.

Hannah> It is, it is.

And the really the taller one, you can get a taller grain Sorghum as well, it's not as desirable for what we are growing it for.

But they do it for like, quail plantations.

And as it starts to grow and flop over, the seed head will then dangle down towards the ground and the birds can peck on it- Amanda> More accessible to the birds.

Hannah> Yeah.

Amanda> Yeah.

Hannah> Sometimes you'll see 'em, where when it gets a little older, they'll start to fray open and they'll be little white kind of flecks in here because the, just songbirds will come along and peck the pieces out.

Amanda> Oh really.

Hannah> Oh yeah.

Amanda> Gosh it sounds like a... Now is it, relatively disease free and easy to grow.

Amanda> It is.

We did have some aphids that came in and they produce like that honeydew, you know.

And so when it started in, it came in, about five years ago I think, but it started getting on those lower leaves and it made that honeydew, that gummy material- Terasa> The sugarcane aphid?

Hannah> Yes.

Very good.

Terasa> I remember from a field day at Pee Dee REC.

Hannah> That's correct.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it naturally wound up having some other type of disease that took it out.

But it did, create a huge problem for us because that, those aphids kind of crept up into the head and it can deter the plant from growing and really healthy habits.

Amanda> So you having to, do you just scout for it?

And, address it if it becomes a problem?

<Correct> It's not a problem all the time.

Hannah> Correct.

Right, right.

Naturally, something developed where it was no longer an issue for us as much, and we don't really see it at all hardly anymore.

Amanda> Now, did they harvest it, and spread it out for quail in places?

Hannah> It depends on what the contract is with whatever the plantations doing, or some of it is actually sold to, to like hog facilities.

It depends on what type of market it is and what the prices are, but they do, they'll spread it out.

A lot of times they'll take, in a really wooded area and they'll thin the timber really, really well, and then they'll cut out blocks so the quail can forage, inside those blocks and they're protected by the tall grasses.

But then they'll run through like a whirlybird spreader, and they'll spread it where they've mowed, lanes through there.

So that gives them an area to go out and feed, and then go back to shelter- Amanda> And be safe.

Hannah> Right.

So, you know, the birds of prey pick them off.

Amanda> How about that?

That's just fascinating.

Thank you so, so much.

Dr. John> Another thing is, because we've had bird feeders in our backyard and every now and then, you'll see one of these things coming up underneath the bird feeder.

Amanda> So you think they pooped it out?

<Yeah> Hannah> Well, no, they didn't poop it out.

It probably just fell on the ground.

Amanda> From the feed.

Okay.

Dr. John> As a contaminant or something, but sometimes, you know, why not put these in, you know, commercial bird, bird feed mixtures.

Hannah> It is.

I'm sorry, I think of, I think of large scale, like around here, but yes it is grown in other states, more so for the bird industry.

Amanda> Okay.

Well that is just, thank you so much for stopping and gathering.

Hannah> You're welcome.

Dr. John> Pretty stuff.

Amanda> Woo, gosh.

The world of agronomy.

Who would have thunk it?

Hannah> Very interesting.

Amanda> Okay Terasa.

Terasa> Let's see, we're going to switch gears.

And this time we have Mimi in Northeast Columbia, who also shared a photo and said, "last weekend, I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail and saw some thistle looking plant.

Do you know, is this a native thistle?"

Amanda> Thistle looking plants?

Did she send a picture?

Terasa> Yes.

Amanda> Well John- Terasa> Thank goodness, otherwise it'd be really hard to answer.

Dr. John> Yeah.

And Mimi, in Northeast Columbia must be looking at, see these pictures.

Sure enough, that's a native thistle.

And they're a good many, species of thistles in the southeast, <Yes> and South Carolina.

Amanda> What is a thistle, exactly?

Dr. John> A thistle is, sure enough, it's in the sunflower family.

Oh yeah, yeah.

<Really?> And, a number of them, well some of them will have winged stems.

Not all of them, but, think about, a lot of the thistles that you see, they're, they're big deal, is that when they get ripe, you know, the little seed, the heads of flowers... Of course, it's in the sunflower family.

<Yeah> So all these heads are surrounded by, these little bracts.

You can see the picture she has, you can see even the little spines on the, on the tip ends of the bracts.

Well, and that's saying it's all ripe and ripened and probably not till later on in the autumn.

And of course they, the flowers get all terrible, but the seeds in there are the ones that have those plumy bristles.

Hannah> That's right.

Dr. John> I'll tell you what, and that's when the goldfinches start chowing down.

Amanda> Oh!

Hannah> Very pretty.

Dr. John> Not only goldfinches, but other birds too.

But, it's wonderful stuff.

Amanda> So, you're familiar with them?

Hannah> I am only because we had it growing in the pasture, across from our house.

When we heard the ice cream truck, we would take off running and we had been playing in the pond, And when I stepped on that thistle, I would never forget the name of that thing.

(laughter) It hurt.

It had not like shot up and gotten tall yet.

But when it got tall, we used to hit them with the baseball bats, which is so... country, I grew up.

Dr. John> And the one that you're talking about is probably the one called Cirsium horridulum.

Hannah> Oh, okay.

Dr. John> Those are unbelievably spiny.

But the, what Mimi has here is one of the taller ones that doesn't have all those, terrible leaves down on the bottom of the ground.

And I expect that the one that she's looking at, up there on the trail was Cirsium altissimum.

which is pretty common up in the mountains.

Amanda> And do you need to keep your shoes on around it, too?

Dr. John> Well no, but if you're going to be futzing around with it, you probably should have gloves.

Amanda> Ooh Dr. John> Yeah, it's spiny.

Amanda> I can't believe y'all did all that.

Hannah> It was very painful.

Amanda> I know, but hitting it with the baseball bat and running through the fields.

It sounds like a pretty charming childhood.

Hannah> It was, it was.

And the good thing is, a lot of that comes up in pastures, Dr. John> Right, and the cows won't eat it.

Hannah> They won't eat it 'cause it hurts their mouth.

Donkeys I think, we'll eat like the plume, right?

I think that's correct.

They like to feed on it.

I don't know if you've ever heard that.

Dr. John> Maybe deer will eat them.

Hannah> Oh I don't know, maybe.

They eat a lot of soybeans, that's for sure.

Amanda> Given their preference, they'll go for the soybeans.

Hannah> That's correct.

<Okay> Terasa> I think this really helps put perspective on plants, there functions in an ecosystem, and whether we appreciate them or don't appreciate them.

So you're talking about how popular it is with birds.

But yet, it could be very painful for us as we walk across a field.

So, just kind of keep an open mind when we think about plants.

Amanda> Don't, don't say, oh, that's just bad.

I don't want...

I think, because for some critters it's probably very, very important and apparently delicious.

Yeah that's right, Okay.

Well Terasa, what now?

Terasa> I was hoping Hannah might share some information about peanuts.

You know, peanuts are one of the crops that she oversees.

And with them being in the ground, I'm curious, how do you have any idea, like, when is it ready to harvest?

Hannah> That's a great question.

Thank you for that.

Amanda> If you leave them in there too long, I think the attachments go loose and you can't get them out or something.

Hannah> That's right, the peg.

Right.

So these I've scraped.

I have a pocket knife, one of my handy-dandy pocket knives.

Amanda> Don't take it to the State Fair.

Hannah> No, I will not even point it at you.

That's correct.

You don't want to take it to the State Fair?

These are some they're you can see the sizes are a little different.

So these are more mature right now.

They've actually been harvested.

Recently, They were dug.

If you can see, see how dark the shell is on here?

Those are going to be Valencia peanuts.

We don't grow a tremendous amount of them here, but they are wonderful for boiled peanuts.

I enjoy those.

They're like a little Spanish, kind of red skin looking peanut.

Where these are going to be a larger peanut.

They're more of a Virginia, like your ballpark, ballpark peanuts.

But the reason I'm showing you these size differences is, one is more mature, is being dug now, for boiled peanuts.

These would likely because they're so mature, the peg, what you just talked about, is going to weaken.

So when they're pulled out of the ground, they can actually fall.

So you want to prior to, getting ready to dig, pod blast them.

I scraped these with a pocket knife, and we can do it today and take a look.

But whenever you, you're scraping them, you're looking for the maturity level.

And so if I was to take this one, this is a Valencia, and I just hold it in my hand Amanda> And y'all have some kind of fancy device, y'all use out in the field, I think.

Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

Well it's not- Terasa> It's really just like a pressure washer, right?

I mean, not super fancy.

Hannah> That's, that's true.

So the ones that are darker, they're going to hold up a lot better and they'll actually rotate in the basket.

It's like a fry basket that I put it in.

<Oh> You have to have an oscillating pulsating head.

So it kind of like goes in a circle and like sprays them really hard.

It does really good on my, my driveway to, (laughter) but that allows you to see the color variations.

And so these are lighter, these are less mature.

And so if I was to crack these open, you will see these are more white.

And when I crack them open, you can actually see like how fresh and you can even smell them.

But these peanuts in this hull, I'm not doing a very good job, am I?

Terasa> I think you're doing a great job.

Hannah> Okay, thank you.

They are still connected.

I actually just broke that connection, but they would have been connected right here, like a little umbilical cord, almost.

And it's still taking nutrients from the hull, <oh> which is coming through the peg down into the ground, right?

But these, because they're darker... the boiled peanuts might be easier to do.

But, but you can tell, like, see, these will just fall right on out.

Might make a liar of me on t.v.

They're no longer connected, they're, they're kind of healed off the, it's, it's ready to go.

Amanda> Could you pass that down to her, please?

Hannah> Oh yes, we can do a taste testing.

Yeah, we need to.

But those, yeah, these are more of the Virginia.

So if I was to have scraped these, this hull here, would be more orangey looking.

And so as it starts to mature, it'll go from a lush, like, white, fleshy feeling, very soft to then a yellow, an orange and a brown, then a black.

Amanda> Now, if you want to get them up to boil them, you don't want them to be so mature.

Can you?

How do you decide when to do that?

Hannah> A lot of it depends on the day you've planted and what the days of maturity are.

So round 140 is when we start looking at digging them for like, candied peanuts, all that type of stuff, peanut oil.

Those are our commercial grown peanuts.

But whenever they're younger, and we're wanting to dig them for boiled peanuts, you'd have to dig them a couple weeks earlier than that.

So you look at start, around 90 days and start seeing what exactly your, your maturity rate is.

Because of course, they're not all mature and at the same rate, right?

They're blooming and growing as they, as they mature.

Would you like some?

Terasa> I can't say that I've developed a taste for boiled peanuts.

(laughter) Hannah> Oh my goodness.

Terasa> Now, some roasted ones, I'd be happy to taste test those for you.

Amanda> Chicken bog?

Terasa> Chicken bog is fine.

Amanda> Okay.

Dr. John> I think these are the kind that when you go to one of these rural convenience stores, you can find them, they've cooked them in the Creole.

Hannah> Oh yeah, the Cajun.

Dr. John> That's what I like.

Hannah> Yeah, the Cajun.

Dr. John> Hot.

Hannah> So these are the, kind of all the nuts, kind of fall to the bottom, but these are the ones that are growing on the, the vines.

These are actually the, the ballpark looking ones.

So these are Virginia's, these are actually a Bailey variety.

But as they grow, they'll start pegging.

And this is the peg that starts the little peanut.

So if, if we're trying to figure out the maturity rate, you do have to dig a couple vine or a couple bushes to then check and see where they're at.

So all these are going to be at different stages.

This one's probably going to be more of a yellow, where, like this one's going to be that fleshy, watch, it just like mashes.

and there's really nothing in there.

Amanda> Oh.

Hannah> Right.

So it has to have time to develop.

Amanda> And Hannah, I remember, you know, when they first started growing peanuts down here because I think they used to grow most of them in Virginia, didn't they?

A good while ago.

Hannah> They did.

Virginia's have more of their high-oleic variety, so they have more oil.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

Well, anyway, you know, since I go by fields all the time, all of a sudden I started seeing stuff there that never grew up.

And then I found out that it was peanuts.

However many years ago.

But, somebody said that at first, they didn't know where the darn peanuts were, when they would go in to harvest them.

Because that whole thing... You know, like, if it's a corn row, you know, where the row is.

And so now I think with all this precision agriculture, y'all know exactly where the peanuts are, so you don't like, miss them, and get all off whack.

<Yep> Hannah> Oh yeah, back in the day on the planter, there used to be this long arm that came out, that had a disc on it, and it would mark the row where you needed to center your tractor when you came back on the next row, right?

Well, now there's G.P.S., there's satellite imagery, there's all this type of technology we have, it's called "RTK."

But we're actually, to actually go in and plant, and then when we come back to harvest, our digger can pick up those same lines and run on that same line.

So we're not missing a row, all that sort of stuff.

I do have some pictures I'll be glad to share, and it's actually going to show you the digger, it's these giant blades that come in.

It takes, so let's say if this was actual plant, Amanda> Just kind of sprawled all over the place.

Hannah> Yeah, it looks like this big, actually.

And when it goes to flip them, it cuts them, and then tosses them up in the air.

Amanda> Oh, so they can dry.

Hannah> And they dry.

So they kind of mound over, just like this.

Amanda> And we went one time where they were digging some peanuts they were going boil and they had to, like, have fans under the trucks and everything, because, since they had so much moisture in them when they were piling them up, they were afraid that they would start kind of composting.

Hannah> They can, they can get a heat in them.

As they start to decay and mature, they will kind of get like a nasty odor to them.

So it is nice to have them up, and you can see that's very airy.

I mean I can, it's very easy for them to.

Amanda> Yeah, dry out.

Hannah> To dry out.

The interesting thing is, when you've got a guy up there and they're dumping the big, the combine over into one of the big trucks, to take them to be dried at the facility.

Sometimes rattlesnakes will be in there.

Amanda> Well, I've heard that.

And it's because they go in there and eat the rats.

Hannah> That's exactly true.

Amanda> So one, you know, rattlesnakes have a purpose.

Hannah> That's true.

Amanda> And one of their purposes is to go in there and keep and eat those rats, which is just fabulous.

Dr. John> And there's something else that a lot of people don't realize about peanuts, that the way they bloom, those peanuts are actually the ovaries of the flowers.

The flowers are actually pretty attractive, but you don't see them after they've finished blooming, because of flowers themselves, bury themselves under the soil.

There you go.

And so, on that stalk, is a very curious plant.

Amanda> Where are they from?

Dr. John> They're native to Africa.

Amanda> And then we have an Apios americana.

What is that?

Hannah> Oh, I don't know.

Terasa> Groundnut.

Dr. John> Groundnut.

That's, that's different.

That's some pretty seriously different for- Amanda> Does it make a peanut?

Dr. John> It does.

It makes a peanut but not because it's the fruit.

It makes little knottily tubers down below.

Amanda> Ok we'll talk about it later.

<Yeah> Okay.

(laughter) Well, thank you.

I'm just so glad they're doing peanuts down here now.

Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

Oh, I have to come back.

I can tell you all about these little nodules on the roots and the leaf spot.

There's a lot more to it than just- Amanda> So they're a legume.

Do they fix nitrogen?

Hannah> They do fix nitrogen.

They like, like a virgin soil, almost.

So the first time you ever grow peanuts in a field, they'll be, a bumper crop yield, usually.

Amanda> Well.

And then, isn't it, don't they have, like, they've suppressed some kind of nematode that's bad for cotton?

And so it's good to have them in a rotation.

Is that correct?

Hannah> Yes.

Yes.

We'd had to pull out a book and kind of go through it, but there are several nematodes that do like this, but then there's some that don't.

<Okay> So we mitigate a lot of those problems by rotating our crops.

Amanda> Thank you, thank you, for all you do and for having such a nice smile, while you do it.

Hannah> Thanks.

Amanda> Alright Terasa, Terasa> Before we go to our next question, I think maybe you have a hat to share with us.

Amanda> Oh, goodness.

Hats, hats, hats, hats.

This is a fun, fun, fun hat.

Because it's got a lot of stuff in it.

Terasa> It's an eclectic hat.

Amanda> It is.

So this is the most wonderful thing in the world.

Hearts a-bursting with love.

Isn't that the sweetest, dearest native plant, John?

What's the name of it?

Dr. John> That would be called Euonymus americana.

Amanda> It really is.

So the, it's a little, the little thing opens up, and then there are these little, it bursts full of love.

Terasa> It's sometimes called strawberry bush, right?

It looks a little bit like a strawberry before it- Amanda> And then John, what's this pink thing?

Somebody gave me a lot of these.

Dr. John> If I may, these tubular things, this is a real pretty thing called, Sinnigia.

And it's in the same family that gives us African violet.

Amanda> Whoa.

And then Hannah brought all this stuff in that I just fell in love with.

And so I guess that's... Did you find that on the side of a pond, Hannah> I did.

I was pulling some cotton, and it was in a ditch bank that had kind of receded.

So I was able to snip it real quick- Amanda> I love ditch bank things.

They're just fabulous, fabulous.

Dr. John> She's one of our, our native sedges, Cyperus.

Amanda> Sedges have edges sometimes.

Okay.

Dr. John> Most of the time.

Amanda> And a lot of times, like wet feet.

Hannah> They do.

Dr. John> A lot of them do.

Amanda> Goodness gracious.

Well, Terasa.

Terasa> Well coming from a ditch bank, that ties in really nicely, Ted from Camden, did not send us a picture, but has a question.

He said, "every autumn we have a dense growth of plants around our farm pond.

The plants have little pink seeds on the top branches and only grow at the edge of the pond.

What might this be?

And should it be controlled?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Any idea?

Dr. John> Well Ted didn't send a picture?

You know, we had a question from somebody named Ted in Camden, a couple of weeks ago.

Wonder if it's the same person?

Amanda> Could be.

Dr. John> Well anyway- Amanda> Maybe he's fishing a lot and noticing what's going on.

Dr. John> A lot of people in Camden like to go fishing.

I think I know what it is.

And it does grow around ponds and in wetlands, And it would be smartweed.

<oh> And the genus of the smart, most of the smartweeds around here is what we call Persicaria.

Oh, yeah, Persicaria.

And, it's in the smartweed family.

The flowers are very small and not too much to look at, but the fruits, the fruit will be a black or brown shiny, achene.

And it's surrounded by what's left of the, of the flower, which is turned sort of a lot of times pink or red.

That must be what he's looking at.

Amanda> Does it cut your finger?

Dr. John> Some of them are very, very bristly, but probably the one he's talking about is one of the less- Amanda> Is it a problem?

Dr. John> Unless you don't want it there.

But I think, you know, ducks go crazy for this stuff and Amanda> Shoot, then leave it there.

Dr. John> One of the favorite foods of waterfowl.

Amanda> And also Terasa, anytime you've got things growing at the edge of the pond that keeps fertilizers and, you know, animal manure and things from going into the pond.

Isn't it a wonderful thing to try to have edges- Terasa> Buffers, yes for sure, lots of benefits, from the wildlife value, to stabilizing things.

Those roots there, keeping excess fertilizer, pesticides, things from washing in.

Yeah, lots of benefits all around.

Amanda> I guess if you're down there with your fishing pole, you need to wear some long pants so that it won't cut your... while you're putzing through it.

Dr. John> Yeah, they're, they're quite attractive.

Amanda> That's really wonderful.

Dr. John> And in abundance.

I'm glad he just decided to find out what it was.

Instead of saying, "I don't want this thing-" Terasa> Always good to ask.

So you mentioned, some of the smartweeds are in the genus Perscicaria, but are some, is it Polygonum?

Polygonum- (laughter) Terasa> Or did we change the name?

<Oh> Dr. John> Well, a lot of the species that were in the genus Polygonum, have been moved into this smartweed complex that's Perscicaria.

<Okay> They're still Polygonums, but most of the ones that we used to call Polygonum around here are in Perscicaria.

<okay> A lot of them are wetland plants.

Terasa> It's hard to keep up- Amanda> Well, it's good that something is flourishing in the wetlands and providing food for the things that live there too.

Dr. John> And they're pretty.

Amanda> Yeah, all right.

Okay, Terasa.

Terasa> Shall we try- Amanda> Try to help somebody else.

Terasa> Yeah, let's try to help Dan in Neeses, who said, "what insects cause damage to corn?

And how do farmers deal with them?"

I know I've seen corn earworm sometimes.

Amanda> Oh, la, la, la.

Hannah> I did bring, yes.

Oh, I found him.

So early, early in the season.

Look how much damage this fella did.

He died unfortunately.

But before he did, he did some damage in the late season.

Terasa> Or maybe fortunately, I mean.

Hannah> Well, yeah, that's true.

Terasa> In this case.

Hannah> Yeah right.

We have a, Oh!

I just, that about scared me!

(laughter) Amanda> What kind of agronomist are you?

Jumping out of your pants.

Hannah> Oh, I don't like stuff sticking to me like that.

(laughter) Dr. John> Don't put it on me.

Hannah> Okay, I'm sorry.

It's just a stink bug.

Y'all, I'm sorry about that.

Anyway, so this stink bug goes...

It's in usually, like, some of our wheat crops.

I'm gonna try to turn him over.

There we go.

And when he's in our, I'm gonna leave him with that stick, and he can hold on to that.

When he's in the, the wheat, and the rye and all the ditch banks around our corn, whenever it starts to come up early season, they will walk over, or fly, or whatever they do, scuttle and they'll start piercing along the, the soil line.

And so as the air is coming up out of the soil and growing on the stalk, right?

It's piercing in the side, and when it does that, it starts to abort some of these kernels that would be in the ear.

<Aww> So a regular ear of course, looks about like this, right?

Amanda> Yeah, that looks a lot better, <It does.> The yield is going to be dramatically affected as well.

Hannah> It will, right, right.

And with the curl like this because it's banana shaped ear, this one obviously looks terrible, has some other stuff going on with it.

But because it has curled it'll allow the shuck to open, and when it does, rain will get in, some other stuff.

And so it can just cause the ear to deteriorate all the way around.

But that stink bug, that little critter there, will come in and with his proboscis, so his little piercing mouth part, will come in and pierce when the ear is at ground level.

So when the, the corn leafs are about, you know, waist high or a little bit higher, that's about V6, V7, that's a vegetative state.

The ear is down really, really tiny and low and it'll start piercing that.

And as it grows, it will then be fertilized and it will start to feel these kernels on the inside towards the stalk, which causes voids over here.

And as this grows, it'll just bend on over, like this banana shaped ear.

Amanda> Is it something that has to be addressed every year, generally?

Hannah> It's worse around places that would have had like really, wooded like ditch banks or like overgrown areas.

If you have, a wheat field or rye field- Amanda> Oh, that's going to make it, like to come- Hannah> Right.

When that stuff drys down, what, around the end of May, 1st of June- Amanda> They look for something else to eat.

Hannah> They're moving along, that's what they're looking for- Amanda> And stink bugs are kind of hard to control, I believe.

Hannah> They are, They are.

They can be.

A couple of good timely sprays, scouting is key.

Making sure that you're looking for it.

Amanda> Yeah, okay.

Well Hannah, gosh.

Thank you.

And thank our farmers for making sure we have such wonderful food on our tables.

Hannah> You're welcome.

Amanda> Thank you for helping them.

We are going to Riverbanks Zoo, to the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Aquarium and Reptile Conservation Center.

An absolutely wonderful trip that we took.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> I'm at Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina, speaking with my friend Susan Boyd.

Susan, we are here today celebrating another accomplishment of the Darnall and Susan Boyd Foundation, which is the refurbishment of the Reptile and Aquatic Center at the zoo.

And honestly, I think it's just fascinating because these are things that people see less and less frequently now.

You're making it possible for people to be up close and personal with things and to develop an appreciation of their importance in the natural world.

Susan> Well, it is wonderful.

And I have to say it, the reptiles and snakes and things are special.

There's so much disappearing and so important to have them stay with us.

Amanda> Susan, I look forward to coming back and visiting with you more frequently.

We've been to Boyd Island and now we're going to have more things that y'all are involved in.

Susan, thank you for everything that y'all have done.

Susan> Oh, thank you so much.

Think of the fun we had doing it.

<Yes> Susan> Yeah, it was great.

And I'm so glad to be here.

♪ ♪ Amanda> I'm speaking with Sean Foley.

And Sean, you are the resident herpetology specialist at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

Tell us what herpetology involves.

Sean> So herpetology is basically the study of reptiles and amphibians.

Amanda> Okay.

And we sure have plenty of those in South Carolina.

Sean> We absolutely do.

I've got a great abundance of reptiles and amphibians for people to see.

Amanda> And when we first walk in, I think you highlight the ones that are from South Carolina.

Sean> Correct.

When you first walk into our building, you're going to see these floor to ceiling exhibits really large, with multiple species in most of those exhibits, and they are native to South Carolina except for a big alligator snapping turtle.

He is native to the southeastern United States, but not specifically to South Carolina.

But you'll see pine snakes.

You'll see Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, you'll see canebrake rattlesnakes, Eastern glass lizards, all those are in one exhibit.

It's a really interesting exhibit.

You have lots of different species in there moving around.

So, and they all get along.

And it's, it's a really neat exhibit.

Amanda> And then what else do you have in that?

Sean> So then, if you go to the next exhibit, you'll see timber rattlesnakes, you will see copperheads, our most common venomous snake that most people see those in their lifetimes.

And then corn snakes, really pretty bright orange corn snakes.

Amanda> Y'all have a special one?

Sean> The color morph is Okeetee from Jasper County.

So they're bright pumpkin orange have that black contrast.

So they're really, really pretty.

And then when you go to the next exhibit, you'll see the alligator snapping turtle.

It's the largest freshwater turtle in North America.

They can get up to 250 pounds.

So, a really impressive turtle.

And then you go to the last exhibit and you're going to see Eastern Cottonmouth.

So that's another one of our venomous snakes that people can see.

Amanda> But then you've got some other wonderful exhibits.

So let's continue our tour.

Sean> So if you go to the right, the tropical forest area- Amanda> Yeah.

Sean> Used to be our desert gallery is now tropical forest.

And so we transform that from desert to tropical exhibits and you'll see different tree monitors.

Those are from Indonesia, that area.

A lot of them are found on specific islands.

So like black tree monitors, you'll find those from Aru Islands.

The green tree monitors will be from mainland Indonesia.

Blue tree monitors are from their own specific little islands.

So it's really kind of cool.

And then you'll see in the center of that, you'll see a Bushmaster, which is the largest pit viper in the Americas.

They get almost ten feet long.

Amanda> Gracious!

Sean> And then those are in with emerald tree boas.

So, up high, you'll have emerald tree boas.

Down low, the Bushmaster, and there's colorful frogs that you'll see hopping around there.

So that's another really cool multi species exhibit.

Amanda> Well, let's continue going on around.

Sean> Okay.

So once you get through that tropical forest, you're going to end up in the desert biome.

And that used to be our tropical habitat, the Cayman Island Blue Iguanas.

We still have those.

The Galapagos tortoises, the juveniles.

You probably saw those.

We have those in there.

But then we got some new species, so we have some spiny-tailed agama, which is a small lizard from Africa.

They're new species for us.

Some of the desert rattlesnakes, we did not have that before.

So we have Western diamondbacks, Mojave rattlesnakes, rock rattlesnakes, all these rattlesnakes.

There's over, about ten rattlesnakes in this big exhibit.

It's really cool.

So then once you go through there, you'll get to our old tropical gallery, which we're calling Land to Sea, and that's transitioning into the whole aquarium area.

Amanda> Y'all have a special animal that you are, have really learned a lot about, and y'all raise those here and share them with other zoos.

So let's talk about that.

Sean> So you'll get through all the aquarium area, and the last thing you'll see is the biodiversity wall.

And there's 15 small exhibits in this wall.

A lot of them have leaf-tail geckos and those are native to Madagascar, and that's one of our specialties that we've been doing for about 30 years now.

And we breed them here at Riverbanks.

We run the programs for those, so we send those animals to zoos all over the country and actually all over the world.

We actually sent 60 of them to the Chester Zoo over in England several years ago, and then they sent those to other zoos over there.

So we're trying to get those all over the world.

Amanda> I think one of the things that happens here, I hope, and I'm sure it does because of the skill that you all have in presenting these, is that you're getting people excited about these and letting people think these are things that we should care about and want to protect their environment.

Sean> Oh, absolutely.

We try to make that connection so they can see these animals, they can see the graphics that we have that explains what's going on.

We can explain what's going on with their habitats, because it's not just in South Carolina where their animals are losing habitat.

It's everywhere around the world.

Tropical rainforests are disappearing.

So these animals face a lot of challenges and we want people to be able to see these animals in naturalistic environments, and just to make that connection that, yes, these animals, you can see how beautiful they are, how an integral part of their community, they are in their environments.

And hopefully they can take that and just, you know, go out into the world and be good stewards of our environment.

Amanda> I've had a wonderful time learning all about these things, some of which we kept as children in our home.

And now I'm going to go over and learn about the aquarium.

Sean> Sounds good.

♪ ♪ Amanda> I'm talking to Kendra Bottini, who's the curator of the aquarium at Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

And I think you've been here about as long as the Galapagos turtles.

(laughter) Kendra> I'm in my 17th year, so not quite.

Amanda> But it's fascinating because you've been here to see so many changes.

And, of course, with the wonderful gift from the Boyd foundation, Darnall and Susan Boyd, y'all were able to make dramatic changes and add so much diversity and educational material to the aquarium, I believe.

Kendra> Yes, the donation that the foundation gave was really wonderful.

We've really gotten to be able to showcase some of these amazing things that zoos and aquariums are doing, the biodiversity that the oceans have to offer.

It's very exciting for our visitors to be able to see some of that new stuff that we have here.

Amanda> It is stunningly beautiful too.

Gosh, Pete!

The displays are beautiful.

Y'all should be commended on your artistic talents, as well as keeping some of these animals alive because they can be a bit finicky.

But let's do talk about I'm going to call her Mrs. Boyd.

(laughs) The new octopus that you have.

Kendra> Yes.

So Susan is a giant Pacific octopus, and we've been having her for a few months now, and we've started to learn her personality.

She's very inquisitive and is always trying to decide what you're doing in her home now, so.

Amanda> Tell me about her taking the cleaning brush away.

Kendra> Yes.

The one day I was actually up there with a very long scrub brush and I was scrubbing in the tank, and something that's interesting about giant Pacific octopus is they tend to know who their person is.

And I am not her primary person.

I was, I was taking care of her for that keeper that day.

She was off doing something.

And so I was up there doing a little bit of work.

And immediately, she just grabbed on to that scrub brush and I tried to pull it back and there was no way that she was giving this up.

And so then I just left it with her and shut the doors.

And because they're very curious and escape artists.

So we have very special doors up there that will keep her in.

And so I shut the doors and I walked away and set a timer and kept going back, like every 15 to 20 minutes.

And she had that brush for 3 hours and she finally let it go.

Amanda> And she's really just a huge mass of muscle, I believe.

Is that true?

Kendra> Yes, they are very, very strong.

The only hard part on their body is their beak.

And they have the beak and they have all those suckers and the eight arms, pretty large bulbous head, the very interesting ability to change colors and change their body texture.

They can change their skin texture too.

They do it to blend in.

But they, I feel they also do it to show emotions that they're having.

So, yeah, it's very interesting to watch them.

Amanda> I've read, I don't know how they gave them a comparative test, but they were almost as smart as a cat.

Kendra> I could believe that.

Yes.

Amanda> It's just stunning.

And the octopus have a rather fascinating life story.

And so they come from a teeny, teeny, tiny egg that hatches into a teeny tiny baby octopus?

Kendra> Yes.

And they grow relatively quickly because they do have a short lifespan.

So actually, they're growing at about 3%, sometimes, of their body weight a day.

Amanda> Gracious goodness!

Kendra> So we do weigh her regularly and adjust her diet accordingly.

So their exhibit time is very short, actually.

It's probably a year to a year and a half, really.

So, yes, the female octopus will lay her eggs and guard them and then shortly thereafter she usually passes.

So it's a, it's a short lived, but very full life that they live.

Amanda> And they're not endangered.

And so it will be easy to replace her.

You're not harming the species or anything.

Kendra> No, I mean, most marine animals, obviously, they have their concerns between climate change and overfishing.

And they do lay a lot of eggs and they do reproduce a lot.

And they're relatively common along that, the western coastline and up into Alaska.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, I'm sure that it sounds like from everything you all are doing, Susan, is going to have a very, very, very happy life here.

Kendra> Yes, she'll have a full life.

She gets lots of enrichment.

Amanda> And then these moon jellyfish.

What a funny looking animal.

And you said they really just kind of use currents to float around.

Kendra> Yes.

They have the ability to pulse and to swim a little bit, but for the most part, these are animals that are living in the open ocean and they are just at the mercy of the currents and kind of just float along and eat plankton.

And they are a food source for other animals.

So they're just filling that part of the food chain.

Amanda> I believe that y'all feed them individually, something crazy like that.

Kendra> So our exhibit, which is pretty large, we do individually feed the moon jellies in there with a turkey baster and they're eating brine shrimp.

In the, the backup space, we do culture them because they are also a short lived animal.

And so we need to culture them to be able to keep them sustainable within our, in our zoo.

And so, we usually are broadcasting those because there's so many jellies back there.

Amanda> Ah!

Okay, and then just a huge, wonderful, fascinating array of, I think, mostly things that are from colder waters.

Is that correct?

It's just stunning the things you have.

Talk about some of your favorites.

Kendra> Yes.

So in the same gallery as Susan the Octopus, we have a wide array of cold water, marine animals.

And so most of these are going to come from that western coastline of the United States.

And there is one exhibit that is southern Australia.

So that's going to be our, our potbelly seahorses and our ornate cowfish that are from Australia.

And they're very, very fun to watch.

Amanda> And which is the one that sticks out of the sand a little bit, that crazy...?

Kendra> That's in our coral reef area and that's called a garden eel.

They're very fun.

Amanda> That's a very strange little animal.

Kendra> Yeah, their faces look like Muppets, I think.

(laughter) Amanda> And you all are involved in a national project.

You were selected to do this.

Tell me about coral reefs.

And we know that they're important in protecting coastlines and things like that, but I think there's been a disease that's been harming them.

Kendra> Right.

So, on the Florida reef tract, which is in mid Florida, down through the Keys, there is something called stony coral tissue loss disease, which they're not 100% sure what exactly is causing it.

But what happened was in 2018, we came on to the project and there are about 20 other zoos and aquariums that are involved now throughout the United States, and we're acting as external nurseries for these corals, so.

Amanda> Hoping that they can be reintroduced if and when it would be safe to do so?

Kendra> Yes, reintroduction.

There will be some breeding and spawning and then reintroduction of the offspring.

So, yeah.

Amanda> And coral is actually an animal, is that correct?

Kendra> Yes, it is.

Amanda> And they have a symbiotic relationship with something that gives them their color?

Tell me a little bit about this crazy stuff going on.

Kendra> So, coral is an animal, but it also has symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae.

And that is going to be photosynthesizing.

And it's also what gives coral it's vibrant and different colors.

So different strains of zooxanthellae are going to show different colorations.

So not only is the coral getting the nutrients from the algae, but also it's getting nutrients from plankton that's floating along because most coral is also going to be eating.

So they have feeder tentacles that go out, they have little mouths, and each polyp is going to be able to take in food.

Amanda> It's a strange looking animal.

Kendra> It's very cool, though.

They're all different.

They're all different colors and shapes and they're beautiful things.

Amanda> And you do have an exhibit that is things that would be from our ocean, I believe.

Kendra> Yeah.

So we have a large Atlantic tank and then we also have a mangrove exhibit, and both of those are showcasing a lot of animals that you'd see more, more tropical, prettier things that you'd see in Florida and the Caribbean.

But there are also some animals that are in there that you would find on our coastline, like spadefish and lookdowns, burrfish, some triggerfish.

And then also that Atlantic tank will be the home for our sea turtle.

So, we have a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources where we head start a sea turtle, a green sea turtle, and every two years we release one.

So right now our sea turtle is not on exhibit because it's too small.

But here in a few months it will be on exhibit in that large Atlantic tank.

Amanda> I think when we listen to the things you've said about what you're doing, realize that a zoo is not an observation site primarily, but along with that, equally important is conservation.

And raising awareness of some of the ecological threats that we face.

Kendra> Yes, and near and dear to my heart is helping the state of South Carolina and our southeastern area.

So I'm really excited to be able to help with the sea turtle project.

I'm really excited for the coral reef work that we do with the state of Florida.

I think it's all very important stuff to be able to really hit home.

You know, this is this is what we have here on our soil and this is why it's important.

Amanda> Kendra, I think it's wonderful that the Darnall and Susan F. Boyd Foundation selected this as one of the projects that they're supporting.

It's just a tremendous educational opportunity and a conservation opportunity for South Carolina.

It's a wonderful venue to come to.

Kendra> Thank you for coming and seeing us today, Amanda, And we're happy to show you around and showcase this new Aquarium and Reptile Conservation Center.

♪ Amanda> A wonderful field trip to take.

I hope if you haven't been that you will go there soon.

And I hope that you will be with 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.

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.