Midlands
Justin Ballew reports, “We had warm weather the first part of last week. Heavy rain came through Wednesday evening and again Thursday afternoon. Strawberries are continuing to push out lots of new blooms a little earlier than we would like and lots of folks are wanting to start saving them. According to the forecast, there may be a killing freeze coming Friday. It may be best to allow this freeze to take out any blooms that are there now and start protecting any new blooms that come after. This would have us picking towards the end of March rather than the beginning. Just remember to remove any dead flowers once you decide to start saving blooms. We’re already seeing grey mold develop on dead blooms.
Sarah Scott reports, “Storms brought heavy rainfall through some areas of the Ridge last week which led to some flash flooding. Ponding of water is occurring in some peach orchards. Warm temperatures are pushing bud swell/break on early blooming varieties. Copper and oil dormant sprays are going out as well as delayed dormant applications of chlorpyrifos for scale suppression. Pruning and planting continue.
Lalo Toledo reports, “Spider mite populations have decreased in numbers in strawberry production. Plants are still a little behind but still look okay. Remember to remove dead buds before spring. Most farmers have delayed land preparations due to weather. Collards were stunted due to low temperatures in some areas, especially young plants. Sclerotinia is still progressing in many areas and continues to spread. Please use protective fungicides if possible.”
Upstate
Kerrie Roach reports, “With the first full week of February bringing a high of 76 degrees F, a low of 27 degree F, tornado warnings, 4-6 inches of snow, 6 inches of rain, and a currently running flood watch with 2+ more inches of rain predicted, agriculture in much of the upstate has come to a screeching halt. Stay tuned to see how we float out the other side of this week!”
Pee Dee
Tony Melton reports, “As my daddy used to tell me when he was about to whoop my tail – it’s too wet to plow. We need to be planting greens but just can’t. Looks like strawberries are going to super early this spring. Spider mites are loving this warmth.”
The South Carolina Grower 