Weekly Field Update – 3/2/26

After some rain and warm weather, crops will begin moving quickly this week. Now is a good time for strawberry tissue sampling and disease resistance screening. With more rain in the forecast, make sure you’re staying on top of disease control programs. See details below.

Keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically so you don’t miss any of our winter/spring meetings. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast below.

Don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week, and check back on Thursday for the answer.

Coastal Region

Anna Sara Hill

• A statewide pecan production meeting was held in Columbia, SC, on February 25, 2026.  The UGA Pecan team, led by Lenny Wells (PhD), the leading pecan research specialist in the southeast, was the invited speakers. The team included Apurba Barman (PhD), an entomologist specializing in pecan and citrus insects, Clemen Olivera (PhD), specializing in pecan and peanut plant pathology, and Andrew Sawyer, UGA extension specialist, who specializes in everything pecan. Topics included pecan nutrients, insect pest management, disease management and weed management. On behalf of Clemson Extension, we are grateful to the speakers, sponsors, and City of Columbia employees for making this event possible.  We also thank the pecan growers who took the time and effort to travel and attend this meeting.  

Midlands

Sarah Scott

• It’s starting to look pink around Edgefield these days. Warmer weather and pruning are making peach blossoms really move.
• Farms are wrapping up peach planting in the next week or so. Rainy weather last week and into the weekend has slowed things down until the soil dries out a bit.
• We have been putting out our second oil applications and are moving into our copper sprays.
• Strawberry plants are moving slowly, but the forecasted warm weather will surely push them. Tissue sampling and botrytis fungicide resistance testing is being conducted in many fields now.

Pee Dee

Brad Fowler

• Temperatures will be close to 80 by the end of the week, which could bring growth and a few problems.  Be sure to keep an eye out for disease issues on strawberries.  Disease resistance testing is available through Clemson’s MPPD Lab.
• Tissue sampling of strawberries should be conducted to help establish an effective fertilization program.  Here is a link to a video that shows how to take those samples if you need some pointers.
• Finish up any blueberry or muscadine pruning that hasn’t been completed yet.  This will help ensure good fruit production. 

Brittney King

• We got some rain in the Pee Dee over the weekend, and now we’re looking at warmer weather again this week. Growers are busy preparing for spring and prepping fields. 
• Strawberries are showing good growth ahead of the spring harvest. I’m seeing 3-5 crowns, which is what we want at this time of year. Growers have started fertilizing, so it’s only a matter of time now! Botrytis is still the biggest issue due to the weather conditions we’ve been having. Spider mite populations could increase as we move into warmer weather this week, so make sure to scout your fields. 
• Blueberry and muscadine pruning are pretty much done. Early blueberry varieties are already starting to bloom. 
• The Statewide Pea and Butterbean Grower Meeting is this Thursday, March 5th, from 9am-1pm at the Clarendon County Extension Office. Click here for more info and to register. 

Question of the Week

What caused the darkened (black-looking) patches on these strawberry leaves?

Answer in the comments below and check back on Thursday to see the answer.