Author: Justin Ballew
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Deep Dive into Irrigation and Fertilizers
On the 15th of each month, a new podcast episode will drop that takes a deep dive into a timely topic. This month, Zack Snipes sat down with Gilbert Miller, Watermelon Extension Specialist, to discuss the ins and outs of irrigating and fertilizing vegetable crops. You don’t want to miss this episode. Find it under…
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Weekly Field Update – 4/15/24
Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Check out Extension Vegetable Pathologist Tony Keinath’s latest article in Growing Produce: Choose Cover Crops that Suppress Pathogens in Your Vegetable Plantings. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange…
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Question of the Week – Ambrosia Beetle
What caused this small, toothpick-like mass of sawdust to protrude from from the trunk of this stressed peach tree? The small toothpick-like mass of sawdust protruding from the tree is often called a “frass toothpick” or “frass noodle”. The structure was created by an adult Ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus spp.) female tunneling into the tree. …
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Weekly Field Update – 4/8/24
Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Check out Extension Vegetable Pathologist Tony Keinath’s latest article in Growing Produce: Choose Cover Crops that Suppress Pathogens in Your Vegetable Plantings. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange…
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Question of the Week – Parasitized Aphid
What is the bloated tan thing found on the underside of this strawberry leaf? This is an aphid “mummy,” the lifeless body of an aphid that has been parasitized by a parasitoid wasp. Typically, the adult wasps are tiny, at only 0.08-0.12 inches long. The female wasp lays its eggs inside of the aphid. The…
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Weekly Field Update – 4/1/24
Our Spring meeting season is starting to wind down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week is the Upstate Vegetable Production Meeting in Spartanburg. The EPA recently published an updated list of chlorpyrifos products allowed for use on food crops. See that list…
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Question of the Week – Giant Leopard Moth
What is this critter that was found resting on a grill cover near the coast? This Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) was found on my grill cover as I went to cook some dinner one-night last week. This is by far my favorite moth due to its striking appearance. These moths are common across South Carolina and…
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Stem Rot on Transplanted Tomato in March 2024
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Food Crops Agent Zack Snipes “Stem and root rot” is the term used to describe a disease on recently transplanted vegetable crops, like tomato, pepper, watermelon, cantaloupe, and cucumber. Tomato transplants with stem rot were observed last week along the coast of South Carolina. A proper diagnosis of…
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Weekly Field Update – 3/25/24
We have lots of meetings coming up over the next few months, so be sure to keep a close eye on the Upcoming Events tab so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week is the Pea and Butterbean meeting in Manning. Our recent Question of the Week post about the latrine from the War…
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Question of the Week – Shothole borer
What caused the damage found on a dead branch of this peach tree? This damage was caused by a shothole borer. Shothole borers typically find a way into the wood through damage initially caused by sunburn or bark injury. Adult females bore into the bark and lay their eggs in the cambium layer of the…
The South Carolina Grower 