Category: Question of the Week
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Question of the Week – Sunlight Exposure
This week, the question was: What has caused parts of this cauliflower head to purple? This cauliflower has some purpling/reddening caused by exposure to sunlight. It is important to have enough healthy leaves on the plant to cover the head as it develops. If for any reason the leaves do not cover the head (poor…
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Question of the Week – Citrus
This week, the question was: What is this plant that is blooming right now (late fall) and providing forage for bees? This is a Meyer lemon tree. This tree is part of an ongoing trial at the Coastal REC to evaluate the cold tolerance of several citrus varieties. In a tropical environment, this variety of…
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Question of the Week – Cudweed
This week, the question was: What is this cool season weed? This is a species of cudweed (Gnaphalium sp.). Cudweed grows in a rosette form through most of the winter until the weather warms up, allowing it to produce inflorescence. Inflorescence may appear in the fall as well. The undersides of the leaves are light-colored,…
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Question of the Week – Predatory Stink Bug
This week, the question was: What is going on here? This is a Florida predatory stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) feeding on a species of plant-feeding stink bug. The photo shows the predator’s piercing/sucking mouthparts inserted into its prey. Predatory stink bugs have much more robust mouthparts than their plant-feeding counterparts because they must be strong…
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Question of the Week – Glyphosate Injury
This week, the question was: What happened to these beets? Only the last 6′ of 6 beds are affected. These beets were injured by glyphosate overspray. The applicator was spraying the row middles and forgot to turn off the sprayer while turning around at the end of the row. The most heavily sprayed plants have…
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Question of the Week – Imperial Moth
This week, the question was: What will this giant caterpillar become when it grows up? This is the caterpillar of the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis). This is one of our largest moths in the Southeast. The caterpillars feed on the foliage of pines, oaks, maples, sweetgum, and sassafras as they develop. When they are ready…
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Question of the Week – Autonomous Laser Weeder
This week, the question was: What is this contraption? This is a fully autonomous robotic laser weeder. The weeder creeps through the field without a human driver, using GPS, Lidar, and multiple sensors. The machine detects weeds in the planted crop. When a weed is detected, a laser zaps the weed, leaving the crop safely behind.…
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Question of the Week – Cutleaf Evening-primrose
This week, the question was: What is this cool-season weed coming up in the row middles of a fall kale field? This is cutleaf evening-primrose. This weed germinates and starts appearing in the fall and grows through the winter and spring until the weather gets hot. It starts out in a rosette with smooth leaf…
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Question of the Week – Cabbage Webworm
This week, the question was: There are diamondback moth caterpillars on the right. What is the caterpillar on the left? This is a cabbage webworm. Cabbage webworms feed near the growing points of brassica plants , often damaging the growing points and causing irregular growth. They frequently feed within webs that protect them from natural…
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Question of the Week – Garter Snake
This week, the question was: This little guy was hiding under a flower pot. What kind of snake is it, and is it venomous? This is an Eastern garter snake. These nonvenomous snakes are pretty common in South Carolina and are active most of the year. They feed primarily on frogs, toads, worms, slugs, and…
The South Carolina Grower 