Clemson Univesity Extension Service

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Although persimmons have consistently beautiful and early fall foliage, they aren’t often highly valued by homeowners, but people who plant them as a food source for wildlife and soil stabilization know their importance. The ripe fruits are relished by deer, possums, foxes, and raccoons and people – although you have to wait until they’re so soft you can only eat them with a spoon or they’ll turn your mouth inside out.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Some people fuss about our native catalpas – both species grow here bignoniodes and speciosa – saying they are weedy and then go right and plant a horrible invasive non-native tree that closely resembles catalpa. Paulownia tomentosa, Princess Tree, has similar large heart shaped leaves and a showy cluster of flowers, purple in this case.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow.  A nearby stand of catalpa trees is kept pruned so that the owners can easily reach catalpa sphinx moth caterpillars that use the leaves as their larval food source. This stout but dully colored caterpillar is actually hard to find – most stands of catalpa I see don’t have them feeding on them. Their infestations seem to be sporadic; many other insects parasitize these creatures and some people actually purchase pupae to inoculate their trees.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Since summer seems interminable this year, I’m desperate for signs of fall. Several catalpa trees on my daily drive have caught my eye recently with their large leaves sporting a yellow autumnal color. Catalpa is known as a fisherman’s tree since it the larval food source for the catalpa sphinx moth. It has large, ten inches or so across, heart-shaped leaves that are yellow-green.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Clemson’s Home and Garden Information Center has a dandy fact sheet called Planning, p-l-a-n-n-i-n-g, a garden. You still have time to put out hardier winter vegetables like kale, collards, and turnips. Extension Agent Tony Melton and I have recorded podcasts about how to get a successful garden up and going and you can find those along with all sorts of other cool things to listen to.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Back in the day, we took a long bamboo pole with us to the Christmas tree farm be sure a tree would reach our tall ceilings. If I were worried about the fall webworms in my pecan trees, perhaps I could use that pole to break up some of the lower nests.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Many people try to spray insecticides on the nests of eastern tent caterpillars or fall webworms. The webs, however, protect the caterpillars and usually the nests are too high to effectively reach with your sprayer. Trying to burn the nests may start a fire or badly damage the tree. One specialists says that if you can safely reach the nest, use the five-fingered, digital, integrated pest management approach.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The fall webworms are spectacularly visible these days. In spring, adults emerge from overwinter cocoons, females lay eggs and the first generation of this native caterpillar begins feeding in early summer.   They don’t cause much damage as by the time their populations build up towards the end of summer, the deciduous leaves they’re feeding on are ending their life cycle.

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of Making It Grow, Amanda McNulty and Dr. John Nelson from the University of South Carolina AC Moore Herbarium continue their discussion on pine trees with more facts about the Slash Pine, the White Pine and the Shortleaf Pine.
(MIG Extra 11)

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. South Carolina has two noticeable web-building caterpillars, the Eastern tent caterpillar and the fall web worm.

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of Making It Grow, Amanda McNulty talks with Dr. John Nelson from the University of South Carolina AC Moore Herbarium about the Longleaf Pine, the Slash Pine and the Loblolly Pine.
(MIG Extra 10)

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of Making It Grow, Amanda McNulty talks with Dr. John Nelson from the University of South Carolina AC Moore Herbarium about his recent trip to botanize in Nebraska.
(MIG Extra 09)

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of Making It Grow, Amanda McNulty talks with Dr. John Nelson from the University of South Carolina AC Moore go in depth in the family of sunflowers.
(MIG Extra 08)