Author: Justin Ballew

What is this red-eyed creature found crawling up a pine tree? This is a periodical cicada nymph that has just crawled out of the soil after 13 years of feeding and developing underground and is now...

What is this critter that was found resting on the wall inside of a garage? This is another beneficial insect: a brown lacewing. Brown lacewings are smaller than the more common green lacewings,...

What is this cool-season weed that is turning fallow fields purple right now? This is henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). This annual cool-season weed germinates in the fall and grows throughout the...

These citrus leaves are showing symptoms of cold injury. This tree is part of a study at the Sandhill REC in Columbia looking at 9 varieties of citrus that are believed to have improved cold...

Coastal Region Zack Snipes We had a week of warm weather after a cold snap. I have seen an uptick in black rot in brassicas. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything anyone can do, conventionally or...

Happy 2024! We’re back and ready for another great year of growing fruit and veggies! We hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. Don’t forget to look at our resources tab for...

This cool-season weed called swinecress (Coronopus didymus) was found coming up in a mustard field. As a seedling, swinecress grows in a rosette, as seen here. As it matures and begins to flower, it...

While picking out the ingredients for my Thanksgiving sweetpotato casserole, I found this sweetpotato full of holes. The holes are tell-tale signs of wireworm feeding. Wireworms are the...

Today’s update will be our final update of 2023. With things slowing down in the field, we will take some time to focus on other projects, and the Weekly Field Updates will resume in January. We...

This is an armyworm egg mass on a tomato leaf, possibly from the beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua). The beet armyworm is a pest of vegetables across the Southern US. In warm weather, these eggs will...

Coastal Region Zack Snipes We finally got some rain to speak of over the holiday. The cooler weather and rain have really put the fall crops into gear. I have not seen or heard of many disease or...