This will be the final update of 2020. We will pick it back up on 1/4/21. Be sure to keep an eye on the upcoming events tab, and give us a call if you need anything. Happy Holidays from the SC Grower team! We hope everyone takes some time to enjoy the season, and may 2021 bring you good health, great family time, and as always…prosperous fields!
Coastal Region
Zack Snipes reports, “A chilly week in the Lowcountry took out or really slowed down some of our fruiting crops like pepper, tomato, and cukes. The brassicas and strawberries are loving this weather. One thing I have noticed lately is lots of worm damage on brassica. After talking to many growers, I hear that many are not using adjuvants in their spray tanks. Adjuvants can help your pesticides work better. A common one I would recommend on brassica crops is the use of a spreader-sticker. Brassica crops have a waxy leaf that repels water. The use of a spreader-sticker will help stick the pesticide droplet to your leaf, and the spreader will help reduce surface tension so that the droplets spread out on your leaf. You will be amazed at how much better coverage you will get with a spreader-sticker and how much better your pesticide will work (organic or conventional pesticide). Adjuvants are cheap so consider adding some to your tank today.
Many crops have a waxy surface that causes pesticide mixtures to bead up on the plant. The use of a spreader-sticker would have helped these pesticide droplets spread out and stick to the leaf, which helps the overall efficacy of your product.
Zack Snipes, ©2020 Clemson University
Midlands Region
Justin Ballew reports, “We had two nights last week where temperatures dipped below freezing. After a long fall growing season, the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash are done. Now growers will be focusing on strawberries, greens, and herbs. Strawberries in some fields had developed blooms as a result of the late warm weather. Now that the cold has killed them, it will be important to sanitize them before the spring, as dead blooms can become a significant source of grey mold inoculum. As always, don’t let up on scouting for caterpillars in greens.”
Due to a warm fall, several strawberry fields have developed some early blooms that have been/will be killed by the cold. Be sure to sanitize these blooms to keep grey mold from having dead tissue to develop on.
Justin Ballew, ©2020 Clemson University
As the cold weather has finished off other fall crops, growers will be focusing more on greens now. This mustard is off to a great start.
Justin Ballew, ©2020 Clemson University
Sarah Scott reports, “Brassicas are being harvested. Pest pressure is relatively high this season, including aphids and diamondback months. Peach fields are being prepped for new plantings. In areas where armillaria root rot has been an issue in past crops, growers will use a plow to create berms to plant trees on. The rain has slowed plowing down, but there is a dry forecast for the next 7 days.”
