Thunderstorms swept through parts of the state last week, bringing hail in some places. The coast remains dry. Root rot diseases are becoming more common in strawberries as harvest continues. Spider mites are getting out of control under high tunnels. See details below.
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Coastal Region
Anna Sara Hill
- Blueberry season is finally here! Some berries are turning color, and it looks like it will be a bumper crop. The first picking of early season varieties has started!
- Spider mites are continuing to be a problem. I looked at a field of tomatoes that was covered with them. Unchecked, they can cause substantial damage to new transplants. When treating, also treat nearby crops because the mites will move from one crop to another.
- Watermelons and cantaloupes are growing well, and I’m seeing very minimal disease to date this season, but continue with the cover sprays and keep scouting. Don’t let your guard down.
- There are a lot of cucumber beetles and squash bugs around. They tend to concentrate in wet spots in the field and areas near the woods. Continue treating and rotating chemistries as well as Modes of Action. If needed, add a synergist. Always check the labels of any pesticide you are using and take necessary precautions when bees are present and foraging.
Lots of cucumber beetles are present.
Anna Sarah Hill, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Zack Snipes
- We received 0.08 inches of rain this past week. I am a little surprised that such a small amount was even picked up or reported. It is extremely dusty on all farms right now. We are having a hard time keeping up with water demands, and it’s starting to show on crops. I am seeing weaker plants collapse in fields and seeing some impact on fruit quality in squash due to a lack of moisture.
- Some strawberry plants are starting to collapse. I think it is a combination of heat and water stress, combined with underlying disease issues such as NeoP, Fusarium, and Phytophthora. These pathogens can infect plant roots, causing a weaker root system and weaker plants overall. When water and heat stress become an issue, plants that are infected can be the first to collapse.
- I saw lots of cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and squash bug eggs last week in squash, zucchini, cucumber, and tomato fields. Cuke beetles can cause bacterial wilt in cucurbits, but I don’t think I have witnessed it in my career. The most common issue I see with cuke beetles is high populations feeding on the rind of fruit, which leads to loads being rejected. Squash bugs, on the other hand, will feed at the base of the plant where the stem of the plant meets the soil line. They feed on the sap of the plant and can collapse entire plants. Our populations are low right now, so it would be a good time to clean them up so that populations aren’t overwhelming later in the season.
- We don’t really have much disease in other crops right now.
A nice trailer load of onions.
Zach Snipes, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Zucchini suffering from heat and water stress and nematode damage.
Zack Snipes. ©2025, Clemson Extension
Midlands Region
Rob Last
- As we move into a potentially unsettled week, after the weekend storms and rainfall/hail, inspect all crops closely for signs of physical damage. Any damage to crops can become infection sites that allow pathogens to enter the leaves. Therefore, scouting, monitoring, and timely fungicide applications become critical.
- Insect activity is increasing in many crops, with whiteflies being observed in kale, Colorado potato beetles in potatoes, and, of course, spider mites and sap beetles.
- Disease activity is beginning to increase, with botrytis and anthracnose being observed in many strawberry crops. Removal of diseased and overripe fruit from the plants can help aid in the management of some pathogens and sap beetles.
- Cucurbit crops are developing well, with squash coming to harvest. Cucumbers are flowering well. Keep an eye on the CDM IPM Pipe for the latest reports of downy mildew being observed. By monitoring reports in Florida and Georgia, the tool enables fungicides to be timed.
- Tomatoes and peppers are looking great; however, be mindful of bacterial spot.
Cucurbit crops are developing well in the Midlands.
Rob Last, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Cucumbers have begun to bloom.
Rob Last, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Sarah Scott
- While most of the Ridge/Aiken area received some much-needed rain last week, many areas also saw an extreme hailstorm. Parts of Edgefield got inches of large hail that caused damage to crops. The hail seemed to be in pockets throughout the county/region.
- Peaches are ripening, and harvest has begun on our earliest varieties. Thinning is still happening on heavy producing later varieties, and summer cover sprays are on a tight schedule.
- Strawberries are still coming off heavy. Heavy rain caused some water damaged berries last week, but fields should perk back up quickly.
- Broccoli harvest has begun, and summer vegetable crops are taking off.
Friday evening storms brought a downpour of large hail.
J. Cox, Edgefield, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Pee Dee Region
Brittney King
- The Pee Dee did receive some rain last week, but we are still dry and could use another good rain in the next week. Overall, crops are looking good with few issues because of the drier weather.
- Strawberries are still being harvested at high volumes, but I am starting to see crown and fruit rot show up as the weather heats up. So far, the samples I have sent off to the lab have come back as either Neopest or phytophthora. In some fields where the plant canopy did not fill out enough, I also see a lot of sunscald.
- Watermelons are vining and starting to push out their first set of flowers. This is a great time to get leaf samples for nutrient testing if you have any concerns about fertility going forward. Also make sure you are applying protectants at this time like fixed copper + mancozeb or chlorothalonil. Do NOT mix copper and chlorothalonil together as this will cause damage. Because we are so dry, irrigation is being run on multiple cycles throughout the day to keep up with the crops demand for water.
- Blueberries are starting to turn color and blackberries have green fruit that are starting to color up as well.
- Muscadines are also leafed out and starting to flower. No real issues here so far.
- Cucurbit crops like squash and zucchini are loading up for a great harvest here in the next couple weeks. Cucumber beetle populations seem to be low in my area right now.
- I noticed large numbers of diamondback moth caterpillars on brassica transplants last week. Make sure to scout transplants before putting them into your field and creating a bigger issue. Resistance is a serious issue in managing this pest so be sure you are rotating insecticide groups and not just resorting to a broad-spectrum insecticide. Check out the 2025 SE Vegetable Crop Handbook on pages 152-153 for a list of recommended insecticides.
- Tomatoes are progressing well and should be ready to start harvesting in the next couple weeks.
Diamondback moth caterpillars and their characteristic ‘window pane’ feeding pattern on the leaf.
Brittney King, ©2025, Clemson Extension
Upstate Region
Andy Rollins
- Spider mites have become uncontrollable in high tunnel situations. We’re working with Tom Bilbo, Clemson Entomologist, to develop a better plan for next year. We are seeing issues where the strawberry plants in some fields have no fruit, while others have more than they can move. Plug plantings with large plants have had large volumes come in all at once. Later-planted, smaller cutoff plants have had less fruit per plant but large, high-quality fruit that come off earlier than large plug plants.
- Many strawberry growers are looking for new plant sources. I would encourage all that can to try and get bareroot plants from California, but only if you can overhead water them. This is because we usually recieve them earlier than cutoffs, which often don’t get here until November. We still have plenty of phytophthora root rot on plants from California, so don’t forget about checking for this and treating, if necessary.
- Peach thinning is still continuing in the Upstate. The crop looks good with nothing new on the disease or insect front. Many growers are spraying Topsin and captan this week for controlling peach scab. Early variety, Flavorich, was coloring last week and will probably be picked near the end of this week.
There is plenty of root rot in certain strawberry fields.
Andy Rollins, ©2025, Clemson Extension
