Clemson Extension & Others
September Yard and Garden Tips
(http://www.clemson.edu/laurens)
Watch out for:
Lawns
Lawn diseases – continue watching for problems with brown patch and dollar spot in warm season grasses, especially if you had problems with one of them last year. See Brown Patch Disease of Lawns and Leaf Diseases of Lawns for more information.
Spittle bugs – watch for spittlebugs in warm season lawns and on hollies. See Two-Lined Spittlebug for more information.
White grubs – the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis does a nice job on Japanese Beetle grubs, but it does take a little time to build up in the soil. Bacillus thuringiensis does not, however, control other types of grubs. See White Grub Management in Turfgrass for more information.
Trees and Shrubs
Webworms – fall webworms should be appearing in pecan trees in mid- to late-August. Controlling the bottom 1/3 of the tree will be quite effective, even though we cannot reach the upper areas. Carbaryl (Sevin, etc.) is a good product for this. Observe all label precautions on mixing and use. Do not use dusts due to the problem with application – a spray made using the liquid form of the product will work fine. See Web-spinning Caterpillars for more information.
Vegetables
Blossom end rot – check your late tomatoes for blossom end rot on the fruit as it begins to form. This is usually an indication of a calcium deficiency. Place a handful of gypsum (land plaster) in the soil beside the tomato at planting (or later) to prevent this. Foliar sprays such as blossom end rot spray will also help alleviate the problem. Nothing will “heal” the fruit with rot on it, so remove and discard them. See Tomatoes for more information.
Things to do:
Flowers
Bulbs – it’s almost time to buy your spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocus. Don’t plant them yet but wait for cooler weather. Store them in a cool place where temperatures will be 60 degrees F or lower. See Spring-Flowering Bulbs for more information
Dividing – it’s time to divide spring and summer blooming perennials. See Dividing Perennials for more information.
Soil Test – now is the time to test the soil in your planned beds for plant nutrients. Soil tests usually take 10 days, so test now to have the results when you plant bulbs and beds. It is important to till in the lime needed (if any) for faster soil pH adjustment. You may also sample your vegetable garden now if you do not plan to add more fertilizer for late crops. See How to Collect a Soil Sample for information on sampling your areas.
Lawns
Fertilizer – it’s time for the second application of fertilizer for fescue and other cool-season grass lawns. Follow the recommendations on your soil test report for your lawn. DON’T fertilize warm-season grass lawns late in the fall! See Fertilizing Lawns for more information. If you have not soil-tested your lawn areas in the past 12 months, now is a great time!
Add Iron – applying iron to St. Augustine this month will provide dark green color without stimulating excessive growth. See Fertilizing Lawns for more information.
Aeration – fall is a great time to aerate cool season lawns such as fescue. Warm-season lawns (centipede, zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine) should be aerated in the spring and summer. See Aerating Lawns for more information.
Overseeding – many homeowners like to overseed their lawns with ryegrass for a green winter lawn. Mid-September is the best time to do this. See Overseeding with Ryegrass for more information.
Lawn Establishment – if you plan to plant a cool-season (fescue) lawn, the best time to plant is between September 15 and October 15. Wait until next spring for warm-season grasses. Unhulled Bermuda seed can be planted now, but spring planting of hulled seed will provide a better stand. See Lawn Establishment for more information.
Henbit – this nice little lawn weed can be a problem. Treat now to prevent its return this summer. See Henbit for more information.
Nutsedge or “nutgrass” – nutsedge is very difficult to control. There are two main types in our area – purple and yellow. You must identify which you have before you begin treatment. Herbicides must be applied when the nutsedge is actively growing, which means decent soil moisture and warm conditions. See Nutsedge for more information.
Irrigation – as this month progresses you will probably need to cut back on your irrigation amounts. See the Home and Garden Center’s irrigation publications for more information. See How Much Water to determine how much water you are actually applying.
Ponds
Pond Stocking – September though January are good months to stock bream in a fishing pond. See Stocking & Harvesting Recreational Fish Ponds for more information.
Pond Liming – September though January are also good times to lime the pond bottom if necessary. See Liming Recreational Ponds for information on sampling the bottom and applying lime if needed.
Trees and Shrubs
Leaves – leaves are beginning to fall. If you have space and a little time composting is a great option; if not, you can also till them into any fallow beds you have or the vegetable garden. See Composting for more information.
Plan ahead – if you plan to plant some trees or shrubs this year, begin thinking about which plants you would like now, and find retailers that carry those varieties. You have plenty of time, but you certainly do not want to miss your favorite at the last minute.
Pecan Weevils – pecan weevils are those little critters that make holes in your pecans. Start treating for pecan weevils the first week of August, and continue treating once per week for 6 weeks. Place 5 ounces of liquid carbaryl (Sevin, etc.) in 10 gallons or more of water and spray the entire area under the tree, from trunk out to dripline. Repeat this for each tree. You will need to do this 2 years in a row to get rid of the pesky critters (they have a 2 year lifecycle). See Pecan Planting & Fertilization for more information.
Vegetables
Garden clean-up – half the tomato disease battle in a vegetable garden is sanitation. As tomatoes end their production remove them from the garden and take them to a landfill. Many diseases will over-winter on old, infected leaves and stems. (A good practice for any plants you have had disease problems with this year).
Make a note – sketch out where you planted various vegetables in your garden. This will come in handy next spring when you plant, so you can rotate your crops to help prevent disease.
Vegetables – Some planting times for more common vegetables (See Planning a Garden for a full list and planting depths and spacings):
Spinach – Sep. 15 – 30
Turnips – Sept 1 – 15
All pamphlets referenced in this calendar may be found online: http://www.clemson.edu/hgic
The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.
Greenville State Farmers Market to Host AutumnFest
GREENVILLE – AutumnFest, the Greenville State Farmers Market’s fall plant and flower festival, will be held Sept. 26 and 27, 2025.
Visitors can shop for fall plants and flowers, pumpkins, and an array of home, yard, and garden décor from a variety of vendors. And it’s not just about autumn: Those looking to get a jump on their holiday shopping will find plenty of craft vendors on site. The market also sells in-season produce, dairy products, specialty foods, and much more.
Clemson Extension Master Gardeners and Master Food Preservers will be available for questions.
AutumnFest runs Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Greenville State Farmers Market is located at 1354 Rutherford Road in Greenville.
Admission and parking are free. Wagons will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, but visitors are encouraged to bring their own due to a limited quantity.
For more information about AutumnFest and the Greenville State Farmers Market, contact Market Manager Lia Sanders at lsanders@scda.sc.gov or 864-244-4023, or visit greenvillestatefarmersmarket.com. You can find the market on Facebook at @GVLMarket and Instagram at @GreenvilleFarmersMarket.
Piedmont Technical College School of Agriculture receives state and national recognition
The Piedmont Technical College (PTC) School of Agriculture recently received state and national recognition for the outstanding quality of its educational program.
The PTC School of Agriculture was recognized in July as the 2025 South Carolina Outstanding Postsecondary Program of the Year by the South Carolina Association of Agricultural Educators (SCAAE).
Later in July, the PTC School of Agriculture was chosen by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAEE) to receive the Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Award for Region V.
The PTC School of Agriculture will be recognized with other award winners in December during the NAEE Convention in Nashville.
“It is a true honor to have the Piedmont Technical College School of Agriculture recognized by the National Association of Agricultural Educators as an Outstanding Postsecondary Program. It is particularly special to us to be nominated for such an award by our peers within the state of South Carolina,” said Jeremy Brooks, PTC’s horticulture and agriculture department head.
“As a program, we are proud to prepare our students to be future leaders in the fields of agriculture and horticulture with our intensive hands-on curriculum, and we take pride in seeing our graduates making positive impacts while developing a lifelong passion that will help them be successful,” Brooks said. “This award recognition solidifies the commitment by both our faculty and students here at the Piedmont Technical College School of Agriculture to be the premier program in South Carolina.”
PTC Engineering and Industrial Technology Dean Christina Knight said the recent recognitions “affirm the strength of our agricultural programs and the outstanding work of our faculty, staff and students.”
“Being named the top postsecondary program in South Carolina demonstrates our commitment to preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders while building strong partnerships that support the state’s agricultural economy,” Knight said. “To now represent South Carolina at the national level is both humbling and energizing, and we look forward to showcasing the excellence of our students, faculty and programs on a national stage.”
Visit https://www.ptc.edu/academics/areas-of-study/diversified-agriculture or https://www.ptc.edu/academics/areas-of-study/horticulture-technology-program to learn more about the PTC School of Agriculture.
About Piedmont Technical College:
Piedmont Technical College (PTC) is a comprehensive two-year college offering hands-on training in the latest technologies and exacting skill sets that are most sought after by employers in our region. PTC contributes to the economic growth and development of the largest region of the South Carolina Technical College System, including Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda counties, generating an annual economic impact of $240.8 million. Throughout the region, PTC serves around 8,000 students annually. For more information, visit www.ptc.edu
SC agriculture school expands award-winning beekeeping program
Two students at the Governor’s School for Agriculture took home six ribbons at a statewide competition this year
BY: SKYLAR LAIRD – SEPTEMBER 2, 2025 7:00 AM
COLUMBIA — The night before South Carolina’s annual beekeeping conference and competition, high school students Savannah Smith and Garland Wilson sat in a hotel bathroom, picking bubbles out of jars of honey.
Smith, a senior, and Wilson, a junior, harvested the honey as part of the Governor’s School for Agriculture’s beekeeping club, using equipment donated to bolster the fledgling program. The two needed their jars to be perfectly pristine for the next day’s competition, where they would be two of the youngest people competing.
Panic set in when condensation from a shower caused the jars to fog up, and again when bubbles reappeared. The students rushed to wipe off all the watermarks and put the jars in a car overnight, hoping the bubbles would disappear.
“We went out the next day, and they were beautiful,” Smith said. “And then we got first (place).”
The students’ success at the July competition in Columbia, where they won half a dozen awards, shows the success of the year-old program, said instructor Susan Jones, an apiculture specialist who competed alongside her students.
“Getting these girls to the state conference was kind of a test case,” Jones said. “I really did not expect them to win. We were going as a learning experience. And the fact that they did so well is just very satisfying.”
In its second year, the program is set to expand, thanks to a donation.
Duke Energy provided $25,000 for state-of-the-art honey harvesting equipment and a honey house, which gives students a dedicated space to filter and jar their honey.
With 19 hives of honeybees, students will start making and selling their own beeswax products while continuing to make award-winning honey, Jones said.
Like with all courses at the agricultural school, known for centuries as John de la Howe, the goal is for students to recognize beekeeping as a viable career path, Jones said.
Smith and Wilson are already on their way to achieving intermediate certification, one step down from the master certification that separates hobby and commercial beekeepers, they said.
Beekeeping is an essential career not just to produce honey but to help farmers’ crops grow, Duke Energy spokesman Ryan Mosier said in an email. The donation came from the utility’s foundation, which focuses in part on climate resiliency, he said.
“Agribusiness is a top industry in South Carolina going back to the state’s beginnings, and this school is educating the next generation of those business leaders,” Mosier said.
Getting started
Neither Smith nor Wilson had any particular affinity for bees when they elected to start their own hives.
“I just heard it, and I was like, ‘I like outside. Bees are outside. Bees are good, apparently.’ So, I signed up,” Wilson said.
After a year of helping tend six hives, both earned their beginners’ certifications. At least once a week, they go out to their hives to check on the bees, making sure they show no signs of pests or diseases, Jones said.
The program got off to a rough start. Jones tried to start the program in 2021, after giving several guest lectures on beekeeping.
The school’s teachers had too much on their plates to properly instruct the students on how to care for the hives, and the school couldn’t find any volunteers in rural McCormick, so none of the bees survived over the winter.
Jones, a former president of the South Carolina Beekeepers Association, tried again in 2024, after coming onto the staff as an instructor. After a successful first year, the school’s aviary expanded to 19 hives this school year.
Each hive can produce between four and nine gallons of honey, Jones said.
“When you start doing that math, that’s going to be a lot of honey for this next year,” she said.
The program isn’t all about honey, though. Honey is a great byproduct, but the real value comes from teaching students about pollination. The students also look after bumblebees, which don’t produce honey, at the campus’ greenhouse.
“If you want something from the bees, it’s one thing,” Smith said. Non-native honey bees are the best at making honey and other byproducts, “but if you’re talking about, ‘Save the bees,’ let’s talk native bees.”
After normal classes finished every day, Smith and Wilson joined several classmates in walking out to a classroom in the woods with their notebooks and pencils. There, Jones lectured for about two hours at a time.
The knowledge shows. Smith and Wilson know about the origins of different bees, how they pollinate and how that affects the environment.
Both are certified beekeeping apprentices, and both are on their way to moving up to the intermediary level, which is a rare feat for teenagers, Jones said.
Award-winning honey
Already, the students have a strong foundation, Jones said. That much was clear when Smith and Wilson took home first-place prizes at the South Carolina Beekeepers Association conference in July.
Wilson walked away with first-place ribbons in novice honey and dark honey, as well as a third-place accolade for photography. Smith scored runner-up in novice honey, first place in amber honey and fifth place in black jar, which judges decide based on taste alone.
The awards are based not on a ranking system but on whether the honey meets a certain standard, Jones said.
A category could have multiple first-place winners or none at all. In this case, scoring first place meant the students made the honey as good as it could be, she said.
At nearly every turn, Smith and Wilson were the youngest people in the room.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ and they’d never seen us before, so they were like, ‘Where did they come from?’” Smith said.
This year, the students feel good about their odds.
Different parts of campus produce different tastes and colors of honey, since the bees pollinate different flowers and trees. Smith, in particular, plans to graduate with a big win. She has a hive in the woods that she thinks is making “the most natural honey under the sun,” she said.
With the donated equipment, the students can collect beeswax as well, which they can turn into any number of items, which Jones calls “lotions and potions.” Students will be able to submit candles, soap or lip balm for consideration at next year’s conference.
Next up is the South Carolina State Fair in October. The students plan to clean up any problems they had at the conference over the summer to perfect their jars of honey.
“More late nights in the bathroom,” Smith said.
SKYLAR LAIRD
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Comments are closed.