BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Professionals say their garden centers are doing just fine amid the high temperatures hitting the Lehigh Valley.
The National Weather Service extended a heat advisory through Saturday, where heat index values could reach 98 degrees. An excessive heat watch — which could bring heat indexes up to 103 degrees — begins shortly after.
Temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s until Wednesday.
Experts say it's a natural weather pattern that garden centers are trained to accommodate, but homeowners don't always possess the same plant knowledge.
The first step in caring for your plants and gardens is knowing what a healthy plant looks like, said Herbein's Garden Center assistant nursery manager Tony Rozanski.
"Then if you start seeing any alteration from that, you want to get water out," Rozanski said. "...The flagging [when leaves of a plant begin drooping], if you see that, they need water almost immediately. And when it's drought like this, you almost can't water enough."
It isn't as simple as just watering, though.
Watering right
Both Rozanski and Ken Gretz, Tilley's Nursery store manager, said its best practice to water plants early in the morning — before the sun rises — or later in the evening at the base of the plant, not the leaves.
"Don't just spray the top of it because, especially during the sun, those little water droplets act like magnifying glasses," Rozanski said. "They can burn the leaves."
Gretz also said watering plants at the base ensures the roots can absorb the water.
"Everybody waters the plant, but you need to water the soil. Because that's where a plant absorbs 90% of the moisture."Ken Gretz, Tilley's Nursery Store Manager
"Everybody waters the plant, but you need to water the soil," he said. "Because that's where a plant absorbs 90% of the moisture."
Penn State Extension Master Gardener Coordinator Joseph Veshinfsky also said he recommends drip irrigation if possible, because it waters deeply into the plant.
"The plants are going to be transpiring more," Veshinfsky said. "They're always evaporating water and as it gets hotter there's going to be more of that happening. So, if you start to see something wilt, assuming its not from a disease, you want to keep that from happening because that stresses the plant."
Adding gardening products that hold water, like Soil Moist — a polymer that absorbs water and releases it as needed — can help potted plants during high temperatures or a drought.
Peat moss, also known as Sphagnum, also serves similar purposes as Soil Moist — aerating the soil and helping retain moisture for plants.
Next is where mulch comes in handy, Gretz said.
"Mulch is key. Make sure you have a good layer of mulch in your flowerbeds because that actually holds the moisture in the soil," he said. "It protects it. The sun beats on the mulch, but the soil underneath is holding the water."
Anyone purchasing plants during high temperatures should get them in soil right away, Gretz said. The pots plants are purchased in typically are made for drainage, not for water retention, so it's best to get the plant into an environment where it can best absorb water.
And, some potted plants might benefit from being moved into shade at the hottest point in the day, Veshinfsky said.
For plants already in the ground, Rozanski said it's also a good approach to water a bit at a time.
"We do tell people, if you're in heavy clay soil — which is a lot around here — it tends to act like a bowl," Rozanski said. "So you might be better off watering it a little bit, then come back later, water a little more, so everything stays hydrated, but it's not sitting in 'soup' to the roots."
Above all, Gretz said he recommends beginners get their plants from a nursery. That way professionals can ensure they leave with the appropriate knowledge to care for their plant once they take it home.
"Because ideally, if you're going to spend, $100 on a tree, I only want you to spend at once."Ken Gretz, Tilley's Nursery Store Manager
"Because ideally, if you're going to spend $100 on a tree, I only want you to spend it once," Gretz said. "I don't want you to fail three times and then come back, like 'Why's my tree dying?' ...Be careful where you get your advice."
Are nurseries hurting?
Nurseries' products aren't affected by the excessive heat warning. The main concern during weather like this is the employees, Rozanski and Gretz said.
"Honestly the biggest threat with heat like this is my people," Gretz said.
Veshinfsky quipped that some plants, like tomatoes and peppers, are better equipped for the heat than humans, and actually prefer hotter temperatures.
"The people probably need to make sure they're more protected because when you get out in the garden like this, you can get sunburnt, sun stroke," Veshinfsky said. "So people have to take care of themselves too, make sure they're hydrated. And, I mean, most of the plants, they're gonna do just fine through this as long as they're watered."
Drought poses a bigger risk to nurseries, especially for Gretz.
Tilley's, in Coopersburg, irrigates out of a pond, so when drought hits and the pond dries up, that causes more stress on the nursery than a heat advisory or excessive heat warning could.
"Any extreme is not good," Gretz said.
"In a perfect world, we'd get three days of sun like this. It would rain overnight — all night — and the sun will come out the next morning. That'd be the best thing in the world for business."
