Hot, dry weather hitting Western Pennsylvania for holiday weekend

At Harbison Nursery in Harrison, keeping plants alive is the main concern during these hot July days.

Andrew Scarborough tends to the nursery’s plants. With the weather forecast calling for more scorchers, he said it’s important to care for plants correctly.

High temperatures will peak in the low 90s from Friday through Tuesday, said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. There’s no rain in the forecast through the weekend.

Morning is the prime time to water plants, Scarborough said. And it’s important to water them correctly. Water the dirt directly, he said, rather than soaking leaves and flowers.

“The number one thing to do is get (plants) out of the sun,” Scarborough said. He suggested moving plants into the shade during the hottest parts of the day but letting them get some sunlight during morning and evening hours.

Jason Wilkinson, owner of Jason Wilkinson Nursery in Hempfield, said people should be mindful of when to water plants to make the most of the watering.

“You don’t have nearly as much evaporation in the mornings or evenings,” he said.

Vegetables also need more water.

Dan Higgins of Michael Brothers Nursery in Cheswick said any type of plant may require extra water during these hot, dry days.

Karen Tribou from Plumline Nursery in Murrsyville encouraged people to monitor their plants throughout the day.

“The trees and plants will tell you,” she said. “You just have to look at them. They start looking droopy and crispy.”

She said plants in pots and planters tend to overheat quickly, as plastic or cement planters trap heat.

Grass could suffer in the dry heat, too. Higgins suggested watering lawns in the morning.

“Watering it won’t make it green once it’s already brown,” he said. “If it’s still green and you want to keep it green, watering it would be really helpful.”

Wilkinson said newly planted grass will be particularly tricky to maintain this summer.

“For anybody that is planting new grass right now, the most crucial thing is to not let that ground get dry at all,” he said. He suggested waiting till September to plant new grass if possible.

Wilkinson and Tribou also suggested watering trees by leaving a hose trickling at the base of the trunk for about an hour every day or every other day.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s Thursday.

“It’s going to be warm, and we’re going to have plenty of sunshine,” Hendricks said.

While this may bode well for Fourth of July picnics, it’ll make plant care a bit harder.

Plus, it can pose certain dangers, Hendricks warned.

“With it being as warm as it’s going to be over the next five days, people really need to be careful about what they do with their fireworks. They could cause brush fires,” Hendricks said.

He reminded people to dress in light colors and drink extra water to combat the heat.

The dry spell should break Monday afternoon, Hendricks said.

“We have a meteorological situation where we have an area of high pressure over the region that’s blocking any movement of weather systems into the region,” Hendricks said, explaining that the rain will come once that moves out of the area.