Meteorologist Dave Epstein is our go-to person for pressing weather questions on everything from winter blizzards to summer droughts. He’s also a horticulturist, meaning he’s an expert in anything that grows leaves and flowers. GBH's Morning Edition asked our audience for weather and gardening questions, and Epstein graciously answered them on the air. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Have a gardening or weather question for meteorologist Dave Epstein? Tweet him @GrowingWisdom, email us at thewakeup@wgbh.org, or text 617-300-2008.
Should I go to the beach this weekend?
First, let’s talk beach weather: There is some rain in the forecast, but don’t let that cancel beach days completely, Epstein said.
“I do think that there'll be a few more showers this afternoon and evening,” he said. “I don't think we're going to see everybody getting them.”
The theme of weekend weather: variable clouds and sun, some humidity and a few downpours.
“The bulk of the day tomorrow is actually dry,” Epstein said of Saturday. “There could be a couple of showers in the afternoon. I think we have a better chance on Sunday to see some showers. … But I wouldn't cancel plans because you think it's going to rain all weekend. It's just not.”
Before heading to the beach, check whether people are allowed to go into the water, he suggested. As of Friday morning, Massachusetts had 71 ocean, lake and pond beaches closed because the water has potentially harmful levels of bacteria, Cyanobacteria or algae.
“The more of this heavy rain that we see, especially when you get over an inch in some areas, the more you end up washing some of those pollutants down into the oceans. And that's why the beaches end up getting closed,” Epstein said.
What does all this rain mean for fall? Will we get great produce? Good foliage?
This year’s weather is great for some crops and pretty disastrous for others, Epstein said. The New England peach crop, for one, was decimated when a cold snap back in February froze budding blossoms.
“I mean, all is not doom and gloom,” Epstein said. “The fact last year we had the drought, right? And so the apples were a little smaller. This year, I think those apples are going to be bigger with all the rain.”
Also doing well: Asian pears.
As for foliage — that remains to be seen.
“It's still early. We're only in July,” Epstein said. “If we were to have a very wet fall, what tends to happen is the colors are muted. But if we were to dry out, say, in August and September and have sort of more typical weather, it could be an absolutely glorious foliage season because we've had really great growth.”
Fingers crossed.
every time I try to repot my plants, I kill them (usually from root rot). So I’ve been avoiding it. What’s a definitive guide to repotting houseplants?
— dr. darien alexander williams (@nigreaux) July 14, 2023
Plants need to be repotted when they outgrow their homes, Epstein said, usually when their roots are visibly growing outside the pot.
Sometimes, Epstein said, people replace those too-small pots with too-big ones. That means the plant’s roots can’t get to every corner of the pot, water languishes in those corners of the dirt, and root rot sets in.
“You definitely want to increase it by maybe one to one and a half sizes,” Epstein said. “Don't increase the size of the pot too much and that tends to help mitigate it a little bit.”
Also: On rainy weeks, consider bringing the plant inside.
“In this type of weather, I would not pot a plant, leave it outside and have it soaking wet all the time. That also can cause problems,” Epstein said.
