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More Counties Under Drought Watch

SCOTT TOWNSHIP — Despite the recent downpours of rain we’ve been seeing, the Department of Environmental Protection has expanded its drought watch f...

SCOTT TOWNSHIP -- Despite the recent downpours of rain we've been seeing, the Department of Environmental Protection has expanded its drought watch from 27 to 37 counties across Pennsylvania.

"We did get quite a bit of rain over the last few weeks, so it's quite a bit shocking," said Daniell Whetsell of North Abington.

Inside Corky's Garden Path near Blakely, workers are dealing with the beginnings of a drought. Owner Trevor Kashuba has noticed when installing plants that the deeper the soil, the drier it's getting, which isn't good for plants.

When it comes to dealing with a potential drought, gardeners need to realize less is more.

"On average, a plant should receive one inch of water per week," Kashuba explained. "So take that into account with a one-inch rainstorm, that's the amount you'd like to supplement weekly."

But there are places where this drier season is actually quite beneficial like wineries.

"Typically, we do better off and get high-quality fruit in drier conditions," said Sal Maiolatesi, winemaker.

The owner of Maiolatesi Wine Cellars gets his grapes from all over Pennsylvania.

Because of the drought watch, the grapes come out smaller and more flavorful, making a fuller wine.

What doesn't help are those torrential storms we've seen over the past few weeks. Maiolatesi added that all those do is create runoff water and even destroy some of the grapes when it comes closer to harvest time.

"If we do get a lot of water and the vine has been in a drought condition for a decent amount of time, it soaks up a lot of water and the berries want to split which then can cause disease and rot," he added. "So we're not a fan of big rain at anytime."

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