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The long-awaited
warm, sunny days of springtime finally arrive bringing leaf-laden trees,
glorious flowers, a thriving vegetable garden--and HAIL!
In a matter of moments it furiously pelts, bruises, shreds and
smashes everything. Now
what do you do?
The first task is to survey your garden carefully and assess the damage.
You then can plan a course of action based on the kinds of plants
injured, the extent of injury and the amount of time left in the growing
season.
Because
trees and shrubs are a costly investment, you may want to take care of
them first. Broken,
dangling branches need to be cut off cleanly.
You should also remove limbs that have severe gouges and tears
that can’t heal quickly. Let less serious wounds heal naturally through callousing.
If you wish, you may treat these minor wounds with a fungicide to
prevent disease. Pick
damaged fruit on fruit trees and discard it.
If left on the tree, it will attract pests.
Clean up annual
flowers, such as petunias and zinnias, by trimming them back. Fertilize
them lightly and provide additional water for a few days to promote new
growth. Annuals tend to
recuperate quickly. If
damaged plants show no signs of recovery within a week or so, replace
them with new plants.
Perennials,
plants that die down and then grow back the next year, should also be
trimmed and fertilized lightly. Remove
as few stems and leaves as possible.
The chance for recovery is good if damage occurs in the spring
while plants are still producing leaves.
Hail damage in mid-summer or late summer, however, creates
special problems for perennials. Some
plants will struggle valiantly to produce a new set of leaves with
little or no success at this time of year.
Because leaves play a vital role in food production and storage
these plants will be weakened and under stress, making them more
susceptible to disease and death. You can improve the chance for survival by inspecting them
frequently for insects or disease and treating problems promptly.
Other perennials will |
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vigorously sprout an abundance of new leaves.
Because this new growth won’t have time to harden off before
autumn frosts, these plants will be susceptible to winter kill.
As fall approaches, limit fertilization and water to slow their
growth. Be sure to mulch
these plants well during winter. Gardeners
often fail to recognize that hail is the true cause of death when
hail-damaged perennials eventually succumb many months after a
long-forgotten hailstorm.
Vegetable
gardens, like annuals, are remarkably adept at bouncing back after
hailstorms. Remove the
damaged outer leaves of lettuce, spinach and other leafy crops.
If leafy vegetables show no signs of new growth after a week,
replace them. Root crops,
such as radishes and beets, will survive as long as the tops aren’t
too badly damaged. When cleaning up, trim sparingly. You should leave as much of the tops as possible.
Experienced gardeners know
that hailstorms accompany the growing season:
they begin in early May, peak in June and continue throughout the
summer. Wise gardeners
acknowledge this recurrent threat and take steps to lessen the impact.
When selecting new plants for your yard, keep in mind that native
plants, which have adapted to hail over the years, are best able to cope
with the pelting. Limit the
use of hostas, lilies and other plants with large, broad leaves that
usually become a tattered mess. Try
to place delicate plants under eaves, near walls or beside larger plants
that can provide some protection. You
may also want to consider buying or constructing protective shelters to
place over prized plants. Effective
covers needn’t be costly or unattractive and offer another tool to
deal with Colorado’s inevitable hailstorms—and we need all the help
we can get!
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