Hail FORT COLLINS, CO (KUNC) - Hail

You can count the leaves on our Ohio Buckeye after the storm. The basil we were going to turn into pesto over the weekend was reduced to stems. Gardeners battle all sorts of conditions in an effort to get things to grow. Then a hailstorm can blow through reducing the whole garden to mush.

The first thing to do after a hail is to leave the garden alone for a couple days. The fresh frustrations after the storm make it seem worse than it is. It's an easy time to be too ruthless; and create more damage than the hail caused.

Annuals, both flowers and vegetables, are the most hail forgiving. These plants are programmed to grow, flower and seed all in one season. A little pruning and careful watering bring annuals back to carry on with their mission. Prune off broken parts as closely to the healthy stem as possible. If there is no healthy stem, pull the plant.

Clean up as much of the leaf debris as possible. The rotting leaves can spread disease. A fan shaped leaf rake is the best way to clean out the leaves. A back-pack blowers or leaf vacuum also will work.

Keep the garden moist. Over-watering can add to the rotting disease problems the hail started. Under-watering can further stress the already shocked plants. Moderate, regular watering is best. But let the soil dry out in between watering so the roots get as much air as water.

The hail may have cut off the annual flower bloom; but it may encourage a stronger fall flowering. For flowers that's OK; for vegetables it may be a problem. Peppers and tomatoes need over thirty days to bloom, set fruit, and ripen. Unless we have a warm, frost free fall that harvest will be small.

Perennial, shrubs and trees are different. Prune off broken leaves and branches. But don't fertilize them. Fertilizing encourages soft new growth that is easily frozen in the first fall frosts. The fall freezing is more damaging to these long-lived plants than any hailstorm.

The plants will only bare the scars of the hail for a few more months. By next year you and they probably won't even remember this passing thunderstorm. And we really needed the moisture.

tomthrogmorton@mywdo.com
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