News
Community
Driving winds along with pounding hail and rain have been hard on many gardens this past week. These later-than-usual storms are particularly devastating. At this point in the growing season, there may not be replacement plants available in the garden center — and it may be too late to replant some veggies from seed. It can make a gardener cry.
But the good news is that, often when the debris on the ground is cleaned up, the real condition of plants is not so bad after all. Unless all the leaves are stripped, veggies often have a fighting chance for a comeback.
Here's what you can do:
> Stay out of the garden as long as it's muddy, as walking on wet soil will compact it. That is not good for the plants.
> Assess the damage by going plant-by-plant through the garden.
> Prune away badly shredded leaves and broken stems and branches.
> Don't prune off leaves that just have holes in them. The plant needs them to photosynthesize to rebuild its health.
> Examine the fruit. Even though zucchini or melons are nicked, they can be left to mature. Think of them like the bargains from the scratch and dent bin. They may not be pretty, but they may still taste great when they're ripe enough to pick.
> For hollow-stemmed veggies like squash, melons and cucumbers, follow the broken stem all the way back to where it comes out of the ground and cut it there.
Hollow-stemmed branches with open cuts are an invitation to insects to find a new home. Branches that break in the wind and hail are rarely a clean break. If these ripped areas are left untreated, they are likely to become infested with pests and disease. All of these torn branches need to be pruned with a clean cut and at the proper location on the plant — usually back to where the branch or stem starts.
Fertilize to rejuvenate the plant. To help plants make their comeback, use a water-soluble fertilizer. It is more gentle to the plant than other forms, and the nitrogen will give an extra boost for new growth.
How do you make the judgment call on which veggies are beyond repair? If all the leaves have been shredded and there are just broken stems showing, the plant is likely done. If there are some leaves remaining — even with holes in them — you can try to revive the plant. But it may not be able to recover in time to produce its fruit.
What about reseeding? Recently planted beans and some other crops could rot before germination due to overly-moist soil conditions. If you need to replant veggies, get varieties that have the fewest days to harvest and plant them right away. Then hope that frost comes as late as the hail storms did this season!
Take heart. By this time next week, the hail will be history. And the super-high temps will get the plants — and us gardeners — back in our groove.
Courtesy Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and Neils Lunceford, a landscaping company based in Silverthorne that is a member. You may contact them at (970) 468-0340.”
But the good news is that, often when the debris on the ground is cleaned up, the real condition of plants is not so bad after all. Unless all the leaves are stripped, veggies often have a fighting chance for a comeback.
Here's what you can do:
> Stay out of the garden as long as it's muddy, as walking on wet soil will compact it. That is not good for the plants.
> Assess the damage by going plant-by-plant through the garden.
> Prune away badly shredded leaves and broken stems and branches.
> Don't prune off leaves that just have holes in them. The plant needs them to photosynthesize to rebuild its health.
> Examine the fruit. Even though zucchini or melons are nicked, they can be left to mature. Think of them like the bargains from the scratch and dent bin. They may not be pretty, but they may still taste great when they're ripe enough to pick.
> For hollow-stemmed veggies like squash, melons and cucumbers, follow the broken stem all the way back to where it comes out of the ground and cut it there.
Hollow-stemmed branches with open cuts are an invitation to insects to find a new home. Branches that break in the wind and hail are rarely a clean break. If these ripped areas are left untreated, they are likely to become infested with pests and disease. All of these torn branches need to be pruned with a clean cut and at the proper location on the plant — usually back to where the branch or stem starts.
Fertilize to rejuvenate the plant. To help plants make their comeback, use a water-soluble fertilizer. It is more gentle to the plant than other forms, and the nitrogen will give an extra boost for new growth.
How do you make the judgment call on which veggies are beyond repair? If all the leaves have been shredded and there are just broken stems showing, the plant is likely done. If there are some leaves remaining — even with holes in them — you can try to revive the plant. But it may not be able to recover in time to produce its fruit.
What about reseeding? Recently planted beans and some other crops could rot before germination due to overly-moist soil conditions. If you need to replant veggies, get varieties that have the fewest days to harvest and plant them right away. Then hope that frost comes as late as the hail storms did this season!
Take heart. By this time next week, the hail will be history. And the super-high temps will get the plants — and us gardeners — back in our groove.
Courtesy Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and Neils Lunceford, a landscaping company based in Silverthorne that is a member. You may contact them at (970) 468-0340.”
