First, I’d like to say how sorry I am if your garden and landscape was damage by hail. While it is a fairly common occurrence in Central Texas, that doesn’t make it any easier to take when one day you have a beautiful garden/yard and the next it is shredded. 

Assess the damage

The first thing that you should do is to assess the damage. Since hail storms often involve high winds, inspect trees for any damaged or broken limbs and locate any plants or trees whose stems were broken off at the ground. This will be the type of damage that will need to be addressed first for safety reasons.

 

 

Since hail comes in various sizes and intensities, the damage may be minor,  only causing small holes in the leaves, or it may be severe, where the leaves are shredded or missing entirely and stems/branches are injured by the hailstones.

 

 

 

 

Pruning and clean up

 

 

 

Herbaceous perennials (plants that die back to the ground each winter) may be cut back to a few inches above the ground if severely damaged. If they are well-established they will likely come back quickly. (Turk’s Cap, Gregg’s Mistflower, Plumbago, Hardy Hibiscus, Mystic Spires Salvia, Mealy Blue Sage, Perennial Hibiscus, Esperanza, Canna lilies, etc.)

 

 

Woody perennials (perennials with woody stems that either drop their leaves in the winter or remain evergreen) should be evaluated and trimmed back according to the severity of the damage. If most of the limbs/stems are broken you may cut the plant back to about 6 inches. If there is not much damage the plant would benefit from a lighter pruning to encourage new growth.  (Salvia greggii, Lantana, White Mistflower, etc.)

 

Woody Evergreen Shrubs which have lost all their leaves will likely leaf back out if well-established. Remove broken limbs back to the trunk and shape the plant to encourage new growth. Response will vary by species. Texas Sage may take longer to fill in, and if it is old and woody may not recover to an aesthetically pleasing form. Southern Wax Myrtles have brittle wood and may have broken limbs, but this species is quite resilient and responds to pruning well. Other shrubs like Photinia, Viburnum and Cherry Laurels should be inspected for broken limbs as well, and sheared to promote new growth. If there is any foliage left on the shrubs it is important to leave some viable foliage, as it will produce carbohydrates through photosynthesis that will be essential for the plants recovery.

 

 

Cacti and succulents may be particularly hard hit, as the tender flesh is easily damaged. Some species may recover if cut back, such as Prickly Pear Cactus, but heavily damaged Agave may not recover in a timely manner. Severely damaged leaves may be removed, but try to leave some leaves for photosynthesis. If the hail was not large the leaves may have spots, but new growth will eventually cover those leaves up. 

 

 

Woody deciduous shrubs and small trees should leaf back out if they are well established. Remove any broken or damaged limbs and give it a shaping if necessary to have it fill in nicely. (Rose of Sharon, Mexican Buckeye, Desert Willow, etc.)

Roses should also leaf back out. Remove damaged or broken limbs and shape a bit to encourge it to fill in nicely. Fertilize with Rose Glo organic rose fertilizer to give it a little boost.

Trees which have lost all their leaves will likely leaf out again after a spring hail storm. They may not come in as thick as they were before, but they will be there to photosynthesize and store carbohydrates for next spring’s flush of growth. 

 

 

Some trees with thin bark may have damage to the bark, perhaps even with chunks taken out of them. Do not use tree paint on these wounds. The tree has internal mechanisms to slow any disease progression that may occur.

 

 

 

Vegetable gardens will need to be assessed according to the severity of the damage and if there is time for the plants to recover within the current growing season for that plant. Since hail damage typically occurs in the late spring in Central Texas, many crops will be near their harvest season, such as squash, tomatoes, potatoes and onions. Sweet potatoes and Southern peas are typically harvested later in the summer/fall and may have time to recover. 

Helping plants recover

With less foliage to lose moisture, plants will not require the same frequency of watering until they start to grow more leaves. Check soil moisture regularly to determine watering frequency. Once leaves start to return gradually increase watering frequency. 

Fertilization will encourage regrowth, but avoid using high nitrogen in the heat of the summer. Organic fertilizers such as MicroLife 6-2-4 or 8-4-6 will give slow release results without burning roots.

Apply mulch around the plants to suppress weed competition and retain moisture. Remember not to allow the mulch to touch the stem/trunk to avoid damage to the vascular system. 

Above all, have patience. It may seem devastating at first, but the first sign of new growth will be encouraging.