HAIL....aargh

[wazzappenning]

woke up to hail last night. this morning im ready to puke after checking the garden. question now is, what do i do? leave them/shade them/remove broken stems/leaves. im guessing anything that still has a growth tip will somewhat come back.

problem with removing the leaves is some become stick plants.

went from this, to this overnight. first 2 are same plant. <insert swear here>

 

[leverhead]

I had some Venison leave me with some plants like that. If the roots are good just be patient, tobacco is the original die hard.

 

[Aaron]

Oh my. That's heartbreaking! I feel like I should offer some condolences. I wish i had some advice as to what to do, but I'm a noob so I'll leave that to the experienced members.

 

[deluxestogie]

Sad photos. Hail is always really bad news for growing tobacco. With your shorter growing season, it may be a greater challenge to recover.

I would suggest leaving it alone for a few days to see what's still viable. Bare naked stalks should sprout new leaf (from the growth tip or from suckers), since they have healthy roots. If you go with suckers, limit it to only one per plant.

Bob

 

[wazzappenning]

thank you for the advice. my first thought was to leave them alone, but then thought the hot sun (weve been getting 90s temps), or the plant trying to heal the broken stems, might hinder its recovery.

 

[johnlee1933]

Sorry to hear it Wazz. I had my go at it last year and hold my breath every time there's a T storm. All my wrapper became instant filler. BigBonner and others here have had a go at it. Like any other weather you just have to live with it or become a city dweller. Buck Up Boyo! Things will get better.

John

 

[BigBonner]

The tobacco is still small and the bud looks ok . It should grow out and still make good tobacco .

 

[indianjoe]

Wazza,
like BB says, give it some time to grow. Sorry bout that hail, its one of those things that we cannot help.

 

[wazzappenning]

thanks for the encouragement guys. in a conversation with another member, he said something about throwing a box over if it hails. i feel like a dope. they were still small enough for that or 5 gal pails. maybe some damage would have happened if they got blown around, but nothing near this.

ill be ready next time i wake up to tapping on the roof/windows/walls/fence/etc. it was pretty obvious, but i just hoped for the best.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I never used to care about hail, now that word invokes fear. I'd leave them, they look like they will pull thru. Still young enough it might not matter too much.

 

[Lakota]

Wazz I got hail july 3 last year, walnut size and not many leaves made it. 4 or 5 weeks later they were doing great, just hang in and hope for no more hail. I also got hail june 11 this year, plants have 22" leaves now. Good luck Russ

 

[Rayshields]

I wouldn't think there is much you can do to plan ahead for hail. It is so unpredictable and can be dangerous to go out in to protect something...I think it was 2003 we started getting hail and it kept getting bigger and bigger. I saw one hailstone bigger than I had ever seen and reached off the front porch to get it. An even bigger one hit me on the funny bone...wasn't funny. That storm did 28,000 damage to my place. Killed a cow and ruined a pickup that only had liability insurance...My little town still has the state record for the largest hailstone. Just write it off to spilled milk account and hope for the best for your crop. Like several have said, it is a tough plant.

Good luck.

 

[BarG]

I aint seen much hail but I keep my head under cover when I do. I hope they recover.

 

[DonH]

Severe thunderstorm warning for my area this afternoon. Heavy winds large hail, all the bad stuff. And I'm out of town.

 

[johnlee1933]

Same here in southern Connecticut. You get to hear about it I have to sit and watch the disaster. Ah well, that's life.

John

 

[Grundle]

Another day of 100+ temps...pretty much 3 months going with no rain.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I hope you aren't planning on sending that mess my way john!

 

[johnlee1933]

I hope you aren't planning on sending that mess my way john!

Believe me brother I wouldn't wish this on anyone. The first band just went thru. Temps went from 94 to 76 in about 10 minutes. The driveway is steaming.
No hail, no serious damage. One PA red blew down but I'll tie it back up as soon aas the rain stops. The radar map shows a weaker front about an hour away. I'll inspect and repair what I can later or tomorrow AM.

So far, so good.

John

 

[BarG]

Dang, it would take a lot to blow a pa red over.
Mine are like a low ground hugger till they put on height. I can't hardly walk between the rows after the last week.

 

[johnlee1933]

Dang, it would take a lot to blow a pa red over.
Mine are like a low ground hugger till they put on height. I can't hardly walk between the rows after the last week.

I don't know what "tall" is. Mine are about 5'.

J