How Hail can damage your trees and shrubs
How Hail Can Damage Your Trees and Shrubs
April showers bring May flowers – but sometimes they bring hail as well. A particularly bad hailstorm, which isn’t uncommon in Colorado in the spring or fall, can leave your lawn strewn with leaves, branches and other debris that once belonged to your trees and shrubs. Although hail damage alone likely won’t kill your plants, it is important to properly care for them as they recover.
Hail damage strips away the leaves that make energy for a tree or shrub. In order to produce new leaves, they need to use stored energy, which increases their stress levels. In addition, the broken branches and twigs create numerous small wounds, disrupting water flow and leaving plants more susceptible to pests and disease.
While trees and shrubs can eventually repair themselves, this will take time. A healthy tree can produce new leaves in 2-3 weeks, though it will look sparser than normal for the rest of the year. A tree in less than stellar condition will produce fewer new leaves and need longer. Either way, it is important to properly water and fertilize them during this time to reduce stress and promote growth. Pest control treatments will also help protect your trees and shrubs when they’re most vulnerable. With the right care, they’ll eventually come back as good as new. Contact Fit Turf today for the best in post-storm lawn and tree care in the Denver and Detroit metro areas.