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What happens when hail hits tender plants

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED FEB 22, 2019

Hen and chicks survived the hail and frost, but the plant shows some brown scars. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Succulents at greatest risk to cold (and wet) damage

California’s big chill continues. Frost, hail and snow gave our state an extra dose of winter, just when we thought we were headed for an early spring.

Not-in-recent memory episodes popped up from Carmichael to San Diego. Thursday, it snowed on the beach at Malibu (only briefly, but it counts) as well as in the desert past Baker.

What did these freezing conditions do to our gardens?

Hail punches holes in leaves, especially big tender foliage. Because most of this winter has been mild, semi-tropical plants such as canna and ginger already had started to grow back. In our Sacramento yard, they got thrashed.

That damage is mostly cosmetic, but wait until late March or April to trim it off. Frayed or frost-burned foliage is helping to protect the plant from more potential damage. Sacramento’s traditional last-frost date is March 23.

Come spring, those plants will grow fresh foliage and look just fine.

Succulents may not be so lucky. Fleshy leafed plants can bruise and show lasting scars of hail impacts.

Worse, succulents are filled with water. Their cells can freeze, then burst, turning the foliage to mush.

Hail usually melts before it can cause any frostlike damage, but exposure to temperatures below 32 degrees for 30 minutes or more can cause significant damage to fleshier succulents.

According to succulent experts, it’s not just the cold that causes damage, but the exposure to bright sunlight when frozen. The plants need to thaw gradually to avoid bursting their cells. Shade them with a sheet or cardboard to protect them while they thaw.

Due to an abundance of rain this winter, succulents already are at risk of rot. They can survive frosty conditions much better with dry soil than wet. If planted in containers, make sure to tip out excess water.

Because of this rot risk, prune off mushy foliage and stems from damaged succulents immediately to encourage new healthy growth.

According to succulent expert and best-selling author Debra Lee Baldwin, succulents exposed to light frost may only show damage at the tips. Exposure to freezing temperatures for several hours can collapse a whole plant. Succulents generally don’t regenerate from the roots, she added. Crassulas, aeoniums, euphorbias and kalanchoes are at greatest risk.

Living in northern San Diego County (which also saw a dusting of snow this week), Baldwin has a lot of experience, helping her succulent collection cope with near-death experiences. Find it here along with lots of photos: https://bit.ly/2Ef6x4f

For more on succulents: www.debraleebaldwin.com .

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succulents gardening Sacramento winter weather frost freeze rainfall snow semi-tropical plants hail weather

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Dig In: Garden Checklist

For week of June 4:

Because of the comfortable weather, it’s not too late to set out tomato and pepper seedlings as well as squash and melon plants. They’ll appreciate this not-too-hot weather. Just remember to water.

* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, melons, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.

* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.

* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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