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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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Garden Checklist for week of May 5

Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:

* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.

* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.

* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

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