First aid for your garden

Now that we have recovered from the shock of the hail it is time to get our gardens back to looking their best.  We tend to think of hail as a disaster with all the damage it causes but in nature hail actually has a very important role.  Not only does it help to prune back plants it is also very rich in nitrogen which helps the plants grow and recover from the shock and damage.  Pruning has numerous advantages which include keeping our plants neat and compact, it improves flowering and fruiting as well as preventing our plants from becoming leggy.

Even though hail does a good job at pruning it can be a bit messy, sometimes tearing branches and leaving ugly wounds.  Prune back any damaged growth and seal the wound with steriseal or spray with a fungicide such as Virikop or Dithane.  This time also affords us the opportunity to shape our plants, so feel free to prune back more than what the hail has done.

Next task is to clean all the debris and litter that is left after the hail storm.  Don’t just throw all the leaves and stems in black bags, rather put them on your compost heap and if you don’t have a compost heap, what are you waiting for.  Remember to spray your roses with Chronos as they are more prone to fungal disease after the rain, especially black spot.  Make sure that all your standards are still tied securely to their stakes.

 

As you can see in the above pictures our production side has taken a knock from the hail but luckily these plants will recover and will be  ready for your gardens in no time.  Feel free to send us pictures of your garden after the hail that we can put in a post and a picture of that same area later on when the gardens have recovered.