Recoup, honor what has been and begin again: Help your garden weather spring storms
With spring weather gradually upon us, we are finally able to enjoy the delights of being outdoors, with verdant landscapes, flower-filled gardens, chirping birds and buzzing pollinators all around — at least on the days when the weather is nice.
Inclement or severe weather is another aspect of spring, and it’s one that many may not be quite as fond of due to the challenges of maintaining and protecting our treasured gardens. While we love a good rain spell, flooding and oversaturated soil are another story. Add to this the potential of hail, damaging winds, lightning and other weather challenges, and we say “no thank you.”
For oversaturated soil, it’s important to remember that it is OK to stop watering your landscape plants until they need it again. So long as their root zones within the soil are adequately moist, no more water is necessary. After the saturation has subsided, it may also be beneficial to lightly scrape the soil surface of a garden — breaking up any oxygen-inhibiting crust that has formed.
The next best proactive task you can take is to incorporate organic matter into your soil to help enhance drainage. Organic matter helps to hold water in sandy soils but also helps drain water in our clay soils.
When addressing potential hail damage in your landscapes, protection can be tricky. Covering sentimental plants with tarps, buckets and bowls may be beneficial for the time of impact, provided they can withstand the storm’s winds or the weight of the hail itself. However, it is important to remember that most plants can recover from some bruised or damaged leaves.
Damage only becomes more serious if the fruits or stems of plants sustain injury. If damage has been severe enough to rip up the plants entirely, replacing them is better than attempting to restore them.
Proactive measures will be your best friend when addressing incoming wind damage. Staking young trees on their north and south sides is necessary for general wind protection, and it will keep them from leaning or uprooting in storms. General pruning of trees for weight management and selectively removing certain limbs to allow airflow through canopies will help keep limbs from breaking during a storm. If they break, it is important to properly remove the damaged branches as best as possible, allowing the trees to properly heal and protect themselves from invading pests and disease.
If your landscape or plant specimen is ill-fated enough to be struck by lightning, unfortunately (and predictably), very little can be done to improve the situation. Some trees may be able to survive, depending on the severity of the strike. However, as the man, myth and legend Dennis Patton has always said, “Life is too short for ugly plants.” Recoup, honor what has been, and begin again.
Anthony Reardon is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Need help? Contact the Johnson County Extension gardening hotline at 913-715-7050 or email garden.help@jocogov.org.
