What the Hail?

[desertlzbn]

So I was sitting in my house and all of a sudden it sounded like the tin roof on the porch was getting shelled with artillery. I run outside and low and behold it was HAIL, about 1/4 to 1/2 in diameter. Now for of those of you who do not know I live in the DESERT, we are not suppose to get hail, especially when I have lots of green fruit on my tomatoes. I have about 20 plants and most have fruit, many just loaded down. I do not believe that it is going to freeze tonight so I don't have to worry about that. But do any of you know if the hail would damage the plants?

[desertlzbn]

[desertlzbn]

[rnewste]

Yeah, strange weather going on in your area. Just talked with my son who lives in the East Mountains near ABQ, and he had over 12 inches of snow today.

From your photo, looks like the hail did not do major damage to your plants.

Raybo

[desertlzbn]

Those were the plants on the porch that has a roof, that was just what was blown up there. I will have to go look in the daylight to see how the "babies" faired.
I have A LOT of green tomatoes so I hope it is not damaged too badly if at all.

[Marko]

Originally Posted by desertlzbn

But do any of you know if the hail would damage the plants?

We get hail of that size at least twice a year and tomatoes loose few leaves, get some holes in leaves, green fruits get some bruises but rarely holes. Nothing to worry about.

[RonnyWil]

I have a brother-in-law in Kansas, tornado alley, and he said there are years that the hail will strip plants to the stems. It can take leaves, fruit and all. If it happens he leaves the plants in the ground and they usually recover.

[desertlzbn]

It was just so unexpected, it was suppose to rain, but I would have went and put the shade cloth up over the plants if I had know it was going to hail. They would hav at least had some protection then, but to be fair it only hailed for maybe 5 to 10 minutes not long at all. I will check when I get home to see the damage.

[AZRuss]

Hey! I've been thinking about picking all my green tomatoes and bringing them in. I have Moretons, Black Krims, Brandy Boys and a couple of Boondocks. Do you think they stand a chance at ripening outside?
R

[b54red]

Originally Posted by AZRuss

Hey! I've been thinking about picking all my green tomatoes and bringing them in. I have Moretons, Black Krims, Brandy Boys and a couple of Boondocks. Do you think they stand a chance at ripening outside?
R

I have the same problem; an abundance of green tomatoes from Marianna's Peace, Brandy Boy, Big Beef, 1st Prize, Steak Sandwich, Ball's Beefsteak, Champion, and Floralina. We're supposed to have temps in the high 20s by the weekend. If I just had two more weeks with unusually warm temps I could have close to 100 good maters. Ah well, its been a great season for me and it had to end sometime.
We once had hail 1" in diameter and it stripped the plants and destroyed some; but small hail has never done that much damage other than punching holes in the leaves of lettuce and mustard type plants.

[desertlzbn]

I think so, just when it is suppose to frost keep em covered with old bedsheets or cloth, even plastic will work if you put a lamp under it too, you just have to keep the frost off of them, it rarely stays freezing for longer than 4 or 5 hrs, and to really damage them the frost needs to sit on the leaves. *note this is only my opinion, I have no scientific data to back this up, just what I have experienced in the past.

[desertlzbn]

Oh yeah, just make sure to remember to take the sheets or plastic off in the morning, don't leave them on there.

[huxter09]

I had a damaging hail storm last year at the height of summer which destroyed my tomatoes ,watermelons ,beans ,cucumbers and all my citrus crop for the winter --even stripped bark from the trees ! -it was heart-breaking .I t looked like snow after it was over with hail the size of golf balls still lying about an hour later .400 cars were damaged in our small town nearby costing millions to repair or write off ,and hundreds of windows were smashed .

Nature at her furious worst ,or is that best ??