The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

manda99 5/21/2014, 10:20 am

Ripped holes through all the big leaves. They were laying on the dirt all sad when I went out this morning. Most of the large leaves are torn through and I don't think they have enough leaves on them yet to survive that kind of onslaught. Poor things. Sad

The hail was coming down so hard, that I was afraid it was going to break through our skylights! Fortunately, the rest of my plants seem to have fared well. Anyone else get hail damage last night??

CapeCoddess 5/21/2014, 1:57 pm

Grrrrrrr...

I wish we knew when hail was coming so we could cover. We had the first hail I've ever experienced here in the early spring this year. They were the size of peas that didn't cause any damage. But I would have rather covered my greens then have them become full of ice pellets. They looked so sad but bounced right back.

lyndeeloo 5/21/2014, 2:47 pm

Oh no CC! I am glad everything else is ok!

audrey.jeanne.roberts 5/21/2014, 3:03 pm

I'm sad for you - it's so frustrating to work so hard and have a freak occurrence set you back.

We don't generally have much of an issue with hail - it's fairly small and mostly in the winter when nothing is growing. However, earlier this year, about a month after my starts were out in the garden it hailed about midnight. I never even thought it could be a problem I just went to bed.

When I woke up in the morning the hail had congealed in low spots around a lot of my plants and had frozen into a sheet of ice. I thought for certain I would lose everything but only one squash plant didn't make it.

It's just one thing after another isn't it? Protecting a garden is a FULL time job, LOL!

manda99 5/21/2014, 3:42 pm

Well, it was 75/80 degrees, so the cold wasn't a problem, thankfully. It was large hailstones though - nickel and quarter size, so it just ripped through the leaves. I think what saved the rest of the plants was their still small size. It looks like I only have one cucumber plant that may survive. My daisies took it pretty hard, too, in my flower garden. The stalks are all laid down and bent now. Daisies are like that though. Just one year, I'd like to get pretty, straight-legged daisies!

Marc Iverson 5/21/2014, 6:00 pm

Wow, nickel and quarter-sized??? That's nasty. Sorry you got visited by such bad luck.

I don't know if you want to rip up your cukes and start over, or not. But in case you're sticking with the plants you've got, I'll cross my fingers for you. For what it's worth, my cucumbers were almost entirely killed off by cucumber beetles last year, but the very few survivors, almost completely leaf-stripped and hit by bacterial wilt from the beetles as they were, wound up thriving. Cucumbers are weird. They can be so delicate, but surprise you, too, by hanging on against all odds and even becoming productive after taking terrible damage.

jmsieglaff 5/21/2014, 10:19 pm

I could see the towers of those storms from southern Wisconsin. Sorry to hear of your bad luck. Without a picture it's hard to say, maybe sow some seeds in between each plant and leave the plants. As the new seeds emerge, if the existing ones are dead, you have new ones, if they recovered, pull the new seedlings? Just an idea.

manda99 5/22/2014, 9:43 am

Well, it looks like my two vining cucumbers are trying to make a go of it still. They are beat up, but the newest leaves are still stretching up and they perked back up after laying in the dirt. The bush cucumbers that I had in containers, however, are definitely done. I pulled them last night and re-seeded. Luckily, it's still early in the season. Smile

I had a rough start for my cucs last year, too, and ended up with a huge crop. I'm still hopeful!

Marc Iverson 5/22/2014, 5:15 pm

Good!

Luckily, cukes can grow pretty quickly. You may still get plenty, just a little later than you'd hoped.

GWN 5/23/2014, 1:58 pm

Sorry that you lost your plants..... but you will be able to grow more ... summer is early..
In fact, I had forgotten to plant them thus far, and you reminded me.

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The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

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Re: The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

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Re: The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

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Re: The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

Re: The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(

Re: The hailstorm last night got my cucumbers :(


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