We recently had a doozy of a hail storm and my brugs didn't fare exceptionally well... I was just wondering if I'm wasting my time trying to salvage what's left . Should just cut them off at ground level and let them
regrow ? This picture is a good example of the damage they took.
( Please don't mind the mess in back, we're still cleaning up. )
WOW WOW WOW. How big was that hail?? I have never seen such damage from hail. How brutal. We get hail here once a year in April usually but never does it do damge like that. Unbelievable. WOW! I am so sorry this happend to you.
I have no clue. You are already getting sprouts though which is a good sign. I would think your brug is more prone to a infection or infestation since it is so damaged. But what have you got to lose to let it try to regrow. Often times a sick brug will put out suckers in an attempt to save itself and those would be perfect to keep to restart. I would leave it grow its shoots and at the end of the season take off the biggest ones to start over again. Root them before it gets too late and into the dormant season so they root well for you.
I have had brugs live and grow well with huge deep cuts where I was sure they would keel over dead. But brugs are really hardy plants and have a big survivial instinct so you may be surprised.
Again, I am so shocked at your severe damage and so sorry!
Oh my goodness,what a mess. What size hail did you have?Listen to Kell,sje wont steer you wrong. dixie
I agree, Kell, I'd leave it to grow, I also would add some insecticidal either to the soil or topically. Watch for bugs and use the water/peroxide/dish soap concoction 1 a week. I think it will be a lush growing plant in a month or so. Storms are so hard on brugs, I run out and lay mine down everytime we get severe storm warning.... learned the hard way. But that hail must have been golf ball size!
Wow indeed! that is nasty! Kell, it looks like its lost a lot of the cambium layer, the part that repairs damage and what is there will probably repair things but I'm afraid you'll have a lot of scar tissue which won't be pretty. It also appears to have lost a lot of the bark where the sugar and nutrient transport system reside (phloem). I can actually see outer and inner sapwood.
I would certainly baby it and keep it out of the sun until it stabilizes. The upside is that it is putting out a lot of new shoots.
X
That's what I was worried about - more prone to a infection or infestation since they are so damaged, I thought maybe too damaged. They are putting out new growth which surprised me, the storm was a week ago today. I'll just keep a close eye on them and hopefully I'll get some growth I can cut and root.
It was a crazy storm ,the hail was up to small gumball size but it was coupled with 90+ mph wind and it came in horizontally, probably why it did so much damage. 12 minutes and my gardens were leveled. The picture shows where they ended up...
I'm sure finding out which plants are tough as nails. I did get quite a bit of finely shredded organic mulch for my beds and I'm crossing my fingers that the wind took the spider mites with it.
Thanks for your help
I am speechless. Unbelievable. I hope no people were stuck out in that. I wonder if it could kill you. Your heart must have broken and everytime you look out you must feel so distressed.
I have had 2 experiences with brugs damaged to the core. I realize no where near how your brugs have been injured. One was girdled all the way around to the center core at the base. All the tissue was gone for 360 degrees. X might know what the central core is called. I was sure it was a goner. But it actually lived and even suckered. It is a huge tree now.
The second picture is the heathly top of it, taken the same day. It was taken in January so there are no leaves.
Another was a Rosamond tree that had the tree support band actually cut into it all the way to the core. It was a deep wound when I noticed it but old so healed. I was shocked it didn't get some deadly disease in that wound.
The first picture was taken on 4/30/04 and the second picture where it had all filled in with scar tissue (like a keloid, LOL) was not even a year later on 1/8/05. So brugs are pretty amazing! You can also see how fast they grow and look at the girth of that trunk in the later picture. Sadly it got so huge, I had it taken out this last spring.
So there is definitely hope!
Oh I am so sorry for all your damage. But hang in there. Dixie
OMG That's insane! I'd say you you're taking it very well :-)
That is amazing Kell that a totally girdled trunk survived! Those brugs are tough guys for sure!
X
I was so shocked, X. I thought it needed the part that was gone to get the food up and down the trunk.
Unbelievable . . . I have never seen such hail damage nor heard of wind being that high during a hail storm. If a person was caught out in it, it seems that it could injure them severely.
You have received good information and it does appear to be recovering and I do hope it will sucker for you and you will have a new start.
If your brugs were girdled like that and survived there is some hope for mine. Time will tell, I'll let ya'll know just how much damage a brug can take and live to tell about it . If I find the trunks too 'ugly' there's always vines...
They are calling it a supercell storm and there were no major injuries and no deaths which I was surprised to hear. We live right by the freeway and I was sure it would be bad. The weather station at the small airport near us reported winds of 92mph before it went down. There were about 50 power poles snapped, some landing on houses -two of which were destroyed and we spent some quality time with the chainsaw last week cutting up all of the trees in the neighborhood that were broken and uprooted. I don't think the stores will be selling any of their bundled firewood anytime soon, we all have plenty now. We've had microbursts and a couple of supercells hit us before but this one definitely took the cake.
Frankly I'm just glad my house still has a roof . Most of the plants will grow back, my EEs and bananas have already put out new leaves. I will say it was rather heartbreaking to see mother nature undo in 12 minutes what took me months and in some cases years but what can you do except clean it up and start again.
I have two small beds in my backyard that were up against the house and had zero damage so when I need a break from cleaning up the mess in the rest of the yard I go gaze at those for a bit. (Although I've contemplated whether it is a good thing or not they survived. I just start thinking it isn't so bad then look at the intact beds and groan. Blessings and curses....)
I take it back, I'm glad this bed survived. :)
Thanks again for the help and encouragement.
Cris
Am I seeing Crotan in there? That sure brings back memories .. I haven't seen any since I was a little girl, back in the stone age! I had totally forgotten about that bush .. hmmm.
X
Very nice bed, indeed! But forget the croton, I see 2, what to the left of the leftmost croton?
By the looks of your border, the rest of your yard must have been just great. What a shame it was so damaged but thank goodness no one was hurt. I have never heard of a supercell storm and I hope I never see one!
Holey Moley what a hail storm! I lived in Colorado for 12 years and I know how scary and destructive storms are in that part of the world. Except for hurricanes I've never experienced anything more scary compared to thunderstorms and wind and hail out west. Freaky stuff for sure.
Hopefully this girdle will add to your assurance of the toughness of brugs. This is a braid of 3 trunks tied with knee high hose. The tree is almost 3 years old about 8-9 feet tall. You can see that the hose is deeply imbedded. This past February we had a surprise 2 night 31 degree freeze that totally killed one of the three trunks. The other two are deeply pitted from the bark being turned to slimey mush. In spite of the now scarred and pitted bark new growth from the tops took over. It's beginning to look like a real tree again.
Now that is some girdling! Looks like brugs are tough ones. I've yet to experience my first brug blooms, last summer was my first year with them and they were just budding as winter came. I am so glad that two of them in the backyard were untouched, they are getting huge so hopefully....
Those are crotons, you can hardly beat them for vivid color although mine are just getting going with the heat. The plant on the left of the picture right under the brug? If its the green one with purple in the center you mean it's coleus.
(The white string detracts but it keeps our dogs out of where they shouldn't be, my basset thinks he's a goat... )
Nice plant!
