A hailstorm shredded my beautiful hostas - what do I do?

A horrid freak hailstorm hit the other day, shredding the long, full leaves of my hostas. I thought at first (having arrived at home without knowing of the microburst hailstorm) that massive snails had attacked, but then I saw that all my more fragile plants had been affected. However, the hostas were the hardest hit. I was in tears over them! So, now that I am more calm and looking for a solution, should I remove all the shredded leaves, or leave them to die off by themselves or what? What should I do to bring them back as quickly as possible and ensure their health?

I feel so bad for you!!! I've lost some plants to storms this year also.You can remove a few of the worst leaves.If you remove all of them you will lose the plants.If you haven't fed them recently,a light feeding after they start some new growth may help.Lynn

Thanks for the help - when I told my mom (who is an avid Southern gardner), she said that I'd been "blooded," like in fox-hunting. I suppose that meant that I'm now experiencing both the joy and the despair of gardening. Anyway, you suggested that I feed them - with what?

Hail shredded nearly all of my stuff 3 years ago. The hardest part for me with the exception of the waiting was deciding what to do. Where there were buds left I cut them off and trimmed off the leaves that were 1/2 or all destroyed. I tried to leave the ones that I thought could carry on the most photosynthesis. Once new growth began I fertilized with Osmocote and they did well although everything was set back 4 to 6 weeks. Most of the plants were no longer shaped nicely. Makes me appreciate the cotton farmers around here lots more. Good luck, it really is heartbreaking.

How disapppointingjsh2y. H*a*i*l (sorry for swearing) is a constant here in the summer sigh. When my hostas got hit the first time I gently turned up the remaining leaf shreds (we call it coleslaw) towards the light for photosynthesis as Sunshine says and they made it. Didn't look that great for the rest of that year but were back good as new the next year. I have now moved my hostas under tree/shrub protection because they seem to take it the worst.

Osmocote is fine,as well as any balanced fertilizer,or those with a slightly higher nitrogen content,such as 10-5-5 and so on.Nitrogen is needed for healthy leaf growth.Phosphorus and potassium help more with roots and flowers.The good news is next year they will look as good as new!! Lynn

Not much you can do. We got hit with a hail storm last month. My hosta look like a strange variety of swiss cheese hosta. Fortunately, most are under large trees, so they weren't shredded, just perforated. Oh well. I waited a bit until they got over the shock of being beat up and fertilized. They've bounced back and look a bit ragged, but they're fine.

Here's a picture from this morning. All the brown marks you see on the hosta leaves aren't from bugs, they're holes from when hail punched through the leaves.

Jenny

They are looking good.Lynn

Thanks to everyone who replied. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one who has suffered the wrath of Mother Nature. - Sigh - I'll try the Osmocote and I'll try to post a picture of my ravaged hostas so y'all can appreciate the extent of the damage. Thanks again!