There is nothing more discouraging than to see plants stripped or pounded by hail. There is a little "good news-bad news" scenario that goes along with hail damage. The "good news" is that hail is usually very sporadic. Damage to plant leaves by hail—especially when plants are growing rapidly—is quickly overcome since plants send out new leaves quickly to replace damaged ones. Damage to stems is a little more difficult to assess. Plants may regenerate a new stem above a damaged area, but this requires more time, and the results may not be as desirable. Use stem damage to determine whether to replace plants or not. Some other "good news" with hail is that it usually is accompanied by rain and milder weather. Plants often will look much better a few days after the hail damage than they do immediately after. It is often best to wait two to three days before finally assessing hail damage to see how things look after a little "perk up" time. Hail later in the season can be especially devastating since fruit (peppers, tomatoes, squash) damage may occur. Fruits damaged by hail do not recover, and losses of production may be severe.

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