Hailstorm Damage.....

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RCDS66
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Hailstorm Damage.....

#1

Post by RCDS66 »

My house is located on a hilltop that provides excellent 360 degree views but also exposes us to extreme weather conditions at times. Having grown agaves for few years in the pots, last year I decided to plant them in the open, in rock crevices and slopes replicating the natural habitat like environment to an extent. Till last week they were doing pretty well, much better than the pots. However, a severe hailstorm last week damaged lot of crops in my area and even killed many small birds that were trying to hide in the trees. My agaves planted in open were literally devastated. It was heartbreaking to see some of the old agaves that I had grown in the pots for many years and were now really doing great after having being planted outside in such a miserable shape.

So...are there any preventive measures? To the best of my understanding, I planted most of my agaves in a manner that they were covered from two and in certain cases, three directions. But the hailstorm that lasted for around 25 minutes first started from north westerly direction, then shifted its direction to west and finally to south west / south. Hardly anything survived the direct hits from the ferocious hailstorm. What preventive measures I could have taken, if any? Or I will have to accept the fact that if I want to grow my agaves outside in a natural setting, they will mostly be ugly looking agaves with shattered leaves and not the kind of clean perfect rosette that I used to have in the pots. Just posting pics of few agaves out of over 100 that were severely damaged.
Seniors, please advise.
Attachments
My house on a hilltop
My house on a hilltop
ChirahD.jpg (408.64 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
ChirahA.jpg
ChirahA.jpg (329.78 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Agave x'Red Margin'
Agave x'Red Margin'
2024-04AgavexRedMargin2853.JPG (391.87 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Devastated
Devastated
2024-05AgavexRedMargin3312.JPG (412 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Agave celsii multicolor
Agave celsii multicolor
2024-04Agavecelsiimulticolor2161.JPG (393.99 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
after the storm
after the storm
2024-05Agavecelsiimullticolor3290.JPG (380.01 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Agave oteroi 'Banana Peel', before the hailstorm
Agave oteroi 'Banana Peel', before the hailstorm
2024-04AgaveoteroiBananaPeel3052.JPG (396.63 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
After the hailstorm
After the hailstorm
2024-05AgaveoteroiBananaPeel3309.JPG (368.28 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Agave oteroi 'Tower of Babel' few days back
Agave oteroi 'Tower of Babel' few days back
2024-04AgaveoteroiTowerofBabel3049.JPG (372.2 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
Now
Now
2024-05AgaveoteroiTowerofBabel3308.JPG (349.98 KiB) Viewed 1348 times
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#2

Post by RCDS66 »

Few more agaves that were with me since a long time..... now looking so ugly :(
Attachments
A. desmettiana.... the old companion
A. desmettiana.... the old companion
2024-03Agavedesmettiana1804.JPG (477.66 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
now....
now....
2024-05Agavedesmettiana3325.JPG (444.77 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
A. macroacantha verde, such a gorgeous plant
A. macroacantha verde, such a gorgeous plant
2024-04AgavemacroacanthaVerde2927.JPG (403.64 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
shattered
shattered
2024-05Agavemacroacanthaverde3289.JPG (421.08 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
A. parryi huachucensis 'Excelsior'
A. parryi huachucensis 'Excelsior'
2024-04AgaveparryihuachucensisExcelsior2654.JPG (226.83 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
now....
now....
2024-05Agaveparryihuachucensisexcelsior3299.JPG (312.99 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
Agave vivipara marginata
Agave vivipara marginata
2024-05Agaveviviparamarginata3162.JPG (459.05 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
Agave vivipara marginata
Agave vivipara marginata
2024-05Agaveviviparamarginata3313.JPG (393.83 KiB) Viewed 1347 times
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westfork
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#3

Post by westfork »

Sorry about all the damage on your beautiful plants. We get hail very frequently here. Ranging from the very damaging small stuff around marble sized that comes in horizontally at 60 mph to the great big hailstones that look impressive but do less damage unless it is a direct hit. Makes the truck bodies looked very dimpled though.
Our agaves tend to isolate the damage just leaving a small brown spot around each impact depression. The agaves next to large rocks on the side of the prevailing winds take little to no damage. I guess you could throw quick covers over them when there are severe hailstorm warnings, but you would want to weight the covers down to hold in the wind.

That is an impressive place you have there - Quite the fortress.
What is the age of some of the old stone work in the photos?
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#4

Post by RCDS66 »

Thanks westfork. I am happy to learn that agaves will do some self healing and would be ok. Their growing speed in the ground is quite good and I hope many of them will develop fresh leaves in next couple of months. But I am worried about the next hailstorm..... what intensity it would be I have no idea. I guess my agaves need to learn how to survive hailstorms without any special protection. :lol:

By old stonework do you mean the retaining walls? Actually, in 2016 when I bought this land, the mountain top was up to the upper line of windows and it was quite a steep ridge with just a few feet space on the top. So I had to slice around 20 ft of mountain top to extract an area that was 100 ft long and 30 ft wide on which stands my house. I used the stone for building the retaining walls which was done in 2017/2018. It was quite a hardwork though :)
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Paul S
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#5

Post by Paul S »

The end result is simply stunning. What a magnificent position on top of the hill there. The views! :)
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#6

Post by RCDS66 »

Paul S wrote: Mon May 20, 2024 10:00 am The end result is simply stunning. What a magnificent position on top of the hill there. The views! :)
Thanks Paul. The views are excellent no doubt but when there is a storm of 80 km/hr in Islamabad city, we have to face 110 km/hr. Due to strong wind most of the time, my plants grow more compact and stout. Windy conditions prevent fungal attacks and many other pests also don't find my garden particularly attractive and peaceful. However, a normal hailstorm in the city is a devastating one at my place and look what the hail storm has done to my agaves, aloes and cacti. So there is a price that we have pay for enjoying these 360 degree views :)
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Gee.S
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#7

Post by Gee.S »

Ouch! They're going to be a bit unsightly for a while, but will all bounce back in time.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Meangreen94z
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#8

Post by Meangreen94z »

Definitely an impressive house and view. I would figure if you are in an area that those species can survive in ground, then you have pretty good year round growing conditions. By the fall most of that should be older outer growth and covered up. Where I’m located we have several hailstorms a year. I’ve been lucky so far to the extent of damage. My garden is relatively young, I have a few large trees but have Yucca, palms, and small trees strategically spaced within the beds to act as deflection for some of the hail, and also to help trap heat during the winter. I position Agave and small cacti at the base. I’m more concerned with my columnar and barrel cacti, as they permanently retain damage.
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#9

Post by RCDS66 »

Gee S, Meangreen94z. Thanks for your comments. I really look forward to these agaves developing fresh leaves.
At the moment, it's hard to pass by them :( .... but I guess hundreds of natural habitat pics on this forum have been a great guide for me. One thing that I noticed was that those agaves looked gorgeous in nature but they were far from perfect in shape and form. They had been bearing the burnt of climatic ups and downs. Green house grown agaves have perfect rosettes and excellent forms but their overall impact on me, as an agave lover, is far less than the so called imperfect agaves in habitat. So I think I need to change the way I look at my agaves planted in a natural habitat setting. I will work on this from here on.....
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westfork
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#10

Post by westfork »

Had some more of this last night. This is a post from a lady in town of our typical small hail that comes in horizontally at 40 to 70mph.
hail sgt bluff 5-21-2024.jpg
hail sgt bluff 5-21-2024.jpg (153.3 KiB) Viewed 1252 times
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#11

Post by RCDS66 »

It looks awful. How much damage it caused to your plants?
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westfork
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#12

Post by westfork »

We try to plant near our building site where the shelterbelt or buildings intercept some of the hail. The agaves grow out of it, but some of the cactus species take a hit and then wither away.
But not complaining, this is what some people had in this same storm a bit farther south today:




and same one but photographed by UAVs

:x
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#13

Post by RCDS66 »

OMG. :shock: That's a horrible tornado. I hope no loss to life was caused.

Thanks for the advice westfork :U . Since my house is on a hilltop having steep slopes on two sides, I have limited spaces available near the walls. I already have lot many roses planted everywhere but I will now try to readjust. However, this particular hailstorm that lasted for around 25 minutes changed three directions. Started from NW, changed to W after a while and finally to strong winds / hail from SW. We normally don't see this kind of a storm that changes directions like that...... :cry:

Shown below is the road that leads to my house. It circumvents a narrow and long ridge and I have planted around 100 agaves all over the place, mostly on Southern (right) and northern (left) side of the road but also on top and in the crevices on the slopes as visible in the photo. So in case of any hailstorm, odds are that around 50% of them will be saved. However, this multidirectional hailstorm first devastated plants on the NW side of the ridge, than on the W and finally on SW...... I don't think we can fight the nature if it come to this extreme... :?
But I have now decided that nature may keep destroying them, I will keep planting more agaves..... let's see how my agaves adjust with nature. The more expansive ones may be grown in pots and kept at a safer location.... other's must learn to fight nature :)
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2024-04Road3046.JPG
2024-04Road3046.JPG (350.6 KiB) Viewed 1206 times
2024-04Road3040.JPG
2024-04Road3040.JPG (288.05 KiB) Viewed 1206 times
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westfork
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#14

Post by westfork »

That is some amazing terrain you have there. Yes, many times we try our best and see what does well under the conditions we provide. At least agaves probably grow rapidly in your climate and can push out new growth to help hide the lower hail damaged leaves.
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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jam
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#15

Post by jam »

westfork wrote: Wed May 22, 2024 12:25 pm That is some amazing terrain you have there.
I second that.
Setting up a Chihuahuan laboratory.
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RCDS66
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#16

Post by RCDS66 »

An update...
The hailstorm occured on 12th of May. When westfork, Gee.S and Meangreen94z advised that these agave will recover, I thought it was theoretically correct but could not imagine it will happen so fast and efficiently.

The whole month of June and around 20 days of July were very hot days with no rains whatsoever. It usually rains once in 15 days even in the hottest of summers in Islamabad but this year it was all bone dry with a very high UV index. Some of my young agaves, aloes, many perennials and even few old roses died during this time. There was hardly any growth during this period and the plants were actually just surviving, not producing any fresh growth. So practically speaking it was 20 days in May and than around last 30 days that these agaves have seen a good growth period. And what an impressive growth during monsoon.... it doesn't look these agaves were almost devasted by a horrible hailstorm around 100 days back. I am so happy to see that these agaves have adapted well in the my hilltop house that has a windy location with full day sun and excellent drainage during monsoon rains.

Few photos to share showing fresh growth.... I am posting photos of the same plants; please see the photos posted above to see the condition of the same plant on 12th of May, after the hailstorm.
Attachments
2024-08Agavedesmettiana5966.JPG
2024-08Agavedesmettiana5966.JPG (419.3 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgaveAgavemitismulticolor5991.JPG
2024-08AgaveAgavemitismulticolor5991.JPG (425.93 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgaveoteroiTowerofBebel5925.JPG
2024-08AgaveoteroiTowerofBebel5925.JPG (390.24 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgaveoteroiBananaPeel5924.JPG
2024-08AgaveoteroiBananaPeel5924.JPG (404.01 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgaveparryihuachucensisExcelsior6184.JPG
2024-08AgaveparryihuachucensisExcelsior6184.JPG (321.05 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08Agavemacroacanthaverde5431.JPG
2024-08Agavemacroacanthaverde5431.JPG (382.08 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgaveviviparaMR6010.JPG
2024-08AgaveviviparaMR6010.JPG (272.51 KiB) Viewed 379 times
2024-08AgavexRedMargin6254.JPG
2024-08AgavexRedMargin6254.JPG (458.34 KiB) Viewed 379 times
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Gee.S
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#17

Post by Gee.S »

^ Good result. Sometimes we just need to look the other way for a while.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Meangreen94z
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Re: Hailstorm Damage.....

#18

Post by Meangreen94z »

RCDS66 wrote: Sat Aug 24, 2024 11:17 pm An update...
The hailstorm occured on 12th of May. When westfork, Gee.S and Meangreen94z advised that these agave will recover, I thought it was theoretically correct but could not imagine it will happen so fast and efficiently.

The whole month of June and around 20 days of July were very hot days with no rains whatsoever. It usually rains once in 15 days even in the hottest of summers in Islamabad but this year it was all bone dry with a very high UV index. Some of my young agaves, aloes, many perennials and even few old roses died during this time. There was hardly any growth during this period and the plants were actually just surviving, not producing any fresh growth. So practically speaking it was 20 days in May and than around last 30 days that these agaves have seen a good growth period. And what an impressive growth during monsoon.... it doesn't look these agaves were almost devasted by a horrible hailstorm around 100 days back. I am so happy to see that these agaves have adapted well in the my hilltop house that has a windy location with full day sun and excellent drainage during monsoon rains.

Few photos to share showing fresh growth.... I am posting photos of the same plants; please see the photos posted above to see the condition of the same plant on 12th of May, after the hailstorm.
Great to see, with your climate I didn’t think it would take long. They are back to being beautiful Agave with a spectacular backdrop.
Austin, Texas
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