Storm damage

[monkeyboy]

Looking for reassurance.

With yesterday's winds in the West Midlands, I returned home to find the garden in a bit of a mess. One of the mini greenhouses was flopping about, tomato plants undamaged. The second mini greenhouse had snapped in several places, tom plants had roots torn from growbag and lay on the ground on their sides. Bush toms were okay, calabrese in SFG looked like they'd been half-uprooted and on their sides. Potato foliage was bent over past 45 degrees from the vertical. Garlic and onion foliage were almost flat.

Duly bought a new mini greenhouse (I really need to get round to making them out of wood; I have the materials, I just don't have the time) and reassembled everything. I've watered all of the plants but I don't know what else to do.

[Penellype]

Plants are generally fairly tough - they want to grow. Tomatoes and brassicas in particular are good at making new roots and don't particularly mind a bit of disturbance. As long as the main stems are ok they should be fine with their roots re-buried and watered. Some support will help. You will probably notice a slight check to growth but that's all.

The potatoes should continue to grow - I would leave the foliage on unless it is obviously dying, in which case cut it off at the break. You may get a slightly smaller crop but the plants will continue to grow.

The onions will probably stay flattened, but they will continue to grow and the nutrients in the leaves will still make bulbs as long as they are not broken off. I don't know about garlic as I don't grow it, but probably similar.

[Chestnut]

Wait a week, giving usual watering etc, I expect most plants will perk up again.
If more winds forecast, consider staking toms and tall brassicas, lashing down greenhouse.
If any plants do die, just sow something else in their place

[nickdub]

You'll need to water the replanted plants a bit more often, apart from that you've done all you can - fingers-crossed most of it will make a reasonable recovery.

[bario1]

Most annoying thing about that storm was that it brought all the destructive wind to flatten and dehydrate my already parched plants, and not a drop of rain.

[burnie]

My new(read 2 years old) Beech hedge really did earn it's keep and it looks to have survived unscathed too.

[Python15]

Monkeyboy I feel your pain! Almost everything survived except the Cucumbers I'd just put out. Thought I'd make a nice wee polythene cloche for them in anticipation of the coming weather. Well that lasted all of about five minutes and the resultant whipping about of shredded bits of plastic did more damage than the wind would have done! Lesson learned there!!

[ESBkevin]

The good news is plants want to grow and reproduce, anything we do interference wise is usually sorted by mother nature. You've done the right things so steady watering and watch them grow.
If you don't have time to build a wooden greenhouse (tell me about it), why not drive a stake in and tie the mini greenhouse to it/ ot them?

[monkeyboy]

The good news is plants want to grow and reproduce, anything we do interference wise is usually sorted by mother nature. You've done the right things so steady watering and watch them grow.
If you don't have time to build a wooden greenhouse (tell me about it), why not drive a stake in and tie the mini greenhouse to it/ ot them?

What I'd done with the mini greenhouses was cut some 1x4 timber just over a metre long to span across the metal frame (which was a metre wide) and then rest the growbag on top of this. In this way the weight of the growbag and plants would weigh the frame down. Which it did - the frame snapped further up, mainly because they're hollow lightweight metal tubes that will bend with enough force. The minigreenhouses are on the patio so no place to tie down to. I've put them up against the fence to add some shelter, though it'll limit direct sunlight exposure.


Thanks to everyone for the reassurance. I'm hoping the plants will recover.

[4Shoes]

The wind was bad and we had the rain too. Anything over 1' above ground took a battering and is flat on the ground. Strawberry nets shredded, one with polytunnel frame lifted off and flew over a 6' fence.

Wait and see how it recovers.

15/6/18 - 12:37
Just noticed some courgette plants were broken off at the ground. Already there is new growth.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Thanks to pen our weather lady I had very little problem.....

Cucumber and toms that have broken, take the top 6" of the plant and put them through the milk bottle, new roots in a week ready for replanting.

They will be a little late but will get there.

[purplekat]

Most of mine survived intact, but one of my apple trees has snapped at the rootstock. Going to try and splint it but I think it's had it (absolutely full of apples this year too)

[SlugLobber]

Happened to me a few years ago when I had a 'blow away' greenhouse (they're not called blow away for nothing!!). Most of my stuff was upside down on the floor. I put everything back as best I could and I don't recall anything actually failing to grow. I did get a greenhouse after that from a friend who was doing away with one, but I have seen them on Freecycle before now, so keep a look out. I had to get new glass, but that turned out to be easier than it sounds!

[KevinM67]

Most annoying thing about that storm was that it brought all the destructive wind to flatten and dehydrate my already parched plants, and not a drop of rain.

Exact same thing here.

[Earthgirl Jen]

Monkeyboy, so sorry about your wind damage . I stood my spuds straight back up again with sticks and string and today they are all standing proud again.

As everyone else said plant the tomatoes back in firmly, they root so quickly in this weather.

Brassicas as Pen says will put up with a certain amount of root disturbance and still grow through it, although they may be a few weeks later (I have a whole thread to post about this... lol ) and some don't like the stress and 'could' bolt..

As of the onions I wouldn't touch them, just feed well and water. They don't have particularly deep roots.

As for your greenhouse last year I had 3 'blowaways' lined up next to each other, if your going to anchor them into the ground with rope/string them I can wholeheartedly approve the use of homemade anchoring pegs, they held so much better than conventional and if you are in a particularly windy spot then 'debris netting' then add the ropes and anchor the whole lot down...

Held all last summer for us, despite the 50-60mph gusts we had I have a few pics if it would help?

Best of luck...