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santamiller

Rain Damage to Leaves Possible?

santamiller
9 years ago

Is it common for heavy rain to cause splits or knock off small chunks on some of the thinner leafed hostas? We had about 4.5 inches of rain yesterday with periods of pretty heavy downfall. I noticed damage on some leaves on Sum and Substance mostly with some very minor damage to a couple of others. I wanted to make sure I didn't need to be looking at any other possible cause.

Comments (13)

  • dg
    9 years ago

    There could have been some small hail mixed in with the heavy rain without you knowing it.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    Yup, it's possible, Santa, huge rain could do it, along with what Deb wrote; Doesn't take but a couple hailstones to mar 'em.

    Don B.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Santa, I have some of the same sort of damage to my hosta after a big rain event. Of course, I also have tree debris falling from the sweet gums, pecans, camphor trees. But that shows visible objects, where the rain damage leaves no trace.

    Hope we get the next installment of the rain here. I've watered religiously for the last week and more, it would be nice to let Mother Nature do it.

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    Santa, I took this photo after a really heavy rain on 5/8/14. This is directly after. I'll post the next day in another post.

    bk

  • bkay2000
    9 years ago

    The same two hosta on 5/16/14. I'd never seen this before.

    bk

    Sorry, this is the best photo I have.

  • santamiller
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    We needed this rain so badly, as does much of Texas. We had 5 inches over the last week at our house. We could use about 3 more feet of rain!

    Most of my 15 or so were not damaged, no damage at all on my thicker leafed ones. A few inches of one edge of Guacamole is missing and a little more damage on the edge of two or three others but most of the damage is splits in the leaves on Sum and Substance.

  • santamiller
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks bk! Did you guys get some rain?

  • User
    9 years ago

    When you have the hosta in pots, it is possible that a heavy long downpour will pound the leaves against the pot, or whip them around so they tear at the edges.

    I offer up for your consideration a picture of White Elephant, which is a 2011 hosta with many leaf rips not just dings. It is not heavy substanced, so a tender leaf is more subject to damage.

    In some instances the limbs of shrubbery near by may be whipped against the hosta leaves and cause damage. If it is a real storm, then the small hail could be embedded in the rain to pepper the leaf, bruise it like BKays example.

    Hard to say exactly what caused the damage. I doubt that a simple gentle rain would do it. A HARD rain as in a thunderstorm, yes indeed. I takes blossoms off of plants, when it is stormy weather.

  • santamiller
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Moccâ¦..We did have some short periods of strong wind along with some pounding rain. I went back out to look and and the leaves that are damaged the worst do match up with hitting against a small tree that is only a few inches away from the hosta, even though they really had to bend to touch it. I was more concerned with the rips, like as in your picture. Very similar like the leaf in the front of yours.

    Should/can the damaged leaves be removed or is it best to leave them as is? I remember reading something awhile back about not taking too many leaves off of a hosta, but I don't recall the do's and don'ts for that.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    Leave 'em Santamiller, at least until as long as you can stand the appearance. The leaves, although damaged, are still collecting energy for your plant, and your hostas will probably suffer in size, NEXT season, because of it. We had a bad hailstorm here a few weeks ago, and a lot of leaves got shredded, but I'm gonna leave 'em be, until at least the second flush of leaves arrives, in July, probably. If you have a ton of leaves on a plant, won't be so bad if you remove a few, but I'd hate to say it's 'OK' when it's not my plant, y'know? Every little bit of photosynthesis has it's purpose. : )

    Cheers,
    Don B.

  • santamiller
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Check. Thanks, Don.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Glad Don spoke up about his experience. As you see with the White Elkephant photo, I am leaving the split leaves alone. It is surprising how a leaf continues to do its job under damaged conditions like that. But there is no browning I can see, meaning it is functioning, doing the plant some good.

    The plant has battle scars honestly come by.

  • don_in_colorado
    9 years ago

    Battle scars on your elephant, Mocc? Like ancient Persian war elephants, perhaps. It'll live to fight another day.

    Don B.