Help Minimize Hail Damage with Foliar Nutrition

You can follow every recommendation and do everything by the book, but there’s one factor no one can control – and that’s the forces of nature. Hail is one such environmental factor that can cause significant physical damage to your crop.

Leaf tissue that’s been damaged by hail can’t take in sunlight to effectively complete photosynthesis, and energy production in the crop will stall, impeding growth. Physical damage also leaves plants more vulnerable to diseases and insects. Depending on the severity, a hail storm can significantly stunt plant growth and set back yields.

So, what are your options when hail hits your field? Well, one of the best things you can do for your crop after a hail storm is provide it with adequate nutrition by applying a high performance foliar fertilizer within 48 to 72 hours. If a crop is nutrient deficient, its ability to heal itself can decrease significantly. Even if your crop was not previously nutrient deficient, adding a boost of the right nutrients can give your crop will have a better chance to restart photosynthesis, build stronger roots and repair damaged tissue.

An important nutrient to consider after hail hits is boron, which can have significant benefits in the wound-healing process for crops. Boron helps repair cell walls, moves sugar through plants and is important for re-stimulating stalled growth. Boron also makes plants less attractive to insects, reducing the risk that pests will move in on the crop while it is damaged.

OMEX’s Super B and KB78 are expertly designed with boric acid, the most available form of boron for foliar uptake. Boric acid provides your hail-damaged crop the nutrition it needs to kickstart healing and get back on track to salvage yields. Super B can also be combined with other OMEX foliars to further enhance crop recovery after a hail storm.

One of the OMEX foliars that can be paired with Super B is C3, a low salt index liquid fertilizer. C3 was developed to have a positive impact on root development, which is critical after a hail storm, and it also helps re-stimulate branching and overall growth. C3 is formulated with Stress Reliever Technology™ to help relieve crops of a variety of stresses, including physical injury. C3 has a high phosphorus analysis to provide energy to the crop, which will be essential for its ability to heal itself.

To learn more about how crops recover from hail damage, have a look at this article from the CAAR Communicator.

It’s not a call any of us want to receive, but if your crop does takes hail damage, contact your local OMEX plant health professional for more information about how foliar fertilizers can help your crop recover.