Parker Chronicle > News
Keeping plants protected
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| Hail piled up on a street in the Clark Farms neighborhood during a hail storm on June 23. Photo by Chris Michlewicz |
Ashley Dieterle
As severe thunderstorms blow into Parker, residents were greeted with heavy rain fall and marble-sized hail.
As the hail splattered the ground, vehicles were not the only thing taking a beating, plants and trees around Parker also took a hit.
Even though over the past couple of weeks, Parker has seen its share of moisture and thunderstorms, according to Eric Stadsvold, forestry and open space supervisor for the Town of Parker, Parker has not had an extreme storm since 2005 that has thoroughly damaged vegetation in the community.
He said currently the hail damage has been spotty with areas near Hess and Hilltop, east Mainstreet and Hess and Motsenbocker being hit the hardest.
“The trees and shrubs in these areas had their leaves beat up pretty well but at this point there is no reason to say the Town lost any for sure,” he said.
Stadsvold said it is still early enough in the year that the vegetation should recover. He said the hail damage around town is currently confined to annuals and is estimated at $1500 to $2000 or less.
“There is a wide-range at this point because I am still waiting to see what lives and what dies but at this point we tried to determine the worst case scenario at $2000,” he said.
Stadsvold said residents concerned about their own plants, flowers, shrubs and trees can take steps to protect their landscapes. He said the easiest thing for smaller plants and perennials it to physically cover them with a sheet or tarp just as if they are waiting for a frost. For trees and shrubs there is not much to do up front to provide protection. The best thing to do is cut the damaged parts out and prune them consistently Stadsvold said.
“People can also use a slight amount of fertilization to spur the tree into growing a little quicker to get the leaves growing,” he said. “That way it can help to build up the tree’s reserves again for winter.”
Spending the last four years as the forestry and open space supervisor for Parker, Stadsvold has learned one helpful tip for keeping trees and shrubs growing healthy- winter watering. He said many people may not be aware of the benefits from watering trees and shrubs during warm days in the winter, but the result can be very positive.
“When there are dry days in the winter with very little moisture shrubs tend to dry out in Colorado,” he said. “So watering is the best thing anyone can do.”
As severe thunderstorms blow into Parker, residents were greeted with heavy rain fall and marble-sized hail.
As the hail splattered the ground, vehicles were not the only thing taking a beating, plants and trees around Parker also took a hit.
Even though over the past couple of weeks, Parker has seen its share of moisture and thunderstorms, according to Eric Stadsvold, forestry and open space supervisor for the Town of Parker, Parker has not had an extreme storm since 2005 that has thoroughly damaged vegetation in the community.
He said currently the hail damage has been spotty with areas near Hess and Hilltop, east Mainstreet and Hess and Motsenbocker being hit the hardest.
“The trees and shrubs in these areas had their leaves beat up pretty well but at this point there is no reason to say the Town lost any for sure,” he said.
Stadsvold said it is still early enough in the year that the vegetation should recover. He said the hail damage around town is currently confined to annuals and is estimated at $1500 to $2000 or less.
“There is a wide-range at this point because I am still waiting to see what lives and what dies but at this point we tried to determine the worst case scenario at $2000,” he said.
Stadsvold said residents concerned about their own plants, flowers, shrubs and trees can take steps to protect their landscapes. He said the easiest thing for smaller plants and perennials it to physically cover them with a sheet or tarp just as if they are waiting for a frost. For trees and shrubs there is not much to do up front to provide protection. The best thing to do is cut the damaged parts out and prune them consistently Stadsvold said.
“People can also use a slight amount of fertilization to spur the tree into growing a little quicker to get the leaves growing,” he said. “That way it can help to build up the tree’s reserves again for winter.”
Spending the last four years as the forestry and open space supervisor for Parker, Stadsvold has learned one helpful tip for keeping trees and shrubs growing healthy- winter watering. He said many people may not be aware of the benefits from watering trees and shrubs during warm days in the winter, but the result can be very positive.
“When there are dry days in the winter with very little moisture shrubs tend to dry out in Colorado,” he said. “So watering is the best thing anyone can do.”
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