How to Recover Corn From Hail

Freak hail storms are both the professional farmer's and home gardener's worst nightmare. Those chunks of ice falling from the sky can bruise plants or completely destroy them. Corn is generally a hearty plant, but it relies on its leaves for growth when young. Recovering corn from hail is not simple, as it requires a variety of factors including determining whether the plant can be saved, but it usually can be done.

Instructions

- 1
  Assess the extent of the damage to the corn three to five days after the hail damage. It cannot be assessed the day of or day after as young corn is quite resilient.
- 2
  Determine where the growing point for the plant is. Cut down the middle of the plant to see if that point, a pyramid shaped object in the middle of the stalk, has been damaged.
- 3
  Cut away any stalks that have been damaged to a great extent or have had their growing points damaged or completely removed. Discard them or use them for compost.
- 4
  Remove any stalks that show bacterial growth, as this is common within damaged leaves and stalks and can be detrimental to the healthier remaining plants.
- 5
  Allow the corn to continue growing, removing any plants that do not show any growth signs within five days as this means they have died completely.

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