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Trees and plants shredded by hail? Here's what to do

Hail is possible on this First Alert Day. Here are some tips on what to do if your plants or trees take a beating, learned after Denver felt the pain.

DENVER — Just when you thought your precious plants would be safe from the wrath of winter, a hail storm popped in the middle of the night and shredded tree leaves, flowers and other plants all over the Denver metro area.

RELATED: Hail blankets streets, shreds plants

Depending on the size and duration of the hail, all might not be lost.

Credit: Tareq Wafaie
Garden planted only to be completely destroyed less than 12 hours later, according to Tareq Wafaie who lives in Platt Park neighborhood of Denver.

Start by applying liquid kelp to the plants. It's a natural plant fertilizer that can provide a wide range of benefits for damaged plants. It can be found at many garden and home improvement stores.

9NEWS garden expert Rob Proctor recommends using a sprayer attachment on the hose or mix the kelp with water in a watering can.

Credit: G. Verver
Hail and leaves completely covering the 800 block of Vine Street in Denver following a hail storm

Even a damaged leaf is better than none, so just do a little bit light cleaning at first, Proctor said.

After a week or so, start fertilizing aggressively with a high nitrogen fertilizer. That will promote new growth and new leaves. As new leaves appear, remove the battered ones.

Trim off any hanging stems and remove the debris in the area. If there are only stems, trim them by back by half and new leaves could grow. It's a good idea to loosen the soil since hail and heavy rain can compact soil.

Credit: James Hanzelka

Some plants that were too badly pulverized may not recover. They'll have to be replaced. The good news it's still pretty early so it's not too late to replant.

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