Summer thunder storms in South Africa can be very severe, bringing with them hail. Severe hail storms will strip unprotected plants of their foliage and even damage branches and stems in severe cases. The destruction can be heart wrenching. At best, small hail stones will leave plants with lesions to their foliage. Late season hail storms can result in plants being set back so far that growers will not materialize a crop.

This having been said, early season hail storms can be advantageous. Damaged early season plants do have a chance to recover in time for a harvest. The damage caused by hail and the nitrates introduced to the soil by hail can result in vigorous regrowth. Damaged plants can come back bushier and with higher yield in our experience.

The best way to avoid the ravages of hail storms is shade netting or tunnels. Shade netting can catch hail stones before they reach the plants. We highly recommend shade netting, not only to mitigate damage from hail, but also protect plants from heat and high UV.