Care problem

Mechanical and storm damage

Torn leaves, broken stems or bark wounds from hail, wind, snow, mowers, pets or people.

What you'll see

• Shredded or torn leaves and stripped plants after hail or a storm.
• Broken, split or bent branches and stems, often after wind, snow or ice.
• Bark scraped or gouged at the base of trees by mowers or string trimmers, sometimes followed by dieback.

Why it happens

Physical injury tears tissue and breaks the plant's water and food pipelines. Wounds don't heal like skin, and they can let decay fungi and insects in.

How to fix it

1. Cut broken or split branches back to healthy wood as soon as you can, with clean, sharp tools.
2. Most plants regrow after hail; trim only shredded, dead parts and let new growth fill in.
3. Brush heavy snow off shrubs with an upward sweep, but let ice melt on its own.
4. Have a licensed tree professional handle large broken limbs.

Keep it from coming back

• Keep a mulch ring around trees so mowers and trimmers stay away from the trunk.
• Plant trees and shrubs back from drives and paths, where cars and foot traffic knock them.
• Remember that repeated small wounds add up and can girdle and kill a young tree.

Sources

• University of Maryland Extension: Storm damage
• University of Maryland Extension: Broken branches and lower trunk damage
• Purdue Extension: Mechanical damage to trees: mowing and maintenance equipment

General guidance, not a diagnosis. For valuable, edible or outdoor crops, check with a local extension service or plant expert. Use any product exactly as its label says, and keep children and pets away while it dries.