New aspen leaves curled up - Ask Extension
I live at 9800. This season the new leaves on some of my aspen trees are curled up. They look like my hand when I curl all my fingers together. ...
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New aspen leaves curled up #873421
Asked June 17, 2024, 11:46 AM EDT
I live at 9800. This season the new leaves on some of my aspen trees are curled up. They look like my hand when I curl all my fingers together. Entire trees have this, yet the tree next to it appears normal. The leaves are not crunchy. There are no apparent bugs in the curled up sections. The soil feels moist, and not wet. I did spray them with Plantskkd a month ago to try to repel moose.
Summit County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Marc,
I'm not able to diagnose the problem from the attached picture but one possibility is mites (there are a few kinds that affect aspens). They are very tiny and can't be seen without a microscope/at least 20x magnifying glass. They cause leaf curling and distortion like in the picture. Aphids are another insect that can cause leaf curling and distortion. They visible without a microscope but they are easily missed because they are small and often green so they blend in with the leaves. Other possibilities are herbicide drift damage or spring frost damage. It is possible for one or a few trees to have any of these issues but the tree next to it is okay based on where the drift came from or how the cold temperatures settled on the landscape.
Here is more information about mites, aphids, frost damage and herbicide damage:
Spider Mites
Eriophyid Mites - CSU
Eriophyid Mites - USU
How to Recognize and Manage Spider Mites
Aphids on Shade Trees
Aphids on Trees and Shrubs
Recognizing Frost Damaged Plants
Winter Injury
Diagnosing Herbicide Injury on Trees
Herbicide Damage to Trees
CSU has a plant diagnostic clinic that accepts homeowner samples for a fee, here is the link for that: https://agsci.colostate.edu/agbio/plantclinic/
Thank you for using AskExtension!
- Denyse
I'm not able to diagnose the problem from the attached picture but one possibility is mites (there are a few kinds that affect aspens). They are very tiny and can't be seen without a microscope/at least 20x magnifying glass. They cause leaf curling and distortion like in the picture. Aphids are another insect that can cause leaf curling and distortion. They visible without a microscope but they are easily missed because they are small and often green so they blend in with the leaves. Other possibilities are herbicide drift damage or spring frost damage. It is possible for one or a few trees to have any of these issues but the tree next to it is okay based on where the drift came from or how the cold temperatures settled on the landscape.
Here is more information about mites, aphids, frost damage and herbicide damage:
Spider Mites
Eriophyid Mites - CSU
Eriophyid Mites - USU
How to Recognize and Manage Spider Mites
Aphids on Shade Trees
Aphids on Trees and Shrubs
Recognizing Frost Damaged Plants
Winter Injury
Diagnosing Herbicide Injury on Trees
Herbicide Damage to Trees
CSU has a plant diagnostic clinic that accepts homeowner samples for a fee, here is the link for that: https://agsci.colostate.edu/agbio/plantclinic/
Thank you for using AskExtension!
- Denyse
