young aspen with 4 trunks - one trunk with no growth at top half this year - Ask Extension
Greetings Master Gardeners,I planted a six foot aspen with 4 trunks in our front yard three years ago. The tallest trunk (now 15' high) is not produci...
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young aspen with 4 trunks - one trunk with no growth at top half this year #636815
Asked May 17, 2020, 1:06 PM EDT
Greetings Master Gardeners,
I planted a six foot aspen with 4 trunks in our front yard three years ago. The tallest trunk (now 15' high) is not producing any new growth above 7'. It looks dead up top but is sprouting leaves below. We did plant it in close proximity to an older Aspen that we plan to take down in the upcoming years. Is this particular trunk water deprived? Are the low branches preventing water from getting up to the top? Do we need to take this trunk off? Three photos attached. Thank you for your help.
I planted a six foot aspen with 4 trunks in our front yard three years ago. The tallest trunk (now 15' high) is not producing any new growth above 7'. It looks dead up top but is sprouting leaves below. We did plant it in close proximity to an older Aspen that we plan to take down in the upcoming years. Is this particular trunk water deprived? Are the low branches preventing water from getting up to the top? Do we need to take this trunk off? Three photos attached. Thank you for your help.
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/aspen-and-poplar-leaf-spots-2-920/
Hi, and thank you for sending the photos, they are helpful. In looking at the photos, I do see that your aspen stems have some competition from the surrounding grass. I think they would be much happier if the competing grass was removed from beneath and around the stems, and that area mulched with an organic mulch, such as wood chips. This would help to regulate the moisture in the soil, and even out the soil temperature, as well as create a protection zone for the aspen stems, to protect them from "weed-whackeritis", that is, getting bark damage from a weed-whacker. Remove the grass out to the drip-line, if possible; that is, the line that is even with the outermost twigs of the stem, and replace with an organic mulch. Check the soil in several spots around the clump with a thin-bladed screw driver that you can insert into the soil. If the blade goes in easily, then it's probably getting enough water. If the blade meets resistance and cannot be inserted easily, then the clump probably needs supplemental water. That being said, you didn't say where you live, but if you live at a lower elevation here in Larimer County (not Estes Park or the foothills), you need to understand that aspens have a tough time living down here. They are much happier in the mountains. Also, aspens are susceptible to leaf spots and diseases, and if not pruned properly to allow the air to move around and in between the stems, they can, in the summer when we have higher humidity, get various leaf spot diseases that can cause the leaves to get lesions and can even drop prematurely. (See Aspen and Poplar Leaf Spot Fact Sheet link at the top of my response.) If this happens, it is extremely important to do a thorough cleanup and disposal of the leaves (into the trash, not the compost) in the fall, so that the spores of the disease do not remain to re-infect the following year. Or perhaps this particular stem, if it was just pushing leaves when we got the cold weather on Easter Sunday and during the following week, might have gotten frozen leaves, and the stem will have to push out a second set of leaves if it has enough stored energy (carbohydrates) to do that. Good care of the clump would help it with that. I would recommend, if it doesn't bother you too much, to wait and see if it is still able to push another set of leaves yet. Or there might be a wound on the trunk above the seven- foot level that you haven't noticed ? If you can, go ahead and remove the competing grass, create a mulch ring, make sure the clump is getting enough water, and wait to see. If it still doesn't push a set of leaves, then it might be time to carefully remove the stem, making sure not to damage the other stems in the clump. If we were able, we could send a tree team member out to look at the tree, but unfortunately we are not able to do that at this time, due to the pandemic. Perhaps in the future, you can request a tree team visit to look at it. Best of luck !
Hi, and thank you for sending the photos, they are helpful. In looking at the photos, I do see that your aspen stems have some competition from the surrounding grass. I think they would be much happier if the competing grass was removed from beneath and around the stems, and that area mulched with an organic mulch, such as wood chips. This would help to regulate the moisture in the soil, and even out the soil temperature, as well as create a protection zone for the aspen stems, to protect them from "weed-whackeritis", that is, getting bark damage from a weed-whacker. Remove the grass out to the drip-line, if possible; that is, the line that is even with the outermost twigs of the stem, and replace with an organic mulch. Check the soil in several spots around the clump with a thin-bladed screw driver that you can insert into the soil. If the blade goes in easily, then it's probably getting enough water. If the blade meets resistance and cannot be inserted easily, then the clump probably needs supplemental water. That being said, you didn't say where you live, but if you live at a lower elevation here in Larimer County (not Estes Park or the foothills), you need to understand that aspens have a tough time living down here. They are much happier in the mountains. Also, aspens are susceptible to leaf spots and diseases, and if not pruned properly to allow the air to move around and in between the stems, they can, in the summer when we have higher humidity, get various leaf spot diseases that can cause the leaves to get lesions and can even drop prematurely. (See Aspen and Poplar Leaf Spot Fact Sheet link at the top of my response.) If this happens, it is extremely important to do a thorough cleanup and disposal of the leaves (into the trash, not the compost) in the fall, so that the spores of the disease do not remain to re-infect the following year. Or perhaps this particular stem, if it was just pushing leaves when we got the cold weather on Easter Sunday and during the following week, might have gotten frozen leaves, and the stem will have to push out a second set of leaves if it has enough stored energy (carbohydrates) to do that. Good care of the clump would help it with that. I would recommend, if it doesn't bother you too much, to wait and see if it is still able to push another set of leaves yet. Or there might be a wound on the trunk above the seven- foot level that you haven't noticed ? If you can, go ahead and remove the competing grass, create a mulch ring, make sure the clump is getting enough water, and wait to see. If it still doesn't push a set of leaves, then it might be time to carefully remove the stem, making sure not to damage the other stems in the clump. If we were able, we could send a tree team member out to look at the tree, but unfortunately we are not able to do that at this time, due to the pandemic. Perhaps in the future, you can request a tree team visit to look at it. Best of luck !
