Dogwood Tree Leaves Curling
Rather than keep its leaves flat and susceptible to burning in the summer sun dogwoods curl their leaves to minimize leaf surface area and thus minimize any damage they might receive.
Dogwood tree leaves curling. Drought and winter injuries weaken trees and the anthracnose fungus mostly attacks during the cool wet spring and fall weather but it can occur during any season. When a dogwood tree does not receive adequate water the leaves of the tree begin to dry with the. Ascochyta cornicola is a fungus that appears on dogwood foliage after unusually rainy springs attacking new leaves as they emerge. One of the most common reasons for leaf curling on dogwood trees discula anthracnose is a fungus infection that can attack your leaves in the early part of the growing season.
Leaf scorch is a common problem in dogwood tress and a sign that your tree is under water stress. I recently planted a small 6 flowering dogwood tree on my front lawn. Wilted or curling leaves that may turn brown at the tips or edge a sparse canopy of off color and undersized leaves leaf scorch or yellowing leaves untimely fall color and early leaf drop even if you run a sprinkler in your yard your trees likely need additional water said rick castro of davey s northwest seattle office. Leaf curl on dogwoods is essentially a protective reaction to stress the tree feels.
Blight begins with small brown centered gray spots that appear on leaf surfaces and distort leaf growth. A variety of environmental stressors can cause an alarming curl known as leaf scorch in dogwood leaves. There are any number of diseases and pests that can stress your dogwood and cause dogwood leaf drop. Affected leaves turn yellow or brown along the edges and curl due to water stress.
It seemed to thrive initially. When leaves are falling off dogwood in summer it could mean a serious illness improper siting or cultivation problems. However the leaves are now curling and feel dry to the touch. The entire leaf is eventually engulfed turns brown and black then withers.
It is normal to see leaves falling in autumn but you should not see a dogwood tree dropping leaves in summer. Curled wilted or distorted leaves along with dark or tarlike spots are common symptoms of dogwood anthracnose.