What is happening to horse chestnut trees?

Iconic horse chestnut trees are under attack by a highly invasive leaf-mining moth, which has spread across much of the UK in the last 18 years.

Why are all the horse chestnut trees dying?

While many of the horse chestnut trees are being weakened by various pests/pathogens – leaf mining moth, Guignardia leaf blotch, wood rotting fungi and horse chestnut scale insect – only the rapidly-spreading bleeding canker, a bacterial disease caused by the Gram negative Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi, can kill …

How can you tell if a horse chestnut is dying?

One of the first external symptoms of infection is bleeding lesions: patches of dying bark on the stem or branches that ooze drops of rusty-red, yellow-brown or almost black, gummy liquid. (Photos1 and 2). The bleeding may be at the base of the tree at the soil surface level, or may be higher up the trunk.

What is the lifespan of a horse chestnut tree?

300 years
This tree can live for up to 300 years. Its conkers sit inside a spiky green shell, before falling to the ground in autumn. Mature horse chestnut trees grow to a height of around 40m and can live for up to 300 years.

Why are there no conkers this year 2020?

The horse chestnut trees in Kew Gardens had no conkers this year as a result of disease and pest infestation. According to the Forestry Commission, between 40,000 and 50,000 trees may already be affected – about 10% of all the horse chestnuts in Britain.

What eats horse chestnuts?

Conker conundrum Despite all the fun to be had with the seeds of a horse chestnut tree, they do have a more serious side. Conkers can be mildly poisonous to many animals, causing sickness if eaten, although some animals can safely consume them, most notably deer and wild boar.

What is killing Conker trees?

The conker could vanish from Britain because of a lethal combination of disease and invasive moths, scientists have warned. Its larvae cause the leaves on horse chestnut trees to turn brown early and drop in summer, before the conkers have had time to develop.

Can you keep a horse chestnut tree small?

You do need a lot of space to grow your own conkers: a mature horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a magnificent tree, with a height and spread of around 25m, so not one for a small garden (or even a medium-sized one).

Why are the leaves on my chestnut trees turning brown?

Leaf blotch of horse chestnut is caused by the fungus Guignardia aesculi. This is a common disease which causes browning of the leaves especially during years with wet springs. It is usually not of concern to the health of the tree although young trees and nursery stock may suffer due to complete defoliation.

Is horse chestnut invasive?

Horse chestnuts thrive in any soil, including alkaline, and are common in parks and gardens as an often spectacular specimen planting. The horse chestnut is considered invasive in some locales.

What kind of disease does a horse chestnut have?

Bleeding canker is a disease of horse chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum). It affects trees of all ages and produces external and internal symptoms. Ultimately the disease can lead to tree death, but trees can also have periods of remission and even recover.

Is it OK to plant horse chestnut trees?

If we planted them, they would be planted within the dripline of the black walnut. It would be a race to the finish for them as the Horse Chestnut is also alleopathic (poisonous to other plants). Typically, the alleopathy of these plants can be greatly reduced by making sure that their leaves and fruits are removed from the ground in the fall.

How old does a chestnut tree have to be to die?

Chestnut blight appears to harm and kill chestnut trees once the tree starts producing nuts – usually 4-6 years old. Chestnut blight appears as an orange canker on the bark of the tree. In a few years the infected chestnut tree will be dead.

What was the name of the horse chestnut tree?

Over the past few years newspaper headlines suggesting that various alien invaders are decimating the British horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) and that all affected trees should be removed have been making alarming reading.