Topic: No more conker season?

[triffid]

The rain is only increasing my gloom, so I've come here for a bit of cheering up. Basically, got the news this week that the horse chestnut trees at Small Triffid's school, plus the ones in the neighbouring park, are infected with bleeding canker.

Several are only in the early stages, but long-term it means no more horse chestnut trees round here.

So, no conkers for kids to play with, or just to shell for the sake of stroking the polished-wood-and-damp-silk surfaces.

And no red pollen for our bees to turn into mad dot-to-dot patterns in the comb.

And no avenues of glorious pink and white candles in spring.

 :'(

       

 

[cambourne7]

why not try and get some new plants started to replace them? Maybe this could be a project the kids can get involved with?

[triffid]

Because you can't replant -- new horse chestnuts go the same way. Bleeding canker's incurable.

Basically, we're looking at a 21st century re-run of Dutch Elm Disease. 

[triffid]

Or did you mean other species, cambourne?

Because we'll certainly go that way.

We (kids, some teachers plus me!) planted a wildlife hedge a couple of years ago, and last winter saw me and a couple of other parents digging bear traps planting holes for a pair of Brogdale apple trees.

It's just that conker trees are kind of irreplaceable, if you know what I mean ...

[cambourne7]

HI

I do know what you mean :-)

But there is no reason why you could not plant something else there and then plant another conker tree close by...

cambourne7

[triffid]

The tree surgeon advised us not to replant with horse chestnuts...

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6L4ETY

[Robert_Brenchley]

Horse chestnuts planted on the same spot within a few years can develop the disease, but what about ones in a new position? It's a fungal disease, not something spread by insects like Dutch Elm, so it may not appear everywhere. We must have a lot of elderly trees around, as well. I remember one from the local park when I was a kid, it was just a mature horse chestnut like any other, only it had seveal weak lower branches; I think back then one touched the ground and the others weren't far off. When I passed by there about ten years ago, I found the original tree moribund, with large bracket fungi on the trunk, but the branches had all reached the ground, rooted, and were now flourishing trees. It left me wondering about the life expectancy of the species.

[triffid]

Hi Robert.

From what the tree surgeon said (which pretty much echoes the Forestry Commission's words: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestresearch.nsf/ByUnique/INFD-6KYBSS) it sounds as if there's more to bleeding canker than a fungal infection. (Almost?) all of the HC trees within a fast 10-minute walk of the school are affected to a degree, so finding a planting spot that's guaranteed disease-free could be difficult.

Young trees are more susceptible to dying from the disease (smaller trunks and branches, so quicker to be 'girdled' by the infection) so bought-in saplings are prob not a good idea.

But where self-sown conkers grow from the existing trees, we'll certainly be giving them all the help we can.

I've never seen HCs reproduce in the way you describe (sounds amazing!) -- I suppose it's so easy to grow them from conkers I'd never thought of layering them!

[Robert_Brenchley]

I was amazed as well; I've never seen anything like it. If bleeding canker is a bacterium, it still leaves a great many open questions.