Conker trees and that disease

[minskey]

Hi one & all

I have only one conker tree, it came from a conker off Twickenham green in London. Its about 8 years old and 14ft 'ish. I'd hate to lose it.

I keep hearing about a disese which is killing conker trees but not catching what it is. does anyone know? can it be prevented?

[vicky]

Forest Research - Managing Horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella)

Horse chestnut leaf miner?
It doesn't kill them just makes the leaves look ugly (and I think makes the 'crop' of conkers reduce). But what it will mean is that people won't want a horse chestnut tree in their garden/park so many will be cut down or not palnted to start with.
We have a massive one in our garden and it's leaves are turning yellow/brown by august - it looks like autumn comes early to it every year!

[vicky]

Forest Research - Bleeding Canker of Horse Chestnut

There's also this one which can kill them but they seem to know less about it and don't think it's as common as the leaf miner. (My tree also has this! It's doomed)

[FoxHillGardener]

Ther's also a bleeding canker that horse chestnuts can get which has increased lots in the past few years
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Bleed...dingcanker.pdf

[The Large One]

our local park (Hamilton Park) has got a massive avenue of conker trees which me and and i'm sure many a young lad visited every year to get conkers and get chased away by the local council tree warden. I read with sadness recently that the have had to take a few out because of the bleeding canker
I must get down there and take some photos for old times sake before it's all gone.............

[Scarlet]

I have two conker trees, both over 50 years old that have the dreaded leaf miner moth.

The leaves start to turn brown in july and fall much earlier than they should. This inturn makes the tree weak and more susceptible to disease.

I have been advised to collect as many leaves as possible and burn them to kill the overwintering pupae and hopefully deplete numbers.

[HeatherL]

The Universities of Bristol and Hull are carrying out a study into the spread of the leaf miner What's happening to our conker trees?

I've downloaded their Leaf Watch app onto my phone - you take a picture of a tree and rate the damage according to a pictorial scale then submit it to them.