Content
- Does the horse chestnut often suffer from diseases?
- What is the problem with the horse chestnut?
- The main diseases and pests:
- Can I still save a sick chestnut?
- How can I protect my horse chestnut?
- Tips
The horse chestnut miner leaves ugly spots on the leaves
Does the horse chestnut often suffer from diseases?
In principle, the horse chestnut is a fairly robust tree, but some diseases and / or pests can cause her a lot. Brown leaves in the summer are not a good sign, for some years unfortunately no longer rare to see.
What is the problem with the horse chestnut?
Among the most dreaded diseases in chestnuts are the chestnut bark crab and the horse chestnut leafminer moth. Through the chestnut bark cancer, the whole tree can die off, which actually does not happen in an infestation with the horse chestnut miner moth. Other possible diseases include the ink disease or the so-called bleeding chestnut and an infestation with the chestnut drill or chestnut winder.
The main diseases and pests:
Can I still save a sick chestnut?
Against a pest infestation you can proceed with chemical means or a special trap. Inform yourself in the specialized trade. Infested fruit and / or fruit hulls will be collected immediately. They should not simply be thrown on the compost, but disposed of properly, for example by burning. To prevent the larvae from surviving the winter and re-infesting your chestnuts next year.
In a fungal infection helps only a generous pruning of the infected parts of plants. In this category fall the ink disease, the Pseudomonas (bleeding chestnut) and the chestnut bark cancer. Be sure to cut into the healthy wood. If there are fungal pathogens on the tree, then her chestnut continues to be ill. In the long term, their chances of survival decline while the risk of being infected by surrounding chestnuts increases.
How can I protect my horse chestnut?
It is best to protect your horse chestnut if you give it the best possible location. It should be sunny, with plenty of room for the mature tree. If the soil is too moist, for example, this favors the ink disease.
So plant your chestnut in a dry to slightly damp soil. A soil analysis shows you whether the mineral content is optimal for your chestnut. A lack of potassium or phosphorus can be compensated with the pasen fertilizer.
Tips
Check your horse chestnut regularly for a pest infestation or any illnesses. So you can react in a timely manner and maybe save your chestnut.