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Horse chestnut leaf mould

Pamela14Pamela14 Posts: 54
in Tools and techniques
Morning all! 
Can anyone advise me about using horse chestnut leaves that have been infected with whatever is turning them brown earlier in the year as leaf mould. Is it safe to use them or am I in danger of harbouring more nasties rather than killing them off?
Many thanks 😊 
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    What do you mean about them being infected earlier in the year? Do you just mean they turned [in colour] earlier than normal?

    They make very good leaf mould. You can shred them with a lawn mower to help them break down a little more rapidly, which is also good with things like maples.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    edited October 2023
    The RHS suggests that unless they're composted in sealed bags until July (where the moths will emerge then die before opening), the pupae - then the moths - may well survive. But the leaf miners are so ubiquitous now, and the trees survive fine with them (if a bit unsightly), so it's probably not worth worrying. This implies that they are very specific so hopefully won't trouble other trees if allowed to live.

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/horse-chestnut-leaf-mining-moth
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Interesting @LG_ - never seen that. We probably don't have them here. 
    One of my favourite trees - one of the first to green up in May, and one of the first to colour up in September. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    I love them too, @Fairygirl - especially the new leaves and the candelabra flowers! But they soon get infested - it's been such a long time here and I've seen them so far north (in England) that I didn't realise how recent they are, nor that they haven't spread far into Scotland yet. 

    So @Pamela14 I guess whether you worry about them spreading depends where you are and how isolated your tree is!
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • Pamela14Pamela14 Posts: 54
    I'm in Hampshire so it's probably a bit late to be worrying too much!
    Thanks 😀 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They're always healthy here @LG_ apart from any damage from rough weather. There's one along the road from me which I always admire- the candles on it are always fabulous.  :)

    They stalled a bit with their autumn colouring because September was so warm. Many trees are the same, and some are still very green, which is really late here. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    @Pamela14 I think it is more likely to be a fungus. There is quite a bit of it where I live in France and it has spread to the UK, especially the south. I don't think I would compost the leaves although it is fairly harmless, it is unsightly, causing brown blotches on the leaves.

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/horse-chestnut-leaf-blotch
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • McRazzMcRazz Posts: 440
    Advice from my Dutch nurserymen friends is clear up the leaves and dispose by burning as soon as they fall if you're suffering from leaf miner or fungal infection. Therefore i wouldn't personally compost them. 

    We do that here on our nursery and our horse chestnuts seem to hold out much longer than other local trees before the damage becomes noticeable. 

    Its such a shame how the leaf miner has taken hold here in the South as its a mighty fine tree with year round interest (and extra bonus points for childhood conker nostalgia).
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Living under a couple of conker trees means that not only do I get to make leaf mould but the garden does it for me by rotting down piles of leaves that have fallen in "neglected" areas. The moth has affected the trees for years and there is no way that most people are able to burn the leaves as few people have an incinerator or space to set fire to things. Added to that, horse chestnuts are so plentiful around here that the entire neighbourhood would have to agree on a moth eradication scheme.......not very likely.
    This link is interesting as it shows that it is possible to reduce the number of moths emerging the following year when the leaves are composted at home.

  • Pamela14Pamela14 Posts: 54
    I had read that study too @Ceres, interesting isn't it. It doesn't make it clear whether you can use the composted leaves on your borders though does it?
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