How many conkers on a tree

The horse chestnut began its process of naturalisation in the UK after extensive planting by landscapers including Sir Christopher Wren — who planted a mile long pathway of the beautiful tree at Bushy Park, near Hampton Court.

Horse chestnut conkers are poisonous to most animals and will cause sickness if eaten. The annual world conker championships have taken place in the village of Ashton, Northants, since The first ever game was played on the Isle of White in Certain chemicals can be extracted from conkers to treat strains and bruises.

The word 'conker' originally derived from the word 'conch' and the game was first played using snail shells. The timber from horse chestnuts is a pale, creamy white and is light in weight and weak in strength, meaning it is not very sought after for commercial and carpentry purposes. It was, however, once used to make artificial limbs. Horse chestnut trees can live for up to years and, at their largest, can reach heights of 40 metres with 2 meter wide trunks.

The Aesculus Hippocastanum got its association with horses because, when the leaves fall, the stalks leave a scar on the twig which resembles the shape of a horseshoe complete with nail holes.

The conkers also used to be ground and fed to horses as a remedy for coughs. On a more serious note, horse chestnuts are currently suffering from two conditions What is it? Leaf miner moths spread their larvae over horse chestnut trees which burrow into the leaf tissue. Over time, this browns, dries and eventually kills the leaf.

Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency. First, the tree needs to be genetically capable of reproduction.

Some trees may be naturally sterile. Another important factor is maturity. A tree generally needs to be several years old before it blooms. Also, the soil needs to contain essential nutrients for a tree to bloom. An excessive quantity of certain minerals can be harmful.

Answer: Yes, they are. Dogs shouldn't be allowed to eat horse chestnuts. That sounds interesting. I've heard about other people who use conkers to make laundry detergent. I think it's important to keep the conkers and the detergent out of the way of children and pets and to rinse the washed items thoroughly.

The nuts contain saponins and if ground or chopped and soaked in water make a great laundry detergent. I have been using them all year and think they do just as good a job as purchased laundry detergents. I don't know the answer with respect to your conkers, but I have noticed in my area that some fruits are ripening much earlier than they used to.

This may be because summers are becoming warmer in some parts of the world. Why are the conkers shells on my tree turning brown in August? Tree has already dropped a lot of conkers. Some plants have roots, leaves, or cells that prevent the entry of salt.

Some absorb the salt but have mechanisms that prevent it from damaging the plant. I love the flowers, too, Peg. You're right about the fruits.

I've experienced some painful experiences just trying to pick them up! The flowers on this tree are incredibly beautiful. Those green horse chestnut fruits look like they could be painful if you got hit with them.

I love the looks of this majestic tree. Thank you very much for the comment and the vote, Alun. I think the horse chestnut is a lovely tree. It's fun to observe it and to write about it! Lovely feature about all aspects of the life of horse chestnuts.

The photos are all good and helpful I never knew that in close up the horse chestnut flowers could be so attractive including your own, opening picture. The videos all also contribute something different. The time lapse transformation is particularly attractive, and I love the comical conker playing video!

Personally I never liked conkers - too much risk of an errant, ill-directed conker causing a painful blow on the hand!

Thanks, ologsinquito. I think that Hildegard of Bingen was a very interesting woman. I enjoy learning about her. Great article. One of my favorite herbalists, Hildegard of Bingen, believed chestnuts could cure just about anything. Thanks for the interesting comment, LastRoseofSummer2. I hadn't thought about how often conkers were mentioned in period dramas until now! Thank you! I hear a lot about conkers because of all the period dramas I watch. Glad to know some more info on it all.

Thanks for the visit and the vote, moonlake. It's always sad when a tree is cut down. I can understand that it may need to be done when the tree is diseased or is weak and a danger to the public, but otherwise it seems like such a shame. I love this tree but I think the only one we had in our town has been cut down. The city can be blamed for that they love cutting trees down.

Voted up. Thanks for commenting and for sharing your story, Deb. It's sad when a favorite tree has to be cut down. When I was growing up, we had a horse chestnut in the yard, and I regularly played with the conkers, but I didn't know about the game that you played. Mostly I threw them to home in on my aim. The tree had bleeding canker, and my father eventually cut it down. Thoughts of it held many happy memories, as it was a fabulous shade tree. We had these tress in Indiana and I failed to realize this game of conkers existed..

Thanks for the education! Hi, Nell. Thanks for the comment. I've heard about the idea that conkers repel spiders, but I haven't seen any proof one way or the other. It would be very interesting - and useful - if conkers contained a chemical that kept spiders away from an area! Hi Alicia, I used to love playing conkers! I know there is a new theory that if you place conkers around your house then it keeps spiders away, so maybe its that chemical that does it!

I read that they have made a spray for spiders from it, great read! Who knew about the horse chestnut tree and conkers and the conkers game, Alicia? Not me. So it was extremely educational and entertaining to read your fascinating treatise on same. Thank you for this exceptional exposition. Now I'm worrying about conkers who may be susceptible to cankers. The Horse Chestnut Tree and Conkers a beautifully presented hub on this topic, and I so enjoyed learning more about this tree.

All of this information about this tree is new to me and very interesting. I am always interested in reading about nature and you did an excellent job of presenting the information in a very interesting way.

Also hub. I love to learn about trees. Such fascinating information about one type of tree! Thank you for sharing such wisdom and knowledge. Hi, Bill. It's interesting to hear about other places where conkers is played. As always, thank you very much for the comment, the vote and the shares!

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We deliver by tracked courier between Tuesday to Saturday each week excluding Bank Holidays. The flower spike of large white or pink hyacinth-like flowers is a very attractive sight in woodlands in spring April. The dark brown bark is heavily scaled on mature Horse Chestnuts, with saplings similarly coloured but smooth. On large specimens, lower side branches often sweep downwards sometimes touching the ground. Like Oak Horse Chestnut can develop a very large spread.

By late September the leaves turn golden and fall covering the ground thickly. It is now that the conkers start to fall, often hitting the ground with a loud thud. The seed pod which contains the conker is globular, green and has sharp brown spines, with a soft white interior lining. Many fall before they are ripe and open to show white seeds but the best conkers are big, glossy, mahogany brown and grained; sometimes two or more come in a pod.

In the winter, mature leafless trees have a skeletal appearance. This means it has little ancient folklore attached to it. Many were planted on village greens or in the grounds of stately homes and halls.