Horse Chestnut problems

I have a massive, very old horse chestnut tree in my garden which has a serious infestation of leaf miner and as a result has almost lost all its leaves already. However, I've also discovered 3 areas of dark browny sap oozing out of the trunk at about a metre from the ground, which I'm sure is bleeding canker. The tree is loosing a lot of bark all over, sort of shredding it - flaking off. Given that the tree is at least 150 years old, does anyone know what I can expect now or if there's anything I can do? Thanks

 

I seem to remember something on the tv last autumn about a disease that is spreading through a lot of
Horse Chestnut trees over most of the Country, I think it said it was being spread by leaf minors and the first sign/symptoms of it were leaves turning brown and crispy and falling early; last year some trees round here were leafless by the end of August and yet started off in the spring looking perfectly healthy but again dropped their leaves early as well as suffering from some die back.

I don't know whether anything can be done or how long the tree hangs on before dying? (if they do?), sorry couldn't be more help.....

 

I'm not sure that the leaf problem is the same or even connected to the canker one.

We have most trees affected with the leaf miner around here, but not all have the problem of the cracked bark and oozing sap.


I've noticed the council are interplanting Horse Chestnut with other trees.
Seen quite a lot of young Horse Chestnuts killed by the canker, but most of the large trees seem unaffected at the moment.

 

Thanks for the input. I know that this Bleeding Canker has resulted in the deaths of many Horse Chestnuts, but as my tree is very near to the house and overhangs in part, it would be most useful to know if anyone has experience of the time it takes for deterioration and therefore when the tree will become dangerous? How can you tell if it's spreading, or spread already to other parts of the tree: is it just a visual one - seeing the oozing sap?

 

Hi Sandpiper

Bleeding canker is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi and can lead to tree death. Rarely some trees seem to cope with the infection and have been known to control its effect, and recover over time. The length of time it takes to affect the tree, and to what extent, varies greatly; depending generally on the vigour and vitality of the host tree.

If you cannot rest due to worrying about potential damage to your house then a qualified and competent arborist should be able to offer you a number of services such as a crown reduction or thin to alleviate the problem. other than that I'm afraid it's a case of living with the tree as it is, or remove it completely and replant with another species of tree.