Nasty looking leaves

[padman]

A customer has asked me what this is. The trees are badly affected.

 

One tree is covered all over with it and the others just the bottom 50% with the top looking OK.

[TGB]

Looks like leaf miners damage.

[Adam M]

Looks like leaf miners damage.

 

 

Yeah for sure. Very common. You can reduce the impact on the following years growth by sweeping up all the leaves in the autumn. However, this also removes all the other organisms that rely on the leaf litter.

[sloth]

Yep, horse chestnut leaf miner.

 

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[padman]

Thank you - other than being very unsightly is there any cause for concern with this?

[TGB]

Well the damage will weaken the tree/plant. So cure is better than living with it. As has been said, clearing the fallen leafs is a start but don't compost the leaves, as this won't kill the fly's larvae. And could help spread the problem in following years.

 

You can spray in spring and with some insecticides, all year round. But this could be problematic to say the least with a whole tree. If the plant/tree isn't big, the spraying could be contained within a plastic sheet. But for a tree more than say twelve feet high. That's going to be a lot of spraying. I'd live with it, gather the leaves as and when they fall and burn incinerate them.

[padman]

Spraying is a no no as they are huge. So will make sure all leaves are destroyed.

 

Appreciate the advice.

 

Thanks,

 

Paul