Bonkers to waste conkers!

[5129frederick]

Around this time of the year conkers litter the ground and get trampled underfoot or squashed flat as cars drive over them.  Apart from kids playing with them, how about doing something a little bit more constructive with them?  

Few of them survive a harsh winter, but by gathering up a pocketful and putting them into little pots - used plastic drinks containers are ideal with a hole in the bottom for drainage purposes.  Buried about 2" down and put into your glasshouse, they will survive the harshness of a heavy February frost.  Water them a couple of times a week.  By late March/early April they will be coming out.  When they are about three inches high they'll be perfect for planting back into a quiet neck of the woods where other trees grow, bringing a bit of variety into the fauna.  I always loook out the an abundance of oak trees, so a few chestnut trees break the monotony and vice versa.  It's not just chestnuts and acorns but anything that grows.  I've successfully planted sycamores even though I don't like them, and everything else under the sun.  By the time the next winter comes they'll be hardy enough to survive on their own.  Get the youngsters involved.  I know which ones are mine, and they're doing quite well.  To think, if every person in London did it to just one sapling, there'd be enough trees to start a forest!

I've been doing it for years and must have planted literally hundreds saplings back into the ground.  I know it's not much, but it's my way of putting just a little bit back into the ground of what we take out.  God has given us a beautiful world so let's take care of it - after all, it's all we've got.  

Thank you.

[millielilac]

Apparently you can also use conkers to deter spiders from entering your home by putting them along your window ledges ...they dont like them for some reason.

We lived in Scotland for a few years and lived in a former Manse . The church had a huge conker tree that hung over our drive and we had literally thousands of conkers .

The local children would ask to collect them ( I was very happy to oblige ) and as a teacher I would take lots into school for the children to count and sort ....such beautiful tactile objects ....

Carry on your good work .....

[saasher2012]

Well done you FREDERICK ! That's a wonderful idea, we take so much from nature & this is a marvellous way of repaying her back, keep up the good work.

[5129frederick]

In my old house we had a 100' conker tree that dominated the bottom of the garden which, although produced loads of blossoms would yield ver few conkers.  I've always been attracted to conkers, more so than acorns.  Did you know you can turn acorns into margerine?  Apparently the French do it, and I think they also turn it into cattle feed.

I hadn't heard of conkers being used to fend off spiders - it's probably the scent given off although I've no qualms against spiders.  They're really beautiful creatures.  I will always try to catch a spider and put it safely out of the house.  I tolerate them although I drew exception when one of then ran across my face 3 a.m. one morning!  It woke me up instantly.  I couldn't stir otherwise I would have woken my wife.  They're very solitary creatures.  Talking of which, did you hear about the queer spider?  Kept playing with his mate's flies!