Anybody know anything about chestnut trees?

[82_28]

I'm in Washington state and I have a chestnut tree outside of my apartment. I'd say it's at least 70 years old -- my girlfriend says it's "probably 30 years old" just now. Anyhow, it appears to be dying. It's losing leaves like crazy but is still fruiting like crazy too. The other chestnuts around the 'hood seem to be fine. I've looked some pointers up of course and it could be "blight" or some new and unknown bacteria they've recently discovered in the UK affecting the Horse Chestnut tree there. However, I think it may be water logged. There's this pump that is supposed to pump water away from the tree and building that doesn't work so well. I guess, I'm just asking if anybody knows if it can bounce back. There really is nothing anybody can do short of knocking down the old building I live in in order to save it I think, yet I don't know. I would so hate to see it get chopped down.

Perhaps RI isn't the place to ask, but I know we have some agricultural/botanical minded people here. So maybe somebody knows something. I really hate being able to see the sky through the leaves. It was such a thick canopy just a month ago.

And for RI effect I will leave this just to stay on topic of all things RI:

[Joe Hillshoist]

Sounds like it could be Phytophthora.

Often connected to bad drainage.

Urine might kill it. (I kid you not.) If you have no infections in your urinary tract, and can manage to piss on the roots (in a different spot) every time you need a leak it might work. Dunno how practical that is.

I do know people who swear by it.

Tho I dunno if its been tested scientifically or anything.

[82_28]

Just for "shits and grins" I moved Psynapz's orgonite to the tree itself. She seems to think that that orgonite has helped our tomato plants grow to over 7 feet tall, even without constant sun and a lackluster summer up here. She's not even in to such things, but she thinks so she says. I will start to piss on it though Joe. Thanks for the tip! hahaha. What a ridiculous paragraph the above was!

[Perelandra]

WTH, seven feet?? That's a lot of growth for here, but what about fruit production? I might need some of that stuff.

About the tree, maybe email or phone this show, it's on Sat. mornings and usually has pretty good answers to listeners' questions.
http://radiotime.com/program/p_58298/Gardening_in_the_NW.aspx

or try this forum.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/nwest/

[Sepka]

Urine might kill it. (I kid you not.) If you have no infections in your urinary tract, and can manage to piss on the roots (in a different spot) every time you need a leak it might work.

Buy a couple kegs, invite all your friends over...

[Searcher08]

Does it look like this?

http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/INFD-68JJRC

[82_28]

Does it look like this?

http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/INFD-68JJRC

No, thank god. Just leaves drying up left and right really.

[Iamwhomiam]

Perhaps it is the Chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica? This may be affecting it, however many hardwoods do not tolerate well long periods of water saturated soil, so it may be drowning.

[Joe Hillshoist]

Urine might kill it. (I kid you not.) If you have no infections in your urinary tract, and can manage to piss on the roots (in a different spot) every time you need a leak it might work.

Buy a couple kegs, invite all your friends over...