Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: dangolding on October 03, 2008, 17:03

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: dangolding on October 03, 2008, 17:03

Apart from teaching the local French kids how to play the good ol' game, does anyone have any practical uses for the thousands of conkers that have started to fall in my garden?

Are they safe for pigs to eat (actually, I did offer them some today, but they weren't that interested)

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: FCG on October 03, 2008, 17:44

Go throw them on some scrub land.. they are good for that.

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: liz from the fizz on October 03, 2008, 22:09

Spiders dont come near conkers, so feel free to scatter a few around the house. We have some at the front of the house and the back. Worth a try if you are frightened of the critters. :)

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: gobs on October 04, 2008, 10:33

We used to make erazors of them when I was a kid and animals.

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: agapanthus on October 04, 2008, 13:38

Dry them as use them on your fire!

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: Digger Parsnip on October 04, 2008, 22:00

organise a conker competition for thousands of people,
charge £10 entry fee and make a bit of money in the process

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: SnooziSuzi on October 04, 2008, 22:06

Quote from: "liz from the fizz"

Spiders dont come near conkers

now humans afraid of spiders I get (don't see it myself but hey-ho) but who researched that they had an irrational fear of conkers!!  :lol:

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: Ruby Red on October 05, 2008, 09:23

Chuck em at next door neighbours cat, (only joking folks). Ive noticed that on a lane in the village, there are 2 dozen Horse Chestnut trees either side if the road and loads of conkers have fallen on the road. Where the cars have been driving over them and squashing them its running all soapy and frothy down the road. Wonder if people centuries ago had a use for them.

Title: Conkers.
Post by: Steve.P on October 15, 2008, 21:07

Think i read somewhere that conkers are not very good for pigs, but acorns are, or is it the other way round, or have i gone completely mad.

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: rainie on October 15, 2008, 21:37

either give them or throw them (not really) at trick or treaters!

Thread them on strings and hang as close as you can in a doorway?

Children can make patterns or words with them (like beads)

Put them on your local freecycle site

Offer them to the church for decorating at harvest.


This link may give you some ideas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Horse-chestnut

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: greenqueen on November 03, 2008, 20:11

With the festive season rapidly approaching ..... conkers look great used  in  'country' style Christmas decorations,  in a basket perhaps with a few beech nuts, and white candles.  

just a thought ........
greenqueen

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: purron on November 04, 2008, 09:28

LOL at Snoozisuzi

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: Salmo on November 04, 2008, 13:04

Quote from: "agapanthus"

Dry them as use them on your fire!

As kids we used to throw them on the hot bonfire ashes and wait for them to explode.

Are you trying to blow up the dangolding house?

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: Gwiz on November 04, 2008, 16:43

bung 'em at your neighbours barking dog. ( yes, really) :wink:

Title: Any practical uses for conkers?
Post by: Bodger on November 05, 2008, 07:58

My mum swore by them for keeping moths out of sock draws.