Lime trees

Against_the_grain

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
S.E
Looking at planting a row of trees alongside a ditch between two fields. Firstly will this cause issues with leaves blocking the ditch in the Autumn? I would like to plant broadleaved lime trees as I think they would good but reading around it looks like they attract aphids and I don't want this to cause any issues across the crops. I also read that bees love the trees which would be a bonus since the poor buggers have nothing to eat now we have had to stop growing osr.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have planted a lot of oak trees around and about, then my neighbour told me, cattle and sheep can be poisoned eating the acorns, the only consolation I had was that will be someone else's problem, by the time they are growing acorns I will be but a memory!
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Looking at planting a row of trees alongside a ditch between two fields. Firstly will this cause issues with leaves blocking the ditch in the Autumn? I would like to plant broadleaved lime trees as I think they would good but reading around it looks like they attract aphids and I don't want this to cause any issues across the crops. I also read that bees love the trees which would be a bonus since the poor buggers have nothing to eat now we have had to stop growing osr.
dont forget about the poor b***r in the future who will have to clean the ditch. We had a major ditch which some clown had thoughtfully planted poplars along both sides. not a good move
Lime trees certainly have caused issues for bees but I believe it is the Chinese lime which is the culprit
 

Against_the_grain

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
S.E
dont forget about the poor b***r in the future who will have to clean the ditch. We had a major ditch which some clown had thoughtfully planted poplars along both sides. not a good move
Lime trees certainly have caused issues for bees but I believe it is the Chinese lime which is the culprit
Yes this is my concern how much if an issue will this cause? Any other varieties of trees which might be better suited and still look good? Whats this about Chinese lime and bees?
 

solo

Member
Location
worcestershire
My bee keeper in the1980’s/90’s used to specifically bring his hives here for the avenue of mature lime trees, planted back in the 1800’s. At that time oilseed rape was not grown in this area as it contaminates the pure lime honey. These trees do shed quite a few smaller branches over the year, which need picking before the combine. They are very attractive trees especially when just coming into leaf. Not heard of limes affecting bees before today.
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
I have planted a lot of oak trees around and about, then my neighbour told me, cattle and sheep can be poisoned eating the acorns, the only consolation I had was that will be someone else's problem, by the time they are growing acorns I will be but a memory!
I think if it was a problem someone would have noticed by now.
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
We have limes by the garden, and I had noticed that there were lots of bees around them when flowering, but as the flowers are green I had never considered that there was nectar to be had. I don't see why they would be worse at blocking ditches than any other species.
They can grow very tall and make a very attractive tree.
 
I used to keep bees , before my son developed an allergy to their stings . He has to carry an allergy kit in the Toyota now at all times . When I had them I went to a nurseryman for a few lime trees , he remarked "You're planting these for your grandson are you ? . They're quite mature attractive trees now !
 

milkloss

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
I would imagine livestock eating acorns and being poisoned is pretty rare?
Had a young cow here that got a taste for them. Got sick one autumn and we had to cut her open….. got a wheel barrow full out of her gut and was good after that. Had to yard her every acorn season after that though. Biggest issue is water troughs under an oak tree, bad move, but nearly every trough on this farm is against an oak tree.
 

Against_the_grain

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
S.E
We have limes by the garden, and I had noticed that there were lots of bees around them when flowering, but as the flowers are green I had never considered that there was nectar to be had. I don't see why they would be worse at blocking ditches than any other species.
They can grow very tall and make a very attractive tree.
I was half thinking that they would help pollinate some of the crops as well. We have seen what we think are good results from bees in beans and linseed.
 

Alias

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancashire
I would imagine livestock eating acorns and being poisoned is pretty rare?
We have a few oak trees on the moor, and over the years I've found a couple of dead sheep under them at acorn time. I just assumed that they'd gorged themselves and been poisoned, but I should really have cut them open to see.
 

milkloss

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
We have a few oak trees on the moor, and over the years I've found a couple of dead sheep under them at acorn time. I just assumed that they'd gorged themselves and been poisoned, but I should really have cut them open to see.
Dosing then with strong coffee will help I believe. Gets some activity back in the gut.
Not if they’re already cold though!
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
I would imagine livestock eating acorns and being poisoned is pretty rare?
We used to graze 300 acres or park with oaks, one year we had a load of broken mouth ewes that really could have done with a move and we lost 6 of them in 2 days, vet cut them open and they full of acorns. the acorns must have been easier than pulling at the grass.
 
You could have 1000 sheep with access to acorns and 999 will ignore them. The one that doesn't is like a kid in a sweet shop. Black scour and never right again, kidneys knackered,I expect
 

Bogweevil

Member
Looking at planting a row of trees alongside a ditch between two fields. Firstly will this cause issues with leaves blocking the ditch in the Autumn? I would like to plant broadleaved lime trees as I think they would good but reading around it looks like they attract aphids and I don't want this to cause any issues across the crops. I also read that bees love the trees which would be a bonus since the poor buggers have nothing to eat now we have had to stop growing osr.

Lots of limes in old parks and even woods round here in the SE, often supporting mistletoe. Bees, sheep, ponies, cows, pigs, goats, llama, alpaca, chucks, geese and so on - all in good fettle. They don't have invasive roots like poplar and willow, and they are more upright and less spreading than oaks and beech so won't greatly shade your fields.

Native small leafed lime mostly. Huge lime aphid population feeds predators and parasites many of which may move onto crops. Lime aphid only lives on lime trees. Honeydew can smear cars and modern car paint made without nasty chemicals is less robust than older paints made with lots of carcinogenic, ozone depleting solvents. Modern cars need frequent washing and waxing if parked near limes in summer. Honeydew no prob in rural areas - it is gathered by insects for food or rots down through fungal and bacterial action. More here: http://www.trees.org.uk/Trees.org.uk/files/c4/c439d44f-19ef-4002-9ad3-4ba293650242.pdf

Large leaved lime commoner in SW.

Silver lime and hybrid lime non-native and mostly urban trees. The silver limes of which there are several species from Europe and Asia do not support the lime aphid and make excellent town trees. Plant these near parking.

Silver lime has been linked to bee mortality. Royal Botanic Garden Kew speak thusly:

For decades, linden trees (basswoods or lime trees), and particularly silver linden (Tilia tomentosa), have been linked to mass bee deaths. This phenomenon is often attributed to the purported occurrence of the carbohydrate mannose, which is toxic to bees, in Tilia nectar. In this review, however, we conclude that from existing literature there is no experimental evidence for toxicity to bees in linden nectar. Bee deaths on Tilia probably result from starvation, owing to insufficient nectar resources late in the tree's flowering period. We recommend ensuring sufficient alternative food sources in cities during late summer to reduce bee deaths on silver linden. Silver linden metabolites such as floral volatiles, pollen chemistry and nectar secondary compounds remain underexplored, particularly their toxic or behavioural effects on bees. Some evidence for the presence of caffeine in linden nectar may mean that linden trees can chemically deceive foraging bees to make sub-optimal foraging decisions, in some cases leading to their starvation.

Now that ash is being hammered by ash dieback disease, now would be a good time to plant native limes. Also plant some non native limes in case a new disease arrives and kills the native ones. Exotic ones might survive, who knows?
 

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