Removing Bracken

keelan54321

Looking at reclaiming a small patch of my land that has been completely ruined and taken over by Bracken. I mean the stuff growing more then 6ft tall and there are thousands of them. When I reclaim the land I was growing to put a small chicken coop there and make some vegetable plots in the ground and I was wondering if the ground would be any good considering the root structure of bracken after I get rid of them. My current plan of getting rid of them is to use a Brush strimmers with a blade and cut them until they are about half a foot of the ground and then spray them with roundup or something. I have patches of land where I can do this elsewhere but where the bracken is growing is really perfect in wise to the sun and everything other then the bracken problem its perfect. I'm just looking to clear a 20mx20m area in it and not all of it as its just too much to do. Was wondering fertility wise would the soil be any good after the bracken/ferns are gone? Would like advice on this.
Thanks!

lab man

Roll them in September that will kill tem

Track9

Would you consider putting a Few Outdoor Pigs on this land?
They would do Weed Removal, Fertilise the soil, Rotavate etc.
Just supply them with Feed, Water & a Shelter.
Think I heard that an Electric Fence keeps them in the paddock.

monseiur

If you want to get rid of bracken/fern permanently do NOT cut, break or damage the stalk - instead spray with Asulox, it's a weed killer specifically for bracken.
This is the right time of year to spray (July/August) when the frond is open and just before it starts to turn brown.
Do not expect an instant kill after spraying like you would with say Roundup etc. The leaf will wither naturally in autumn - but as the leaf withers and brings 'food' back to the root - the Asulox which the leaf has absorbed is also carried to the root thus killing it permanently so you will not have a regrowth next spring. To ensure a complete kill it's very important that the stalks are not broken or damaged to allow the spray to make it's way to the root - so keep cattle, sheep etc. out of the field until mid October at the earliest. Asulox is expensive and sometimes hard to source but it's very much worth it in the long run.
If you decide to cut the bracken it's advisable to wear a good mask as the pollen it produces is a known carcinogenic.
Rolling or cutting it once is a complete waste of time, if you do it a minimum of 3 years in a row you may reduce the regrowth but it will be back to 'normal' again within 2 years.

M.

lab man

monseiur wrote:

If you want to get rid of bracken/fern permanently do NOT cut, break or damage the stalk - instead spray with Asulox, it's a weed killer specifically for bracken. This is the right time of year to spray (July/August) when the frond is open and just before it starts to turn brown. Do not expect an instant kill after spraying like you would with say Roundup etc. The leaf will wither naturally in autumn - but as the leaf withers and brings 'food' back to the root - the Asulox which the leaf has absorbed is also carried to the root thus killing it permanently so you will not have a regrowth next spring. To ensure a complete kill it's very important that the stalks are not broken or damaged to allow the spray to make it's way to the root - so keep cattle, sheep etc. out of the field until mid October at the earliest. Asulox is expensive and sometimes hard to source but it's very much worth it in the long run. If you decide to cut the bracken it's advisable to wear a good mask as the pollen it produces is a known carcinogenic. Rolling or cutting it once is a complete waste of time, if you do it a minimum of 3 years in a row you may reduce the regrowth but it will be back to 'normal' again within 2 years.

Well all I know is yrs ago we were told by an old man to roll in sept we did as he said it was a complete success? ??

monseiur

lab man wrote: »

Well all I know is yrs ago we were told by an old man to roll in sept we did as he said it was a complete success? ??

I stand corrected, I wrongly assumed that rolling would have the same result as cutting them. Years ago my late father was advised to cut them 3 years in a row in June/July and that would get rid of them - he did as advised but within a few years it was back to 'normal' again if anything it grew thicker and taller. I sprayed the very same fields with Asulox over 10 years ago and spot sprayed a few bits that I missed the following year (some were 5' tall ! ) with 100% success rate

TPF2012

If I weedlick with Gallup, would it be effective?

monseiur

TPF2012 wrote: »

If I weedlick with Gallup, would it be effective?

If Gallup was effective there would be no market for Asulox, considering the price difference and the severe restrictions on releasing Asulox etc.

When spraying bracken/fern it's not what's above ground you aim to kill it's the root so the leaf/stalk acts as a 'vehicle' to translocate the spray to the roots - killing it permanently, this process takes a number of weeks depending on time of spraying, weather conditions etc.
So it's important that the leaf/stalk is not broken/damaged during spraying or for 6 to 10 weeks after, it must, if possible, be allowed to die back naturally.
Weed licking is not an option in this instance, hand held lance (knapsack, quad or similar) is best

M.