new allotment covered in ferns-help!

[mhairi]

hi there,

I have just got my first allotment -yeah! however, it is covered in ferns which i think are bracken. I would like to get rid of them.Someone has suggested round up- not sure if it will work on ferns and if so when to do it or whether there is any other way to avoid the chemicals.

the rest of the plot is covered in nettles, brambles and a mixture of unidentified 5ft high weeds.

I am also not sure whether i should leave it til spring to start the clearing- or to do it now and cover it?

Any help would be gratefully received.


thanks

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine.

I think digging would be a good idea to get rid of that lot. Doesn't sound like an easy task so take it a little at a time. As far as I am aware there isn't much that will kill bracken - good luck with it all.

Would be inclined to start now and cover what you manage to dig. Don't try to do the whole lot in one go and consider each plant removed as a major success.

[Flummery]

Recommended treatment seems to be spraying with glyphosate but it will need repeating. It's also suggested that you dig it up and expose the rhyzomes to frost over the winter, which is suposed to wipe them out. It will require much digging I suspect. Good luck.

[Mrs Dobby]

Dont leave it till the spring, get clearing it asap, we took over our plot last September, in what sounds like a similar condition, and it took us 5 months to fully double dig it and try to clear as many of the roots as possible without resorting to glysophate!

[terrier]

Hi mhairi, welcome to the VIne. I think the general concensus is to dig the things out rather than rely on chemicals. My favourite tool is the pickaxe,for very little effort you can get right below the weeds and tease them out and if the ground has been broken up, the weeds that do grow later will be that much easier to get out. A rotavator would make a faster and easier job of it but you would get fewer roots out of the ground and therefore more growing next year! Try and do a little at a time, no sense in breaking your back first time round.

[Snadger]

Be aware that Bracken has spores attached to the foliage which if breathed in can give respiratory problems!
I used to do quite a bit of grouse beating myself which entailed walking through tall bracken. It never affected me but it's worth googling it for info!
Google bracken spores!

[Flummery]

It's actually carcinogenic Snadger. Do be careful Mhairi. We used to go 'bracken bashing' at a local nature reserve. If you hack it back every year you'll lose it - but in a period of 5 - 10 years which is not what you want on a lottie! It was always recommended that you cover your nose and mouth either with one of those DIY white masks or just a hanky or a scarf. I think this is why you are recommended to use glyphosate. The idea is to kill off new growth before it produces spores. I prefer not to use chemicals but I would use glyphosate if necessary as it doesn't contaminate the soil.

[lainey lou]

Hi mhairi,
congratulation on getting your new plot!
It can be quite daunting when you're 5 foot high in all sorts can't it?! One thing I wish I done is taken lots of progress photos of my plot, it's always encouraging when you look at how well you've done knocking things into shape, and when you harvest your first veg you'll realise it's all been worth it!
Good luck!
Lainey lou

[Dobby]

congratulation on getting your new plot
Dig Dig Dig get the bed coverd aswell

You can take a look at the thread we started last year asking for advice witch ended up as a sort of blog while we dug and sorted the plot out, link below
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lity+allotment

Or you could take a look at lots of the blogs that other grapes have, ours is on Mrs D's signature, as is Nicks, Pigletwillies, Wellies and lots of the others too

Hope it helps!

[jacob marley]

Hi i would not think that Glysophate is the stuff but Brushwood Killer is the one to use They called it agent orange in Veitnam them crazy yanks used to drink it ????? any way hope you get it sorted and welcome to the crazy world of gardening no 2 people will give you the same answer but it all works jacob

[moggssue]

Hi and welcome, and congrats on the new lotti (bet you're reallllly excited?!)! Sorry I can't help with any advice about the bracken, other than to get started on is as soon as you can so you can have some land for growing in spring, once the frost has done its bit. Good luck, and let us know how you get on!

[Sue]

Braken makes very good compost apparently, reading Terry Walton's My Life on a Hillside Allotment, he was sent as a small boy up in to the hills to collect it for his da.
So you might have some gold there after all!
best wishes
Sue

[Birdie Wife]

Best to check first if it's really bracken - tall fern with woody stems without a defined central rosette. Bracken used to be used as frost protection too, but be aware that composted bracken is very acidic and useful as eciraceous mulch but should be balanced with other things if you want to use it as general purpose. If you've got a small area of it I would try digging it out and exposing the rhizomes as Flummery suggests but if it's a big area you might have to use several methods before you're finally rid. Having worked in conservation for several years now I know what a problem it can be for managers trying to tackle it on a big scale! Timing seems to be everything. I'd suggest burning off the top growth (if this is an option on your lottie), spraying with roundup, digging up the rhizomes, hacking the new shoots as they come up in spring right down to the ground, followed by roundup. Be aware that you might have to do this several times before you've cracked it. Good luck!