Bracken

[StephenH]

One book on compost reckons that bracken is a 'brown', i.e. it has a high carbon-nitrogen ratio, above 50, and therefore needs to balanced with 'greens' with a low C-N ratio in a compost heap, but another book on compost says that bracken has the ideal C-N ratio of about 30, and that you could therefore make excellent compost reasonably quickly using bracken alone. Who's right?

[Two_Sheds]

I guess it depends if it's lush green bracken, or dried brown bracken. Either way, I wouldn't want the spores in my garden ...

[rustylady]

It's evil stuff, I grew up on Dartmoor and there was loads of the stuff. The farmers used to burn it off at the end of summer when it was dry and brown. Why do you ask? Do you have lots of it?

[ladylottie]

It's evil stuff, I grew up on Dartmoor and there was loads of the stuff. The farmers used to burn it off at the end of summer when it was dry and brown. Why do you ask? Do you have lots of it?

I don't know the answer to your question, StephenH, sorry.

What I have noticed is that this year the hill farmers round here have started to cut and bale the bracken instead of burning it off. Why is that? I've never noticed them doing it before, so are they going to sell it or use it somehow?

[ukfapower]

Having read some threads on here about peat free ericaceous compost, maybe that's what the farmers are collecting bracken for?

[taff]

rwad somewhere about it being better than straw for something but i forget what for....

[Aberdeenplotter]

I suspect that the farmers are collecting it to use for winter bedding for their cattle as the price of straw has gone through the roof