Are these passed spraying w/thistlex?

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Spent the morning wiping bracken, it’s rather satisfying work, didn’t get the wiper til later in July last year so was going into a dense canopy blind, quite dodgy work, couped the bike once. Went on with quite a high rate which did a proper job on the bracken, but didn’t leave much underneath either so going in earlier and trying not to soak everything this year, will see how it goes, certainly saves a lot of time going back and forth refilling.

Still managed to land high and dry on a stone tho…

View attachment 1046250

Thistles got earlier with thistlex:
View attachment 1046251


It'll do a job at this stage - but really you're a month early for Bracken.

It wants done in the last week of full growth - literally just before it starts to drop and die back (timing may be different with you, but here with me it's last week of July/first week of August). This is when it's pulling it's sap deep down into the roots to store for next year... Glypho at this time gives a serious good kill


(But like you say, the bracken is big and tall - rocks are easy found with the bike, but bloody hard to see)
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
It'll do a job at this stage - but really you're a month early for Bracken.

It wants done in the last week of full growth - literally just before it starts to drop and die back (timing may be different with you, but here with me it's last week of July/first week of August). This is when it's pulling it's sap deep down into the roots to store for next year... Glypho at this time gives a serious good kill


(But like you say, the bracken is big and tall - rocks are easy found with the bike, but bloody hard to see)
Given the kill last year I’d agree, but I don’t fancy my chances on the bits I’m doing just now with a completely closed canopy, dodgy work
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Given the kill last year I’d agree, but I don’t fancy my chances on the bits I’m doing just now with a completely closed canopy, dodgy work

know what you mean

You not fancy your helichopter license for those bits?
bit-windy.gif
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Looked into it but v expensive, and very catchy weather wise too in these parts, be a nightmare to get it done for it to pour rain an hour later

I just love that gif so any excuse to wheel it out 🤣
I think chopper costs going forward will make it really prohibitive unless you're wanting thousands of acres done

Weedwiper is a great tool. I think doing your bracken now, it'll maybe take a couple years to get a good clearing, but still definitely worth it. If you can thin out the canopy you'll be able to leave what's left til nearer maturity maybe then wipe it out proper 👍

Did 20-30acres on my hill about 10yr ago and it's amazing how much grass came where the thick bracken was. More grazing so stock do a bit better, and less tick cover - so win win win. Should really dig my wiper out again as some blocks it's coming back
 

Guleesh

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Isle of Skye
I remember a helicopter spraying bracken on a field just a few hundred yards from here when I was a boy. That field resembles Jurassic park today. As to why people stopped getting the chopper in, I was told that part of the problem these days is that they can't spray near anything that resembles a watercourse, which rules out almost everywhere.
 

Kevtherev

Member
Location
Welshpool Powys
I had a surprisingly good kill with mcpa one year in a terrible field around this time. It might have been luck, but there's a lot of leaf area to take it in and they never really came back.

Not wishing to contradict or anything but it wasn't an expensive operation.
I was going to suggest taking them out with MCPA might be cheaper than revving topping with fuel where it is…
 

Lakes Nash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South lakes
I sprayed ours 2 weeks ago tonight, soft rush, buttercup’s and a few thistles, it was to windy for the few days before, I thought I was gonna waste time and spray as in the days I was waiting they were growing and it was getting late, I think I have had a good result, hasnt half knocked em all back, timing is sometimes a bit hard to do!
74D9C4AC-28CF-4357-A3FF-F9E7C9AF42B9.jpeg
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
I remember a helicopter spraying bracken on a field just a few hundred yards from here when I was a boy. That field resembles Jurassic park today. As to why people stopped getting the chopper in, I was told that part of the problem these days is that they can't spray near anything that resembles a watercourse, which rules out almost everywhere.
Yes, 90 metres I'm afraid, and it takes ages to get the paperwork done. Start now for 2023 iyswim.
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
It'll do a job at this stage - but really you're a month early for Bracken.

It wants done in the last week of full growth - literally just before it starts to drop and die back (timing may be different with you, but here with me it's last week of July/first week of August). This is when it's pulling it's sap deep down into the roots to store for next year... Glypho at this time gives a serious good kill


(But like you say, the bracken is big and tall - rocks are easy found with the bike, but bloody hard to see)
DF4011C4-25E4-4176-AE99-7D9625750C18.jpeg


That’s what it looks like today, wiped on 30/6, be interesting to see what comes back next year. Did some more today, and went over a few bits id obviously missed, there’s a fair bit up as well that was barely showing at the end of June
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
View attachment 1050403

That’s what it looks like today, wiped on 30/6, be interesting to see what comes back next year. Did some more today, and went over a few bits id obviously missed, there’s a fair bit up as well that was barely showing at the end of June

I'd imagine a good 75-80% kill over that area. Those wee late fronds are the buggers, they'll come back - but it'll be an easy job mopping them up next year 👍
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
I'd imagine a good 75-80% kill over that area. Those wee late fronds are the buggers, they'll come back - but it'll be an easy job mopping them up next year 👍
Interesting how on a smaller, earlier dose they turned a lot quicker this year, last year other than the fact you had flattened them, it wasn’t too obvious what had been done from a distance, they kept their colour a lot longer after treatment.
 

Lakes Nash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South lakes
Interesting how on a smaller, earlier dose they turned a lot quicker this year, last year other than the fact you had flattened them, it wasn’t too obvious what had been done from a distance, they kept their colour a lot longer after treatment.
I did mine with Mcpa and surprising how it looks now, really given the soft rush a good kill, now how the braken looks is good too with the roundup, but all them small ones will need a good dose next year!
 

digger64

Member
View attachment 1046023

They are obviously well passed the rosette stage, but a bit off flowering yet, would it be a waste to spray them now or would it still do a job?

Also, I sprayed some a couple of weeks ago that look to be dying, how long should you leave the, after spraying before you top them?
It will perhaps work but it will take a long time -weeks , contractor did some for me once he wanted to give our money back which I declined , then he went past at a later date and changed his mind as he was expecting an MCPA type response . If you do it you will struggle to keep the wise sceptical onlookers from topping it -so sabotage the topper first .
 
Hope you guys get some good results from what you are doing. A long term and phased approach is what is needed. If you are soil sampling, liming, spraying and topping bits etc then you are well on the way to obtaining a useful improvement over time. My experience is/was mostly on the levels and in parts of the Mendips so a bit different to what is appearing on this thread!
 

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