Bracken

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
I think glypho is the way forward, you get very little penetration to ground level on a thick stand, an of it is thick there isn’t much of value underneath it anyway.

I sprayed this last year:
View attachment 885141
I was reversing up with the tractor and got as far as I could before the 6’ high stuff folded the booms in or I spun out, it’s horribly slimey under old stands of the stuff.

View attachment 885146
this is another bit that’s been under bracken and gorse for decades, glypho last year and ripped the gorse out with a digger, the soil looks great but again really slippy, I took off skiing down the slope on a couple of occasions whilst rotavating.

I’ve read that it is quite alleopathic, realeasing chemicals that hinder other plants. I wonder how long these take to break down? Do t want to be chucking expensive seed too early on if it’s doomed to fail!
EBC64CBD-A1F7-49F1-9DDB-7BD98F7D1068.jpeg

Dual wheels did the job, not sure if I’ll manage a lime spreader up it tho, forecast quite wet too.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
I will never understand this perennial to and fro over asulox. It's either safe to use or not. Why they fudge about reauthorising it every year I will never know. I think the truth is that these organisations are either infested with or listen too heavily to clipboard wielding enviro-freaks who in all honesty don't want anything, sprayed anywhere, ever.
Doesn't bracken harbour ticks? And don't ticks spread lime disease? Surely protecting the public from Lime disease should be pretty high up the priorities list
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
Ended up buying 20l as my supplier says that UP are not distributing it in 5s. Now the weather has turned slightly damp. For those not familiar with it, Asulox needs 24 hours dry after spraying!
 

Richard Devon

Member
Mixed Farmer
when you fellas spray off bracken with Roundup how long do you reckon to leave it before cutting it off?

I have spot-sprayed a load of it with a knapsack about 10 days ago, its starting to go brown just wondered how long before I can be sure it won't recover
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
Trouble is the grass isn't growing underneath it.......I was hoping to mulch it off and then catch some grass growth later on.

We did some other thick heaps with Asulox last year and by the time it had rotted down over winter we have been left with bare patches in the fields
I've got one bare patch still after 5 years I think. I've assumed that the bracken exudes something which prevents grass growth. Mostly tho' they gradually green over in the next 18 months.
The enviro scheme I'm in precludes any follow up work afterwards.
 

Agrivator

Member
Maybe a novel idea would be to burn a stand of Bracken after it's died back in autumn. The effect, as the old folk used to know, is that the release of Potash from the fronds back into the soil, triggers a very vigorous growth of new bracken the following year.

Perhaps this thicker regrowth would be more susceptible to herbicides, or it would allow blanket spraying of Roundup without too much effect on the under vegetation.
 
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Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
It seems that Asulox can be sprayed via backpack on 'Land designated for Conservation'...

 

theboytheboy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Portsmouth
It seems that Asulox can be sprayed via backpack on 'Land designated for Conservation'...

Yes, I've just bought some. "Land designated for conservation" covers quite a lot of situations
 

Paulg4

New Member
Livestock Farmer
It seems that Asulox can be sprayed via backpack on 'Land designated for Conservation'...

But now they're only selling it in 20l containers which by my reckoning means I'd have to use 2 backpacks worth a day to use it all up before the end of the licence period.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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