[Daveandthekids]

Hi folks Newbie on the forum.
We have recently bought a small holding near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire and have a 3 acre field on a steep slope full of 4' tall bracken.
We want to bring it back to grass eventually.
The plan is to spray it via a helicopter in July with a neighbour who has masses of the stuff to eradicate.
We have no idea what is necessary to complete the task after spraying.
All help appreciated. Sorry for the naivety but ya gotta start somewhere :-(

[Lesley Silvester]

Hi Dave. Can't help you but wanted to say welcome to TAS. 

[Daveandthekids]

That's very kind of you. Hello to you too.
Now back to that bloody bracken :-(!!

[FiB]

Welcome :-) wow that sounds expensive! We have been gradually tackling ours  about 3 out of 12 acres) using scythe (no tractor and anyway slopes too steep)  crushing and pigs. Think we are winning :-)

[Daveandthekids]

Awaiting price from Helicopter company. Hoping it will not be too expensive as the neighbour will pay the lion share.
Will keep you updated.

[henchard]

Hi and welcome.

There are quite a number of members here in Carmarthenshire and we even manage to organise a 'get together' now and again. I live between Carmarthen and llandeilo. 'Back in Wellies' and 'Bionic' live near Talley; others are dotted around.

The best spray for bracken is Asulox and it has only been given a temporary licence for previous years. It is a very effective spray and personally I find it works fine when used in a knapsack sprayer.  July is a tad early for spraying. The instructions say that it should be applied just as the fonds ae starting to turn brown (and take the nutrients back into the rhizomes). I've always sprayed in late August/beginning of September.

After November this year spraying without a certificate will be (technically) illegal and buying sprays without the paperwork will likewise cease. So perhaps finding someone with the certificate and a sprayer on a quad would be quite a good way to deal with it. As others have said you can deal with it by other ways; crushing or spraying with glyphosate (which kills the grass as well).

Personally I'd try and 'hammer it with Asulox' this year then use spot treatments (crushing, cutting or spraying) in the future to keep it under control.

If I can help further (or you want to see the results of my spraying); just send me a PM

[Daveandthekids]

Cheers Henchard.
How soon after spraying do we need to remove all the dead/sprayed bracken? Is it important?
Also do we need to remove/dig out the roots or will the spray be the death of them.
Is it likely that in about 3 years after spot treating with a knapsack (Glysophate) for the following year we may be able to think about seeding for grass?
We were hoping to have sheep in there one day if possible.

We are in Siloh, Llandovery.

[henchard]

From the info sheet (which probably recommends a week or two earlier than I normally do it!)

Spray ASULOX at or just before full frond extension (minimum 3 ‘pairs’ of ‘leaves’) and before senescence
• DO NOT apply during or immediately after drought periods or in conditions of high temperature and low
humidity.
• The use of the red feed nozzle for ‘Micron Ulva’ application is restricted to forestry use where bracken
suppression only is required.
• The fronds must not be damaged by livestock, frost or by cutting before treatment. Do not treat bracken affected
by late frosts (bronzed and stunted fronds).
• At least 6 weeks should elapse between applying ASULOX and sowing or planting any subsequent
crop.
• DO NOT cut the bracken or admit livestock for at least 14 days after spraying and preferably leave it undisturbed until late autumn. This is to allow adequate translocation of ASULOX within the bracken plant

Apply on a dry day. Bracken should be treated in full frond (all fronds fully expanded) but before yellowing (start of senescence)..
Normally this will be within the period from early July to late August (early August in Northern Britain).
Senescence begins with the fronds turning a darker green, becoming glossy and hard to the touch, with
subsequent bronzing.
• ASULOX may be applied in water with or without ‘Agral’, or ‘High Trees Non-Ionic Wetter’, or in mixture with
ADDER or ‘Actipron’. These additives increase the rate of uptake of ASULOX by the bracken fronds thereby
improving reliability under adverse climatic conditions.
• Herbicidal symptoms are virtually absent in the year of spraying but in the following season there is little or no
frond re-growth.
• Follow up treatments:
Owing to the nature of bracken growth and the difficulty of spraying sheltered or uneven terrain, 100% control is
rarely achieved. Any bracken surviving should be sprayed as soon as it recovers to full green frond. This may be
the year following the initial application but more likely the second year following initial application. If a
programme of follow-up sprays is undertaken the bracken-free period will be greatly extended.

I put some dishwashing liquid in with the spay as an additive.

You don't need to remove the dead bracken but if it is very thick I'd probably pull the bulk off when it is completely dead. The spray is the death of it (mostly). If it were me I'd reseed late the same Autum or the next spring to help keep the other weeds down.

[Daveandthekids]

That's fantastic. Thank you for the detail, its all we needed. Feel confident about going forward now.

The bracken when in full growth must be 5' tall in places and when lay down is 12" deep minimum. It's very dense, that's why I thought it best to remove it all before seeding for grass. We can get a neighbour in with a tractor to help remove and spread the seed and will have to do 1acre by hand as its too steep for a machine to work safely.

[Daveandthekids]

[Daveandthekids]

Sorry, 2 more questions;

How much does the ASOLUX cost and what quantity is it sold by.

Can we burn off the dead bracken once sprayed.
Concern with it being carcogenic.

Ta very much.

[Penninehillbilly]

Can't bracken be cut and dried for animal bedding before it sets it spores? or piled and composted for garden? I'm sure I've read somewhere it makes super compost.
I thought it was the spores that were carcogenic.
Then treat re-growth?

[henchard]

Sorry, 2 more questions;

How much does the ASOLUX cost and what quantity is it sold by.

Can we burn off the dead bracken once sprayed.
Concern with it being carcinogenic.

Ta very much.

Asulox costs arount £70 + VAT for 5 litres (the smallest amount). But for the past 2 years has only been available on temporary licence for a brief period of time.

You could I suppose burn bracken some weeks after spraying but I'd just let it rot down naturally over winter. Not sure I'd want to use it for bedding after being sprayed.

[Daveandthekids]

I only want to remove it so I can re apply the roots with the Glysophate, to make sure its deader than dead and then sow grass seed.

[devonlady]

Hello from Devon The trouble with aerial spraying is that the spray will drift, even on a still day. I wouldn't want my neighbours herbicides landing on my fields