January 2008
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234 Reads
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2 Citations
Blyttia
Bracken Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn is one of the most common plant species and far the most common fern species in the world. Bracken has a deep strong water- and nutrient-rich rhizome, it produces enormous amounts of spores, it is poisonous, it is favoured by the changing agriculture, it is favoured by fire, it has a allelopatic effect on other plants etc. These factors make the plant a winner in the landscape of today, and it has become a pest plant for both commercial and conservational agriculture worldwide. Numerous programmes have been described as to how to fight the bracken, mostly involving combinations of herbicides (Asulam), cutting and grazing over several seasons. An al terative method is described; sustainable, low cost, non-poisonous and apparently efficient. Simply whip the young fronds off just before they unfold and leave the stipes standing to impoverish the rhizome.