Hi 5winds,
Thank you for a very interesting question.
The Australian Government has specific copyright information which
disallows me from copying the following page for your perusal.
At the top of the page you'll see a link for: Print-friendly PDF
version of this page.
Several herbicides are registered in Tasmania for the control of
Bracken, and 2/3 down the page you'll be able to view a chart for
Herbicides and types and ratios of applications, along with Seasonal
Options for a Bracken Control Program.
Bracken (Pteridium esculentum Forst. F.)
http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/RPIO-4ZW9TH?open
[edit]
Questions concerning the page content can be sent to Weeds Enquiries
by using the feedback form at:
http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/FeedbackForm?OpenForm&Email={dp$w%:t^s:g|v:^_;W%%dsEnq_$r$%s
Mail:
GPO Box 44
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001
Phone:
03 6233 3654.
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Ferns in the Garden - Bracken
http://users.gsat.net.au/wildog/fern.html
"Pteridium esculentum is the wild card in the fern pack. It, and its
northern hemisphere counterpart, P. aquilinum, have more written about
their removal than their cultivation. It defies all the normal rules
for cultivation, thriving across the country, encouraged rather than
endangered by human activity. It is toxic to sheep, cattle and horses,
is a known cause of bowel cancer in those foolish enough to eat it,
and eagerly infests neglected land disturbed by man, where it provides
highly inflammable fuel for bush and grass fires. Strong applications
of glyphosate (or more vigorous herbicides) can have some effect,
along with repeated physical removal."
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Small-Scale Market Gardening - What are weeds?
http://www.sturmsoft.com/Writing/market_garden/small-scale-market-gardening01.htm
"Weeds are a response to environmental conditions."
[edit]
"Bracken is a response to potassium deficiency. Soil that is fertile
and well-structured will suffer less from problem weeds, as well as
making their removal considerable easier."
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Parliament of Australia Senate
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/rrat_ctte/wild/report/c04a.htm
"4.18 In addition, native animals have much lower physical impact on
the environment than do exotic animals, particularly in marginal
areas. As argued by Yellabiddy Marketing Pty Ltd: 'there is no
evidence to suggest that farming emus has a negative impact on the
environment, in fact the opposite is true'. [20] Mr Neil Duncan,
Managing Director of Emu Oil Therapies in Victoria described in his
submission to the Committee how the property on which he had farmed
emus for three years had shown 'considerable and noticeable'
improvement in the native plant species growing there. As well as
eating seeds and insects, the emus assisted by eating weeds such as
bracken fern. [21] The Emu Producers of Victoria noted in its
submission that because the emu was environmentally 'friendly' emu
farming was potentially a 'very effective means of utilising large
tracts of land that have been irresponsibly utilised in the past for
uneconomic crops or animal husbandry'. [22] This view was also shared
by the Emu Industry Development Committee of Victoria. [23]"
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BRACKEN AND BUGS by Dr. Bob Mesibov, Research Associate, Queen
Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, Tasmania
http://www.trump.net.au/~joroco/bracken.htm
"Finally, believe it or not, there are bugs that eat bracken. A famous
entomological study (Lawton l982) compared bracken-feeding insects in
Britain and in montane New Mexico and Arizona in the USA. In Britain,
seven sawflies (primitive wasps), six moths and a springtail are
regular bracken chewers. Eight flies mine the bracken tissues or make
galls, and four true bugs are bracken suckers. Much the same
specialisation was found in the USA, but with only seven insect
species in total, including a bracken - sucking thrip. The Lawton
study was interesting for two other results: only a single beetle was
found to eat bracken (a rare UK species), and at individual sites only
a portion of the available 'regional pool' of bracken feeders was
observed.
Bracken-eating insects have also been inventoried in Brazil, Papua New
Guinea and Australia. Two species of Australian fruit flies enjoy
bracken (Thomson et al. 1982), and bracken near Sydney is dinner for
15 insects (again, no beetles) and two mites (Shuter & Westoby 1982)."
More about Bracken
http://www.trump.net.au/~joroco/sgaptas-cultivtrial.htm#GARDENING
"To control bracken infestations repeated removal of the young fronds
will gradually weaken the plants by depleting the food stored in their
rhizomes. Spreading concentrated poultry manure will soon cause the
decline of a patch of bracken fern. Once the ferns have stopped
growing, use the ground to grow a healthy crop of organic potatoes."
keyword search:
bracken weed removal Tasmania Australia
Pteridium esculentum Forst. F. Tasmania
Bracken Pteridium esculentum
control bracken infestations
bracken control program tasmania
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
