Help please

Hello,

I have no idea if im even doing this right as I have never done this before. I need some advice on some land I have just purchased which I am clearing.

This land is alongside my house and has been over grown with brambles and big green ferns for many years. Last year I was sick of the way it looked so I purchased this land and cut it all back.

However..... All the green ferns have grown back and Im not sure how to get rid of them for good. Is it something Im going to have to put up with? Or is there a way of stopping them from growing back? i.e. weedkiller.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

How big is the area? Is it fenced?

Can I ask what you plan to use the land for?

Hi Andrew

I notice you say that you just 'cut it all back'. If this is the case and you have left roots etc. behind then all your hard work will be undone as the plants will simply regenerate. Weedkiller is quite a severe (and expensive!) control measure and it will all depend how big your area is as asked by Mogsby. Some weedkillers can affect the soil afterwards making any further growing rather difficult. If you can give a little further information then perhaps some solutions can be suggested to you.

Glyphosate job?

Never cut all,when not a new plan exist. But maybe you have a pic, then any forum-members will give you an idea. Some crops you can save, or move, or...What idea is YOUR? Mixed garden, flower, vegies, stone garden, raised bed? organic greetings, ThaiGer.

you need pigs to root it up,the bracken that is,depending on how big an area we are talking about,and a friendly farmer to loan you a couple.,or its a dig it out effort,weedkiller no! Be Careful as bracken often hides ticks which if they attach to you will give limes disease.

Andrew, you don't say what kind of 'ferns'.  Are you talking about bracken or ferns which grow in clumps?  You will never get rid of bracken by digging.  Chemical control is feasible or cutting down until it weakens, which will take a long time.  

Most of us do not live where the application of pigs is recommended!

Brambles can be dug out; it is the best method.  Hard work but effective.

Take care not to try and tackle too big an area at once or you will become dispirited.  Start on a small area and get that up and growing before you expand.

Right this is the third time I have tried replying to the posts however my last two have not shown up for some reason. I hope this works!!

Thank you all for your replys!

Mogsby - The area is around 40 meters by 10 meters and yes it is fenced off.

Hollie Hock - I eventually plan to have a vegetable patch and grass part of it. I also plan to have a hard standing area for a glasshouse and a patio set.

Ladybird4 - Actually this is the second time I have cut everything back and yes it has all grown back. Your right. Other than soak it all with some sort of weedkiller im lost for things and ways to stop it from growing back all the time. Possibly I have to did the roots out, but how deep am I going to have to dig.

Nutcutlet - What is Glyphosate?

Flowering rose - Im afraid pigs are not a feasible option for me. But I may have to dig up the roots.

Welshonion - The ferns I have do not grow in clumps they look like plants in their own right. They grow on their own and have singular stems which grow up to about 4 feet tall. The reason I call them ferns are because the leaves at the top look like big fern leaves. The only leaves that grow are right at the top and then all you have is a long stem with nothing else growing. These die back every winter however they grow back every spring/summer. The brambles I can deal with because they only take up around 5 percent of the area.

Excuse my ignorance but what is bracken?

Thank you all for your replies. If you need any more info please let me know.

Hi Andrew

Glyphosate is a weedkiller that kills roots as well as leaves. Some weeds still need more than one application. You put it on when the leaves are growing well. Don't be tempted to put it on regrowth too soon, give it some good growth to work on. There may be more modern weedkillers than glyphosate, maybe more efficient, have a look on the shelves in the garden centre

Brambles and bracken (I should think that's what it is) are quite determined weeds and won't give up easily. It would be worth allocating time to get rid of it all before you start gardening it.

Hi Andrew

Wow that is quite a large area. Glyphosate mentioned by Nutcutlet is a weedkiller that does not harm the soil. It is one that is taken in by the roots of the plants you wish to get rid of and kills them but does not last in the soil so you can plant it up as soon as the weeds die. It is best applied in July/August when the plants/ weeds are growing freely. I agree with Welshonion - try to clear a small area at a time. One thing you can do with the area you wish to save for your greenhouse/ patio is to buy a large quantity of weed suppressing fabric and once you have cut back and levelled the area cover it completely wuth the fabric the hard standing for the greenhouse and patio can then go on top of the fabric.This means that that section of ground will not need to be treated so saving you the expense of glyphosate.

Bracken is a native British fern and is common in moorland areas. Unfortunately its spores and bits of its roots can be transferred to gardens in potting compost but at least when the first little leaves appear it is easily dealt with. It is poisonous so wear gardening gloves when handling it just to be on the safe side. I do hope this helps Andrew but you can always send another message on here.

Some photos of the plants would help.

You could set yourself small goals; dig out the roots in 2 sq. metres per week for example and then cover that bit of ground with black plastic to stop anything from growing. I don't know where this land is, you may find ground is too hard at the moment, possibly wait till spring?

hello Andrew, I found a simple garden plan. If downloaded this plan,you can see all the species name of plants, it's interesting...and only for give you some inspirations...funny to look at them. organinc greetings,ThaiGer. "Good garden"

"To know what we know, and know what we do not know, that is understanding."(Confucius)

http://camping-in-thailand.com/ ,( http://www.farmersvoice.info/)

good Garden, 

Sorry,something I make wrong!,Hope now is o.k.,download click on the right (ultimative...)than you can reed all species' names, sorry, ThaiGer.

ultimative kitchengardenplan