Action: Cut bracken and rotovate
Key messagesRead our guidance on Key messages before continuing
- One controlled study in the UK found that cutting followed by rotovating to control bracken did not increase total plant biomass or biomass of heather.
Cutting bracken may help to control its cover and density by removing aboveground fronds, while rotovating could damage plant rhizomes which may further help to control the spread of the species.
Supporting evidence from individual studies
A randomized, controlled trial in 1978–1986 in a heathland in Suffolk, UK (Lowday & Marrs 1992) found that rotovating soil after removal of bracken Pteridium aquilinium did not increase total plant biomass or biomass of heather Calluna vulgaris when compared to plots that were not rotovated (data reported in log units). In 1978 all plots were sprayed with the herbicide asulam. Four 12 m2 plots were rotovated to dig bracken leaf litter into soil and four plots were not rotovated. Vegetation was visually estimated annually in each plot in June or July in 1979–1986