Bracken - Pteridium esculentum - Revenge Seeker :)

There are so many introduced plants that are invasive and end up crowding out natives and endemics and I have often wondered is there a native or endemic plant that can crowd out the invasive introduced species? Well I finally have an answer and it is YES!!!!!!!!!!

I had an area at my place that had the african daisy and it was spreading rapidly, so I decided when I returned home I would start the labourious task of ripping it out by hand. I have now returned home and have found that aruhe - Bracken - Pteridium esculentum - has taken over a large area where those daisies were growing! I am totally stoked that finally a native is getting revenge on an invasive!

In the photo below you will be able to see what it looked like when in flower

The same area now - you can still see a few of the cape daisy leaves trying to get able the aruhe.

So now I am going to see if I can get the aruhe to grow where the blue corn lily is and maybe it will be able to erradicate that and save me having to hand pull.

Posted on July 17, 2018 03:07 AM by tangatawhenua tangatawhenua

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Bracken (Pteridium esculentum)

Observer

tangatawhenua

Date

July 2018

Description

My favourite native plant - getting re3venge on invasive plants

Comments

Great! :)

Posted by leonperrie over 5 years ago

If I took the new fronds and put them where I want it to grow would that work @leonperrie ?

Posted by tangatawhenua over 5 years ago

If you mean digging them up with the frond attached to a good chunk of underground rhizome, yes, that might work. I've never tried it myself, so don't really know. To give it the best chance of working, I wouldn't use the newest-of-the-new fronds, but some that were hardened off (at least a few months old). And it might be best to have a piece of rhizome with more than one frond attached.

I'll be interested to hear how far down you have to dig!

Posted by leonperrie over 5 years ago

Much appreciate the advise @leonperrie - now if the weather is nice and sunny again tomorrow I will give that a go and report back in due course - with photos :)

Posted by tangatawhenua over 5 years ago

Much appreciate the advise @leonperrie - now if the weather is nice and sunny again tomorrow I will give that a go and report back in due course - with photos :)

Posted by tangatawhenua over 5 years ago

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