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What will kill ferns?

Updated: 10/8/2023
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6y ago

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Immediately after cutting it, apply herbicide to the cut section of the stems using a squirt bottle or a paintbrush. For the best results, the herbicide should have a concentration of 8 percent triclopyr. The plant will absorb the herbicide through its cut stems, which will then kill the underground roots. If you need more information you can Call Now: +1 855 640 0327 (Toll-Free) this number.

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Coleman Lesch

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2y ago
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11y ago

There are a few ways to kill invasive ferns that spread by rhizome (root) as well as spores. Persistent weeding is usually ineffective, no matter how carefully pulled, the stem breaks without removing more than a small portion of the rhizome and the fern quickly re-sprouts from the rhizome. Digging out individual brachs (fronds) is also usually ineffective because the rhizomes have lateral runners that spread out many feet from each brach.

If it is acceptable to sterilize an area, then pulling or mowing the brachs can be followed by killing the rhizome by either covering the area with a barrier, tilling the area, applying glycophospate herbicide to the stubble, a combination of these methods, or if all else fails replacing the topsoil in the effected area. NB: Glycophosphate herbicides are only effective on actively growing plant material, they aren't a soil fumigant, they are only effective if they get into the plant promptly - within a few days at most, they don't persist in the environment, they won't prevent you from growing plants in that area later, the most common brand is "RoundUp" The "poison ivy" formulation usually both contains more glycophosphate and carriers that help it penetrate waxier leaves to kill hardier plants better than the formulation targeted more to killing dandelions and other broadleaf weeds in the lawn.

If the fern is running in among desirable plants, then the effective options are to either temporarily remove the desirable plants (being careful not transplant the fern rhizomes) and proceed to sterilize the area as above, or to selective destroy the ferns by applying gylcophosphate selectively. I have not successfully separated the rhizomes from all of the desirable plants, a small number of remaining fragments have invariably sprouted, but successfully separating the rhizomes from plant roots depends on the plants, and may be more sucessful if you can wash all the soil from the roots and really see what remains. Selectively applying glycophosphate can be accomplished by either spraying and blocking overspray from reaching desirable plants with newspaper or cardboard, or by applying the herbicide with a paint brush. With either technique rubber gloves are a sensible precaution because it is almost impossible not to touch the wet herbicide. Herbicide may yellow and kill brachs almost immediately, and does kill a portion of the rhizome, but re-sprouting from nodes in the web of rhizomes not connected closely to treated brachs should be expected. Treating the new sprouts reasonably promptly will eventually kill all of the viable rhizomes, but 3 or 4 reapplications to achieve that result is to be expected.

For each of the above methods be careful to allow sufficient time and composting to kill brachs, spores, and rhizomes removed to avoid inadvertently re-planting the invasive fern. In some areas disposing of them as waste is a reasonable choice.

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8y ago

Hand-pulling, hoeing, mowing, mulching, pruning, and shading are ways to kill weeds, but not ferns. Weeds can be light-deprived and suffocated by black plastic sheeting, landscape fabrics, or non-organic and organic mulches around and under ferns. It is possible to remove individual or small groups of weeds by garden hoes and gloved hands.

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