{"id":25414,"date":"2025-01-27T14:16:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=25414"},"modified":"2025-01-27T14:16:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:16:21","slug":"do-you-have-recommendations-to-get-rid-of-bracken-fern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2025\/01\/27\/do-you-have-recommendations-to-get-rid-of-bracken-fern\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you have recommendations to get rid of bracken fern?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

We have a lot of bracken fern in our large, wooded yard. I’m aware this is an invasive plant. Do you have any recommendations for getting rid of it? It is very tenacious!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Answer:<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
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While\u00a0bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum<\/em>)<\/a>\u00a0isn’t currently designated as invasive in Maine (please see the invasive species list\u00a0here<\/a>), it is indeed a persistent, resilient, and potentially aggressive visitor to the home lawn and garden. And I will give you an early caution that the plant is toxic to animals that ingest it (so be careful if you have pets that like to browse) and has some potential carcinogenic effects, as well. My understanding from the literature is that the danger is largely from long term, repeated ingestion exposures (e.g., from livestock grazing), but I want to mention it, regardless.<\/p>\n

I did find three national Extension sources for control of bracken fern:<\/p>\n

Penn State Univ Extension “Controlling Understory Fern Competition”<\/a><\/p>\n

Univ of FL Extension “Bracken Fern Control in Pastures”<\/a><\/p>\n

Utah State Univ Extension “Bracken Fern”<\/a><\/p>\n

For mechanical control, repeated mowing can be helpful–the underground rhizomes remain intact, but there aren’t many plants that can withstand the long term removal of their photosynthetic machinery (i.e., the leaves). The Utah State link recommends an early summer full cut, then allowing a second flush of fronds to emerge before mowing them again. Basically, you are trying to exhaust the plants’ stored underground resources and prevent them from replenishing them. Chemical treatments vary a bit among the sites above (possibly due to different settings for testing the herbicides), but the Penn State Extension page has detailed instructions on options. As always, if you choose to use an herbicide, read carefully and follow conscientiously all instructions on the label. More is not better.<\/p>\n

Good luck, and happy gardening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: We have a lot of bracken fern in our large, wooded yard. I’m aware this is an invasive plant. Do you have any recommendations for getting rid of it? It is very tenacious!\u00a0 Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional While\u00a0bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)\u00a0isn’t currently designated as invasive in Maine (please see the invasive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-maintenance"],"yoast_head":"\nDo you have recommendations to get rid of bracken fern? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2025\/01\/27\/do-you-have-recommendations-to-get-rid-of-bracken-fern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do you have recommendations to get rid of bracken fern? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: We have a lot of bracken fern in our large, wooded yard. 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