Everything is looking great, Bacon! The improvements you've made in the last few years are really impressive. Is that picture of the rye and clover mix looking to the north? If so, you have reclaimed a lot of ground there!
I figured this out by accident, but in the plots I plant winter rye, there are no ferns. Coincidence? I don't know, but my entire land is covered in ferns, except where the winter rye is.
I figured this out by accident, but in the plots I plant winter rye, there are no ferns. Coincidence? I don't know, but my entire land is covered in ferns, except where the winter rye is.
Fighting ferns is a particular challenge, in some areas. A spring spraying of gly, just after the ferns have unfurled, followed by a summer planting of BW and then a rye mix in the fall is a 1-2-3 punch that usually set them way back. The reason ferns don't usually grow the next spring is because of the allelopathic chemicals released by rye that inhibit the germination of other seeds. However, if you're managing your plot well, you're also increasing the pH with significant applications of lime, making that soil more favorable for plants other than ferns.