Strange new arrival!

This week we have taken delivery of a strange looking piece of new equipment. Do you know what it is?

It is designed to be towed behind the Polaris. The wheels are just to make it easier to be towed to where it is going to be used. Then they can be detached and the barred cylinder can be rolled over the ground, crushing vegetation as it goes or, more specifically, crushing bracken fronds.

Bracken is a very invasive plant which can spread rapidly across grassland. Its dense foliage will eventually shade out all other vegetation. If left unchecked, it could destroy our species rich grassland and limit the grazing available to the cattle. Bracken has a very vigorous root system and is very hard to control. Bracken specific herbicide is no longer available and cutting encourages more vigorous growth.

This machine will crush the young stems, so severely weakening the bracken plants. Initially, treatment will be required twice a year. It will not totally remove the bracken but should keep it under control and preserve the diverse grazing that the cattle prefer.