Replacing gorse with something else

[spandit]

Seeing as gorse is a nitrogen fixer, I would have thought it could have a benefit for surrounding trees. I want to plant some different trees along my hedgerow (black locust, service tree etc.) and thought of making space by removing some of the gorse. I know it will regenerate from the stump but I'm not talking about a big area so can keep it under control year on year.

 

Don't want to use herbicides but just wondered if I'd be wasting my time trying to plant by freshly cut stumps?

[openspaceman]

Seeing as gorse is a nitrogen fixer, I would have thought it could have a benefit for surrounding trees. I want to plant some different trees along my hedgerow (black locust, service tree etc.) and thought of making space by removing some of the gorse. I know it will regenerate from the stump but I'm not talking about a big area so can keep it under control year on year.

 

Don't want to use herbicides but just wondered if I'd be wasting my time trying to plant by freshly cut stumps?

 

Gorse indicates good phosphate and posasium availability and low nitrogen, that is why it fixes its own.

[spandit]

Should I leave the brash to rot, then, or will that cause moe problems than it solves? Black locust is leguminous so shouldn't have problems. Service trees might be a little trickier and still not sure if they'll grow in our soil

[ArthurBottlesworth]

There is welsh saying

 

Gold under bracken

Silver under gorse

And poverty under heather

[spandit]

We've plenty of bracken!

[difflock]

There is welsh saying

 

Gold under bracken

Silver under gorse

And poverty under heather

 

In my NI exp, I very strongly associate Gorse (or Whins) with dry conditions underfoot, regardless of underlying soil type or nuterient availibility.

It certainly will NOT grow in a wet place.

m

[openspaceman]

There is welsh saying

 

Gold under bracken

Silver under gorse

And poverty under heather

 

I learned

 

Gold under Gorse

 

Bronze under Bracken and Copper under heather

 

It would be interesting to know if bracken bearing land is inherently more fertile than gorse. Adding FYM to the cleared "furzefield" should show returns.

 

They are all observations from farmers about the underlying fertility of the particular soils. In high P&K status soils gorse can compete because it is a legume and symbiotic microbes fix atmospheric nitrogen for it. Heather can exist on low nutrient sites because it has the ability to scavenge and lock up the availbale nitrogen to prevent competition from grasses.

 

Narthecium ossifragum the bog asphodel gets its latin name from the fact that animals grazed on the acid pastures where it grew had weak bones. Think os for the french for bone and fragile and you may see a connection with the latin.

[openspaceman]

In my NI exp, I very strongly associate Gorse (or Whins) with dry conditions underfoot, regardless of underlying soil type or nuterient availibility.

It certainly will NOT grow in a wet place.

m

 

I hope to find some dry when I tip up in Belfast at lunch time!

 

Yes Gorse is associated with free draining sandy soils here in Surrey.

[spandit]

My land is pretty damp, I'm surprised that gorse needs dry soil, to be honest.

[openspaceman]

Gold under Gorse

 

Bronze under Bracken and Copper under heather

 

 

I misremembered that it's

 

Gold under Gorse

Bronze under bracken

and Hunger under heather