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Hello everyone, this is Kumar again. I fanlly had a chance to walk the 1 acre land I purchased in HPP on 10th. The lot has several beauthful native trees including Ohia tress (surprisingly still doing very well - considering the fungus issue on the island). The land is mostly flat with few dips and vallies here and there. However, it is covered in thick Uluhue fern, from 3 feet tall to 7 feet tall. I want to clear the fern on parts of the land without harming the trees in any way. Once I can see the ground clerly, I can do other planting and planning for a structure.
Does anyone have good practical ideas for removing the ferns without needing to bulldoze, plow/rip the land (as that would risk the beautiful trees--something I want to avoild)? I would really appreciate it.
Also, I plan to only remove the ferns only on a part of the lot, areas where I want to build, plant and put a drive way through. The other areas I would leave them (ferns) there as they are beautiful part of the landscape of hawaii and a natural protection from the invasive plant species.
Thank you in advance.
Kumarsah
Kumarsah
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Kumar, they pull out easily. That said, wear gloves as they are brittle and can make your hands bleed. I just snap them into smaller pieces and let them compost themselves. Wish there was an easier solution. Maybe there is...
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If you got a Puna style weedwacker, that works too. I just put on the thick string with the wire core and my Stihl shreds right through it. Keep doing that and grass will eventually start growing where the staghorn fern was. As mentioned wear proper protective gear. splintered pieces of fern are sometimes dangerous.
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Be aware that once you remove uluhe, other plants will quickly establish, as uluhe provides some remarkable services to an chia ohia rainforest, the plant pretty much crowds out other, less desirable, plants. Another benefit that the fern provides, that most do not realize, is the nutrient benefit of having uluhe, as it allows a very slow decomposition of plant material on the porous basalt that would otherwise leach out very quickly in the rainforest...
EDIT `cause dang spellcheck got me!
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In areas you want to clear, I find it easy to beat it down with a piece of pvc pipe or stick, and then walk on it. As others have said, watch out for the stems when it breaks, they are hollow needles waiting to poke you in the eye or suck your blood.
Of course, if you rent one of those shindaiwa weed wackers you strap to your hip, you can make quick work of everything.
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Thank you everyone. I will try a combination of these suggestions.
Kumarsah
Kumarsah
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The uluhe is a bit like the tortoise of the tortoise and the hare fame. It is easily killed back by any disturbance. In that sense it automatically loses to the hare (invasive weeds). However if you were to truly leave it alone it would ever so slowly choke out everything else and gain back the ground.
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I week wacked them waist high then I pulled them out. It really isn't hard just time consuming
veronica moore
veronica moore
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Oh yeah just wanted to mention: after you weedwack and if you got a large area of uluhe chopped down and brown and dead, beware of it as a fire hazard. It contains volatile oils that burn up instantly. If you do a controlled burn with this stuff, it's pretty spectacular when lighting up. Instant bonfire.
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I've been told the fumes from burning uluhe are toxic, so be careful!
