Gardening: Monty Don’s washing up water tip in dry weather
Monty Don responded after a Twitter user @curlewcalls shared a video of hills near Keswick in the Lake District that they claimed had “too much bracken” covering them.
The gardening expert agreed as he shared his own farming experience and “sidestepped the rudeness” of another user who claimed @curlewcalls was displaying “ignorance of basic ecology”.
@Curlewcalls commented on their video of the breathtaking landscape: “Too much bracken, way too much. Smothering everything. How can it be reduced? Near Keswick.”
Bracken is a native British fern commonly found in woodland and heathland. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils and climates.
Bracken can provide shelter for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects. It is also a food source for many caterpillars.
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In response @KintalineFarm typed sarcastically: “Oh, the ignorance of basic ecology.”
Fundamental ecology, or basic ecology, is the study of organismal diversity and of the interactions between organisms and their abiotic and biotic environments.
Monty quickly weighed in, typing in view of his 300,000 followers: “Sidestepping the unnecessary rudeness of that remark, I have farmed a bracken-covered hillside for the past 20 years, with and without sheep, with and without pigs, cattle etc.
“In that time we have planted about 7,000 trees but not one has grown naturally in amongst the bracken.”
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@Kintaline continued to disagree as they replied: “No, it’s part of natural succession. However, that process takes many decades.
“Man is just too impatient to see the changes happening.
“We usually interfere: either plant or use adaptive grazing depending on which direction we require to effect faster.”
However, Monty justified his stance by explaining how “rarely” any type of succession takes place following bracken growth.
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He shared: “You rarely get any succession of any kind following bracken. It remains the dominant species for centuries simply because it is such a successful plant.
“Thus it is inimitable with any kind agriculture, silviculture or horticulture.”
Monty is best known as the lead presenter of BBC’s Gardeners’ World.
He has never received formal training as a gardener. In 2006 Monty commented, “I was – am – an amateur gardener and a professional writer. My only authority came from a lifetime of gardening and a passion amounting to an obsession for my own garden.”
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