Asparagus - Ask Extension
I have an Asparagus patch that's about 7-8 years old and I have always left the ferns until the following spring then cut them. I recently read to c...
Knowledgebase
Asparagus #875205
Asked June 29, 2024, 10:02 AM EDT
I have an Asparagus patch that's about 7-8 years old and I have always left the ferns until the following spring then cut them. I recently read to cut them in the fall which do you recomend?
Thank You,
Mark Abraham
Wright County Minnesota
Expert Response
The primary University of Minnesota publication regarding asparagus culture doesn't address your question.
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-asparagus
Experts at the University of Nebraska recommend removing the spent ferns in fall.
https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dodge/growing-asparagus/
This University of Wisconsin publication recommends removing the spent ferns in spring.
https://kenosha.extension.wisc.edu/2022/04/15/growing-asparagus-in-gardens/
In the absence of recommendation or consensus, we suppose spring or fall cleanup is ok and the choice is yours.
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-asparagus
Experts at the University of Nebraska recommend removing the spent ferns in fall.
https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/dodge/growing-asparagus/
This University of Wisconsin publication recommends removing the spent ferns in spring.
https://kenosha.extension.wisc.edu/2022/04/15/growing-asparagus-in-gardens/
In the absence of recommendation or consensus, we suppose spring or fall cleanup is ok and the choice is yours.
