Brambles

[niki]

i have just got an allotment and need alot of work doin' on it for chick weed and brambles..can you tell me if i burn it off with parafin will it leave a bad effect on the soil for me veg later on..on a very tight budget any help would help thanks

[vicky]

I don't think I'd risk it - petrol will kill plants so I'd imagine parafin will do the same...plus it could be a hazard to neighbouring lotties - you could make a few enemies by scorching their brassicas!!!
You can use Weedol (or similar) on chickweed (an annual) and Roundup on brambles (repeated applications may be necessary as it's tough!) if you want to go down the chemical route.
It might be easier/quicker/cheaper to dig up the bramble roots and spray the remaining annuals with Weedol (works in about 7 days) or hoe them if the soil is reasonably workable.
I hope you have some photos of the 'Before' so you can admire all your hard work when it's all planted up and looking lovely!
And welcome to the vine btw!

[niki]

lol the lottie is about 60 ft by 20..just full of brambels..carnt even see were roots r lol..just gunna burnt a lil patch at a time..any good advice on what to use .so its save to the ground...... thanks

[SarzWix]

I'd get a very big pair of loppers and some thic gloves, start chopping them down wherever you can reach, then start a (contained) bonfire and just cut and burn, cut and burn, cut and burn til you get through it. If the brambles are that big and dense, starting a fire on there sounds very hazardous indeed, and you could end up with the fire brigade there, especially if it's windy... Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

[teakdesk]

Parafin will poison the ground - as will diesel.

Petrol with evaporate off but is too (much, much, much, much too) inflamable to be used to start a fire so don't use it unless you have an ambulance waiting and an appointment booked for plastic surgery !!!


Bite the bullet and buy a bramble strimmer (not a lawn strimmer) with a metal blade (about £150) and do the "cut and controlled bonfire" that SarzWiz recommends.

Then dig the ground and remove roots - treat any trimmed ground if shoots regrow before you dig it. This will minimise the amount of weedkiller you use.

[niki]

thank u all for the good advice....cut and controled burn it is...

[teakdesk]

Niki, make friends with all your neighbours and ask them how they cleared their plots - someone may have a strimmer to lend you !!!

[Two_Sheds]

It will take you a few weeks, but do it properly - slow and steady.

My plot was covered in 6 foot nettles, brambles and ivy. (there should be pix in my album on here)

Cut and burn, cut and burn. Be careful of cutting at ground level - you'll end up wrestling with 8 foot or more of spiky bramble, wrapping itself round your head. You still have to dig the roots out, but you can't reach them until you clear the topgrowth.

I tried Roundup on some parts - waste of money. The weeds just grow back, it doesn't kill the whole root.

[DaveInBraknell]

Hi,

I had a similar size plot to yours to clear.

Cut and Dig is a good idea, then burn, but it might take a few weeks to burn due to green stems.

My advice having been through it:

1)Pair of extendable loppers and cut out the really big stems at the bottom then pull it out. Starting at the top creates a lot of chaff and you'll be wading into it.

2)Pile it up on a part of the plot and let it dry out for at least a week, if you clear a big spot you'll be doing...

3)The bramble roots big taps can go down in my experience upto 2-3ft deep, but the surface roots are the problem. Get a big adz (The long pole with a blade on it at right angles to the pole) and break up the ground, then get a claw and drag the claw through the ground. For every bramble above there is a massive network of surface roots below you'll end up pulling out about 2 square feet of root per 4x1.5m bed.

It took me about 3 hours per 1.5-4m square bed to clear it out, we did a good job on it and now only have brambles growing up under our paths where we had to quickly lay it out.


Dave

[NOG]

If you are on a tight budget how can you afford parrifin.

My second plot was 4ft high brambles when I got it. the neighbours on each side used to cut it like a hedge. It was a cube of brambles.

I just got hold of a pile of pallets and some bags of shredded paper threw them in as far as I could and then lit it.

Then as it was burning I stated at one end with loppers and started to crop it at ground level and pile it into the flames.

I had to do it a few times to clear the plot.
Then I went round with a mattock and chopped out the roots.
Then rotovated.

Oh wear welding gauntlts not gloves they are thicker and protect the arms as well.

[draig]

Hi
I am trying to get rid of a lot of brambles I am using a combination of cutting with a brush cutting strimmer and digging out the roots as suggested above. I am going to use weed killer on any new growth in the hope that I have weakened the plant sufficiently for it to be effective. The roots are coming out quite easily.

[niki]

lol i spoke to my neighbourin plot and found out it was me nieces hubbie..small world..he as a brmble strimmer.his plot was same as mine is now..and were gunna start tomoz..he is gunna help me plus two others i know on there lol small world it is ...thanks every one

[niki]

has any one got any good tips on .mushroom growin av tried 3 times now ..no good..do like this sight glad i found u all

[jacob marley]

Niki why don't you start your own thread just go to start thread and you will your own post....jacob

[NOG]

has any one got any good tips on .mushroom growin av tried 3 times now ..no good..do like this sight glad i found u all

Constant heat above 19o

Is all I can say but it is very hit and miss. I would like to try the logs that you can buy that are drilled.