Getting rid of brambles and woody weeds

[Laura Hillier]

Hi Everyone,

We hope you have all been enjoying the second burst of lovely sunshine on your plots!

We were just wondering, what do you find to be the most effective method for getting rid of brambles and woody weeds?

Answers may be edited and published in the November issue of GYO.

Laura

[veggiechicken]

Having spent most of the year clearing some ground of brambles, my tried and tested method is to pull out the rooting tips before they're established, cut back the top growth to knee height so that there's enough to tug at, and lever the roots out with a fork.
Return to the same spot a few months later and dig out any young plants growing from all the bits of root that you failed to remove first time It takes a few passes to remove them all but its immensely satisfying when you do!!

[chris]

I like to use a fork, I ram it in horizontally, below the surface, and lever it forward - just rips 'em right out. Rather satisfying.

[Bren In Pots]

I find a Mattock is good for getting out roots.

[shepp726]

dig, dig, and more dig........as for chemicals, Radox after digging.

[Two_Sheds]

I guess you mean when you take a plot over, and the brambles are all over the place? I cut mine back to the fence, and tied them in.

The ones that had rooted all over the rest of the plot, I dug out, using a big fork and a pruning saw on the roots, a little bit at a time.

The "rubbish" I chopped up into manageable bits (12" long) and piled up under the fence, as a beetle habitat. It gradually rots down and improves the soil, and the beetles eat a lot of slug eggs

[Veggielot]

I had brambles over a large part of my plot when I started. I tried most things to get rid of them but in the end I still found Ihad to dig them out.

[binley100]

Like T-S I tied some of mine in , now having a glut of huge berries. Any that come up where they shouldn't get dug out . I get more raspberries coming up where they shouldn't so they get moved .

[SarzWix]

Cut and dig, cut and dig, cut and dig... I have a drainage ditch along the back of my plot, and brambles are always growing through the wall from there. Obviously, even if I wanted to, I couldn't weedkill there (watercourse contamination is a big no-no), so it's a constant battle. But a tasty one!

[Bill HH]

To get rid of brambles you have to really really want them, they will then dissapear in no time.

[zazen999]

First pick the fruit and add to whatever wine you have on the go. Then, cut back, chopping the branches up small and adding to either a Beastie pile or a hot compost heap. Then, get the roots out by digging, forking or mattocking.

[Two_Sheds]

I pruned my wild blackberry back yesterday: it puts on about a foot a week at the mo. Any branches that are going the wrong way, ie over the neighbour's side, I cut off completely.
I only want the branches that are going in the right direction, everything else comes off. I chop the green branches into about 12" lengths and leave them under the plant as a mulch

[Muppet194]

How far back have you taken your branches at this stage TwoSheds? Mine is taking over a bit, but I am still picking plenty of fruit every couple of days.

[Scarlet]

As the others have said, harvest first, then cut back and dig. Then go back later and dig some more.
Though I love the Wyre forest trial - natural forest management with the use of pigs. They are bringing the bramble under control and having a good life at the same time.

[ButternutSquash]

I dug them out. They have horizontal runners between 6 and 12 inches deep connecting thicker root balls from which the bramble shoots up. I tried glyphosate once and it made the leaves slightly yellow!