Containing wild blackberries

[Terry Coombs]

We've got a resident population of wild blackberries here , and they are a real pain to harvest - thorns . And not just thorns , but wicked curved little bas***ds that dig deeper the harder you pull and then break off deep so you have to dig them out . But my wife likes them so I've been trying different things to be able to harvest them . This year I've "bundled" them by tieing a string around several plants . Started off by removing dead and diseased canes , of course , but this seems to solve the "tangled" problem with these . I also cut them all at about chest height , expecting the remaining canes to produce better . As this year's new canes grow , I plan to guide them into the containing string/cord , so next year I'll only have to prune this year's fruiting canes . This just might work !

[songbird]

they do have thornless blackberry canes...

songbird

[Winters_Lackey]

"Terry Coombs" wrote in news:c1h5v.117901$ [e-mail]:

It will work, I'm laughing because of all the hours I've spent training those canes, and pruning. Blackberries are a labor of love. They make raspberries seem easy. The question is, is it worth it? If my wife liked them (and mine does as well), the answer is, yes. Everyone should have your *problem*.

[Terry Coombs]

She's hung with me thru thick and thin for over 40 years . A little blood and a few scratches is a small price to pay .

[Terry Coombs]

Yeah , "they" do , but I'm "me" , not "they" . These are native to this area , and in a year with sufficient rainfall they're good producers . Besides , have you ever tried to kill a largish patch of them ? Ain't gonna happen , especially since they're all over up here and the birds and other small animals spread the seeds ...

[Terry Coombs]

Along with a pair of gauntlet welding gloves ... but I'm trying to avoid having to go to extreme measures to harvest the fruit . And I think the bunching is going to work . Minimum labor after the initial setup , but easy access to the plants to harvest .

[Fran Farmer]

I was laughing as I read your description of controlling blackberries as I'm sure David H-S was if he read what you wrote.

In my country it's compulsory for land holders to not only control, but also to kill infestations of blackberries. That applies to a single bush or to hillsides or valleys of them. It's a declared noxious weed which in past decades took over many acres of farmland and made it unviable.

I have a small illegal patch and every time we spray it some, in the very centre of the clump, evades the herbicide. I'm just glad the weeds inspector hasn't noticed it or he'd be back each year and threatening to impose fines for ineffective control.

[Terry Coombs]

They're not really a problem here except in some clearings and in particular the power line easements . They come thru with a bushhog every few years and knock them and the small trees down . I've tilled a lot under for the garden , still had a few shoots this spring from when I broke that ground last year ... I've cleared a lot of small trees in order to encourage the berry patch to migrate downhill a bit to regain the plants I've tilled under .

[David Hare-Scott]

Ah the price of love. . . . . . .

.

With a tiger!

D

[Terry Coombs]

Damn , my secret's out !

[Fran Farmer]

That's interesting about being treed and not having big infestations because where the foresters grow radiata pines here, the blackberry infestation is amazing.

The one really wonderful thing about backberries (other than the berries) is how wonderful the soil is under the canopy once a big old long lived clump is finally killed off. All those years of dropped leaves and bird poop creates wonderful soil.

[Terry Coombs]

Yes , it does make great soil . That part of last year's garden where I removed berry bushes was the most productive . I expect this year to be good too , most all of the garden is now on former blackberry areas .

[George Shirley]

The Doyle blackberry is touted to be prolific on just one bush and has no thorns. Just do a search for the Doyle Blackberry.

George

[Winters_Lackey]

George Shirley wrote in news:53696c17$0$59771$862e30e2 @ngroups.net:

This is going off on a tangent, but I finally finished my blackberry/raspberry enclosure. It's a 9' x 10' by 6' high structure made from PVC pipe, and I have been covering it in bird netting every year. What a pain. This year, I did everything but the top with chicken wire, and only used the netting for the top.

The birds might get most of my cherries, and the squirrels most of my peaches and plums, but this year the berries belong to the humans.