Brambles

[gbq05]

can anyone tell me how to eradecate bramble bushes . they are talen ove

my daughters garden and she want to stop them from keep coming bac

-- gbq05

[Ether Jones]

How big is the garden?

How tall is the bramble?

Is it OK to wipe everything out, or do you currently have bramble mixed with other plants that you don't want to kill?

If you want helpful answers, you have to provide more information.

[gbq05]

its about 3 feet tall and about 2 and half wide ots on its own as w have managed to clear the rest garden not big only about 30 feet .an yes we wont to wipe it all out thank

-- gbq05

[Ether Jones]

That's just a baby. I've taken out ones 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

Soak it with Round-Up on a cool sunny day.

It will be dead in 3 weeks.

Then cut it off at the base with a good pair of bypass loppers and burn it.

[Myrl Jeffcoat]

I don't know where your daughter lives, whether it's a city lot or a country property, but I'll tell a little story about my next door neighbor, a number of years back. We all lived in a suburb on large cul-de-sac lots. The neighbor property had been rented out, and the back yard which had a few little Boysenberry plants, got TOTALLY out of control under the "care" of the tenants. The Boysenberries took over the entire rear yard, and where at least 7 feet tall. They were so thick you couldn't get into them to do anything, other than perhaps begin hacking with a machete.

The owner found the ultimate solution. . .They borrowed a couple of little goats, and put them in the backyard. Within a week to 10 days, the Boysenberries were nowhere to be seen. . .just bare ground! The cute little goats had done their job.

The neighbor took the fat and full goats back to their owner, who was glad to have not had to feed them for those days. When little berry sprigs began to spring up once again from the old root stock, the neighbor used Roundup on them. . .End of problem. The cost of Roundup on those few sprigs/shoots, wasn't costly. If he had tried to spray those bushes when they were 7' tall and thick as thieves, the cost of enough Roundup to eradicate would have been prohibitive.

Myrl Jeffcoat

[Val]

Goats work great! I used to live in a very rural neighborhood and the back of my house faced what at one time had been an old farm. The one field was an enormous (about 3 acre) mound of solid blackberry brambles. They brought in goats and once that was cleared to the ground they removed the goats and replaced them with pigs. The pigs rooted out the last of the stuff, goats and pigs did a fine job of also 'fertilizing' and then she planted her dahlias to start a mail order business. Once the dahlias came up at least by a foot or more she let loose her chickens every day and they took care of the grubs, cutworms and earwigs. Worked quite well. This may not be an option if you live smack dab in the middle of a city but it sure was dandy for her situation.

Val

[Myrl Jeffcoat]

Wow - that's a very effective and interesting way to "organic" garden! I had no idea about the pigs and chickens, but it makes perfect sense when you stop to think about it.

Myrl Jeffcoat