Bramble myths

[Barry]

In the height of the summer, I hacked out a massive bed of brambles, using a mattock. Essentially, I removed the main bulb of the bramble, from where all the roots and canes emerge. I had understood that, while this won't kill the remaining roots that are underground, any shoots they do push out are weak and easily removed.

Is this true?

I am digging over ground freed of bramble "bulbs" by the mattock and the ground beneath is just choked with living bramble roots of all kinds. I am using a spade to hook these out, since many go down a long way and forking them out is impossible. I know bits of the roots will remain in the soil, but will these continue to grow and again prove a problem next spring?

I have dug brambles out before but many years ago using a spade and don't remember many of them coming back. Or is that me simply forgetting what really happened?

In another section, I hacked the bulbs out and then covered the ground in solid plastic. When I took it off three months later, the brambles were trying to re-shoot from the existing roots, albeit the plants were extremely anaemic and have all been dug out.

Are brambles really like Freddie in the Friday 13th slasher movies in that whatever you do to them they keep coming back?

I'm interested in practical experience here, rather than what it says in gardening books. I have until March to get rid of the brambles and am just beginning to feel a little concerned...

[JohnN]

Try coating the stumps with SBK Brushwood Killer. Most farmers keep some in the barn!

[ken]

I seem to remember, years ago, reading that there are many different species of bramble, even if, superficially, they can look quite similar. Certainly I've found a big distinction in my last garden and my present garden, between brambles with fibrous roots, which seem to come out easily and don't regenerate, and others with more whip-like roots which can grow very deep and spread very wide. The latter roots have buds which can spring to life if the roots are left in the ground.

[ken]

I seem to remember, years ago, reading that there are many different species of bramble, even if, superficially, they can look quite similar. Certainly I've found a big distinction in my last garden and my present garden, between brambles with fibrous roots, which seem to come out easily and don't regenerate, and others with more whip-like roots which can grow very deep and spread very wide. The latter roots have buds which can spring to life if the roots are left in the ground.

[Barry]

I am currently discussing with my neighbour, who is clearing a 6m x 15m area covered in brambles as to what might happen if she lops out the main core of the plant, leaving the side roots intact and then covering the whole area over the winter in thick, black plastic.

We think that, by denying the plants light and, crucially, water any remaining life in the roots with disappear.

Does that sound logical?

[Monika]

I think it would take longer than one winter under black plastic to kill a bramble! We had a similar problem many years ago when we took over the whole allotment site which had not been touched for years and it took us a whole year to double dig it to get out every scrap of bramble, nettle, etc etc

Sorry, Barry, but it's likely just to mean hard spade work ....

[Primrose]

And this is not taking into account all the fruit heads which fall off, seed and start to send up little new plants. Hard though it is, I really think the only long term route which pays off in the end is the hard labour one, ie digging everything out painstakingly . I always rather worry what harm blasting a food growing area with any kind of weedkiller is going to do in the long term but that's just a personal viewpoint.

[dan3008]

My garden was full of brambles when I moved in. The only thing that got rid of them was to just keep digging... Glycophose weed killer didn't touch the damned things. Nor did trying to smother them with a carpet offcut

One thing that's helped is to chop the whole lot on at ground level, and then dig the roots. Make sure to chop or pull all new growth as soon as possible. An old adage my dad always spouts fits here
"don't let the weeds see the weekend and they'll be gone by Christmas"
I think Christmas is optimistic but the point stands

[Pa Snip]

Dan

Cast your mind back to when you last heard your dad use that adage. Now admit it .... he never said which Christmas did he


As you rightly say Glyphosate doesn't touch it,
get as much out as possible, keep pulling out any new growth and also keep disturbing those roots.