Clearing brambles...
Zoomer44
Posts: 3,267
There were brambles growing down one side of an allotment plot I've recently aquired, about 6ft into the plot with random brambles coming up through black plastic which looks to have been down at least a couple of years..
To cut to the chase I've dug up most of the brambles and hadn't realised how deep and long the roots were so some roots are still in the ground. The roots seem to have grown under the plastic too, several feet of roots from some brambles have been pulled out.
On a positve note the area dug looks to be really good soil, black, lots of worms, not many stones, no clay and well draining as the site is on a slope, so even if I can't clear the site before the growing season there will be area's at the side where stuff can be planted.
The problem is, me thinks the roots left in the ground will start to grow again so was thinking of using roundup painted on the leaves as they show though the soil, would this be a problem if veg was growing in the same area and if so is there another solution...
Advise welcome and thank you for replies in advance...
Posts
Round up on the new shoots will kill them, and keep removing any suckers that you can find. Problem solved.
Does roundup not effect any other plants in the area.
I was thinking to use the area dug up to plant out garlic which I have growing in modules and later shallots, currently in pots, then onion sets and leeks..where the bramble roots are likely to grow...
You will find that although new plants will grow from the roots left in the ground they will get weaker and weaker as you dig them up. You will win!
Welshonion. Pulling up the brambles as they grow back would be my choosen option, I try to be organic and roundup really is a last resort. There are also two tree stumps on the plot, one is huge and drastic measures might be called for to remove that little problem.
Mike. Prehaps not what I wanted to hear about whats under the black plastic but fore warned is fore armed. The roots under it do appear to be close to the surface so will peel it back section at a time to dig them out. On a positve note at least the soil will be full of goodness once the roots have been removed.
I feel less inclined to use roundup now. What would be best grown in the area currently dug if it is enriched with Nitrogen. I was thinking garlic, onions, shallots and leeks although as the rest of the plot is dug over pretty much everything else will be grown in the same rich soil.
Personally I would plant potatoes on this patch. They have a way of clearing/cleaning ground. I remember people used to plant potatoes in their front gardens of newly built houses before attempting planting a lawn. Any remaining rambling roots of the blackberry can be removed when you dig your potato crop in the summer. As you might guess I do not use any form of weed killer as I dig out the bindweed and marestail etc each year on my allotment.
OldCompostHeap. Potaotes were my second choice as I have quite alot chitting. I've also about 30 garlic cloves with small shoots which could go in any time and a dozen shallots which would be ready to go out March time. Was going to start onion sets in the next few weeks in modules hence the reason for suggesting them and they'd fill probably fill that area along with leeks to go out later.
No offence taken Mike, in fact the blow torch has given me an idea to to burn the dry grass on the other side of the plot before digging it over.
Mike/Edd. I asked one of the other allotmenteers about burning stuff. How to do it etc... as everythings wet and there's now a pile of brambles at the top of the site. They gave similar advise to yours and suggested if I was going to burn stuff do it on the bramble site as it would kill the roots.
The boundaries were also put in last weekend and the grass on the otherside of the plot isn't mine which was good news. Black plastic covers that side up to the boundary and whilst the soil is compact and there are roots under it, these are are near the surface.
Me thinks the site will be rich in nutrients after being dug over