Topic: New allotment - evil brambles

[bupster]

I've just taken over a new plot, two thirds of which has been rotavated. The other third has been left as it has redcurrants and a plum tree and as I know nothing about fruit I thought it would be a pleasant shortcut.  ??? Unfortunately it also has about 16 sq m of brambles, about a quarter of which I've cut back. I can now see the end of my shed, some water butts, which I can't yet reach, and the motherlode of the evil brambles, some of which seem the thickness of my wrist. I had intended to cultivate the plot organically but the state of this bramble patch is seriously disheartening, and I'm actually thinking of using SBK brushwood killer on it, though I really would rather not.

Has anyone else had a similar experience of clearing a new plot? I'm going to use the rotavated two thirds for veg and had fondly imagined a bit of a lawn with wildflowers and a pond in the area that the brambles have staked out, but now I'm concerned that all I'm ever going to have is blackberries as the shoots are everywhere. Any advice welcomed; thanks.

[wardy]

I've managed to eliminate brambles, apart from saving a few for berries.  I think they aren't as bad as raspberries to get rid of which seem virtually indestructible  :)  You could use GLYPHOS (Roundup) - cheap if you get it from the lotty shop.  You can mix 30 ml or a bit stronger = 40 ml with one litre of water and apply carefully to the leafy bits of your brambles but don't chop them back first as glyphos works on the green bits so you'll want them in full leaf.  I don't spray as I don't like the idea of drift so I put a bit of fairy liquid in it to thicken it and just water it on with a weed bar on the watering can.  A proper sprayer comes out with some oomph and the glyphos will adhere better to the plant but I don't like using chemicals at all so for me it would be a last restort.  Good luck.  I don't think I'd use any other weedkiller on my plot.  I don't like them and would rather go down the long term route of killing weeds off by starving them of light.  Does take a while but I have a massive plot to go at and can stand to have a lot of it under cover

[jennym]

I used Roundup Ultra 300 (cheaper than the ready mixed sprays) which contains glyphosate, twice and it worked.

[bupster]

The weedkiller would be last resort for me too. Do bramble roots extend deep into the ground?

[daveandtara]

before you murder every single bramble on your plot,  ;D it may be a good idea to check with other plot holders on the likelihood of vandelism.
our site suffers greatly with pests of the two legged variety so we are cultivating brambles over a pallet fence around our plot because, as i'm sure you appreciate having cleared loads, nothing is quite so vicious, spiteful and hard to climb over as a scrabble of wild brambles.
that'll teach em  ;)

[bupster]

It's not murder so much as execution; the battle is getting very personal  ;D

I haven't had much of a chance to speak to many of the other plot holders, though have been warned not to leave anything terribly valuable in the shed. Having said that, there is a big fence and a keycode gate around the whole site, and none of the other plots appear to have fences around them. The impression I get is that vandalism is fairly rare, despite the site being on the edge of an estate. I suppose Cambridge is a pretty safe place wherever you are.

I thought of keeping a couple of bits of bramble near the edge of the plot as I quite like blackberries, but if there's any risk that they'll counterattack then "of course you realise that this means war" (Bugs Bunny).

[wardy]

 ;D ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Brambles vary enormously as to the quality of the fruit. If you want to keep some, check out the fruit first, or go looking for the best in the area and take cuttings, which root extremely easily. Or buy a couple of plants. Don't just keep anything. You can kill them by persistent cutting, but it has to be very persistent.

[bupster]

The fruit's lovely, I've been stuffing myself stupid before hacking them down (Ha! you cannot tempt me with your wiles). But I just don't think it's worth it. I get the impression that this jungle was originally a trained plant, as the previous owner seems to have been keen on soft fruit, and there's no other brambles nearby that I can see. But after this job I don't think I'll ever trust a blackberry again.  :-X

[sarahr]

Yes blackberries can get quite rampant if you aren't rather overzealous with cutting it back and pulling it up. The other thing is the roots run along the ground like another favourite - bindweed. Much easier to erradicate than bindweed though ;D

[bupster]

It is remarkably satisfying knowing that I'm coming away with fewer wounds than the brambles, and it's great when you yank a tendril and a great big three metre long chunk comes out. Trouble is all I seem to uncover is more brambles. At least I can see my half a shed now.  :)

[Mike J]

Sounds like it could be a 'cultivated' ie not wild blackberry as the berries are ripe to eat now. My new plot has a large patch which I have been picking, and advised by lottie neighbours that they are a cultivated variety - am tidying them up only, trying to eliminate the runners that sprung up all around the edges of the clump (delicious berries by the way, with apples in a pie (and icecream....yummy  :)

[amphibian]

Sounds like it could be a 'cultivated' ie not wild blackberry as the berries are ripe to eat now. My new plot has a large patch which I have been picking, and advised by lottie neighbours that they are a cultivated variety - am tidying them up only, trying to eliminate the runners that sprung up all around the edges of the clump (delicious berries by the way, with apples in a pie (and icecream....yummy  :)

I have a cultivated type (Evergreen), and my neighbouring derelict plot is covered in a wilb blackberry, my cultivated one has not come into fruit yet, but the wild one is covered. Though this may be because of relative sizes, the wild ones cover about 8 perch, as opposed to the small bush of my cultivated one.

I am going to cut all the old brambles out once they have fruited and get the new growth trained onto wires.

[bupster]

I made blackberry and apple crumble and toasted the deaths of my enemies 8)

Told you this was getting a bit personal  :-[

Is there any way of finding out if they are cultivated or wild?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Probably not; there are 'recognised' varieties, but each area would have had its own, selected from the local wild ones, and how do you tell? I suspect some round my site are 'cultivated' versions, but I can't be certain. I'm well tempted to cultivate them, but it's hardly worth it with so many down the canal.

[bupster]

Pretty much my feelings on the subject. There's blackberries everywhere for the taking so why let them eat my plot? Are raspberries as bad?

[wardy]

Raspberries are terribly invasive.  My huge plot was and still is covered in them.  I was told to grub them out (easier said than done) as they would be diseased.  They look in the rudest of health to me despite my best efforts to get rid of them.  They go underground on runners and they are coming up all over the place.  I'm going to dig some up and plant them where I want them and then plan a grisly death for the others.  They are coming at me from the next door plot too - like triffids they are  :)

[bupster]

Do share any grisly death ideas. I think we could get a whole Bond villain thing going on here.  8) Moo haa haa

[wardy]

I have got so mad that after digging them up (not easy as I don't dig - but made my old man do it ) that they came up again healthier than ever. Diseased my eye!  So I waited til they developed a bit, poured petrol on em and torched them.  You've guessed it - just shrugged that off and are back  ;D  I'll just have to keep hoeing them off as they appear as weed killer just doesn't seem to bother them at all.  Digging them out works but because they've had the run of the entire allotment for years getting rid of them isn't going to be quick or easy.  I shall have to accept that "you can't win em all" and retreat knowing I've been licked by raspberries.  Aint it sposed to be the other way about  ;D

[bupster]

Have visions of giant raspberries with giant tongues and hundreds of tiny tiny legs. Thanks for that :o

Some other sites have recommended SBK brushwood killer. Looks pretty scary to me. It's all in the future though as I've yet to actually uncover my plot; the two thirds that the site manager has cleared is lovely but as yet untouched, while the third with the brambles on is the bit with the shed, water butts, and mature fruit trees. I sort of want to know what I have before I plan anything! Apart from, obviously, the painful death of brambles.  8)