Topic: Sodium chlorate on brambles

[alipally]

I have tried to clear the brambles at the back of our allotment without success - they seem to come back even healthier than ever, whatever I try. I am now thinking of trying sodium chlorate. Has anyone tried this on brambles, I know it kills the ground for six months but I am at the end of my tether, some of the stalks are about 2" thick.

Also, is this a stupid idea - if I kill the brambles in this way and then make deep raised beds full of good topsoil, could I use them before the advised six months is up and how deep would they have to be? Could I use some sort of membrane to separate the new beds from the bad ground, could be another good use for all the carpet hanging around the allotment!

Any advise would be much appreciated.

[Melbourne12]

I'm not sure that I can answer all the questions, but I've used sodium chlorate last year on a strip of ground along the fence that separates our allotment from the public road.  The good news is that it worked a treat. Neither bindweed nor brambles have returned.

I didn't try growing anything where I'd actually put the sodium chlorate.  I've just got bark chips put down to make a path.  But next to the path is a raised bed where both tulips and leeks are currently flourishing, so the sodium chlorate didn't leach sideways into the growing area.

[Barnowl]

My father used to use it round the farm duildings to get rid of bramble and knotweed. It works but is scary stuff.


Have you tried SBK Brushwood killer? Stays in the soil for 6-8 weeks not 6 months (per RHS).

[dandelion]

How about using glyphosate (Roundup)? You spray it on the on the leaves, the more leafy area the better so don't prune it after application. If you have already hacked the bushes back, just wait for fresh growth before spraying.  Now is probably the best time to apply it. It takes a few months to do its thing (If the brambles are really big you may need a 2nd application), but you can plant crops close to it as the soil will not be affected.  I used it on a whopper of a bramble bush which was growing very close to a hawthorn tree. I wanted to keep the tree, so glyphosate was my only option for killing the brambles.