Topic: Thoughts on how to dispose of brambles?

[Knitter]

I've just taken on a long abandoned allotment. It's quite big (about 75m x 6m) and is almost entirely covered with brambles, most of which are taller than me! Although it will be hard work, I'm happy with the actual clearing of them, it's just what to do with them afterwards!?! It's going to be a heck of a pile! We're allowed bonfires but I think burning that many would be mighty anti-social. I don't have transport, so both taking them away and/or hiring some sort of chipping/mulching/destroying device would be problematic (although I'm sure I could find a 'man with a van' in Yellow Pages or similar if that really was my best option).

I'd be delighted to hear anyone's advice  :)

Claire

[Lauren S]

Hello Knitter I googled and found this answer for you. Hope it helps

**You can spray Roundup, very expensive but it does work. It will not harm animals it is safe as soon as it dries. It will kill all green vegitation.

A good tip for brambles to stop suffering hands riddled with scratches and pricks you can get kevlar-type gloves from all garden shops for this purpose, they cost about £6 and well worth the money, useful on roses too.

You may find it advantageous to cut the brambles out and leave about 1 ft to 18 inches above the ground paint the stems and cut ends with Roundup neat or very strong mix with water and it will kill them for sure.

Whatever you do do not get Roundup on any vegetation you want to live as it is a contact weedkiller. Once applied, unlike sodium chlorate, it is inert and will not creep through the soil**.

Lauren

[Lauren S]

Congratulations on your new allotment too  :)

[sally james]

Hope you enjoy your new allotment, as much has I have, and just watch the time flying past,  You'll soon be an old hand, but with your brambles, as with all weeds big all small, cutting down and digging out the roots are the only safe way to get round to beating them. But one step at a time. If an old timer gives you same advice, ask thm to show you how. They know all the tricks. You'll win in the end, but remember to leave same for the apple and blackberry pies!
All the best
Sally James

[Knitter]

Thanks  :)

I didn't make myself clear though  :-[ I'm ok with the chopping/digging/pulling, my problem is not being sure how to dispose of the mountain of clippings afterwards!  :o

Claire

[grotbag]

hi knitter,i think the best way is to burn them,they take ages to rot down,maybe have a few small fires,they will burn dead easy if they dry.

[SMP1704]

Knitter

I shredded mine through a domestic machine.  The first pile I cut all branches down to about 3 feet and took them home in the car in various green garden bags/pop up bins.  I put the shreddings in the darlek and about 12 months later = fabby compost.

Got a bit fed up with the discipline of 3 foot cuttings, so burnt a big pile - I think in the long run, the shredding was easier than waiting for a still day and dryish bramble pile ::)

I've now gone back to shredding, but one weekend a year OH brings the gennie to plot, I plug in the shredder and off we go ;D  I shred my corn and sunflowers as well as brambles. 

Another solution is to stack the bramble cuttings against the fence..............ouch!

BTW mine are trained blackberries gone a bit bonkers as no-one pruned them for 2+ years.

Hope that helps

[Eristic]

The bonfire is the only practical way to go. Cut your brambles and pile them up in manageable piles until you have cleared a safe working space for a fire. Get any scrap building timber and a cardboard box stuffed with crumpled newspaper to start the fire. If you have a nice clean hot fire the brambles can be forked on and will burn fiercely. With all the firework events at the moment, the fire should not cause any nuisance to others.



Is your plot anything like this?

[cornykev]

The only way is to burn Knitter, I know its anti social but once a year on Nov 5th shouldn't be a problem surely, and think of that lovely ash you can spread on the soil afterwards.  ;D ;D ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Dry it out a bit first, do it on a dry day, and there won't even be much smoke.

[dtw]

Cut them into 6-8 inch pieces when you are cutting them back.
They are easier to handle and burn in a denser pile than
sprawling long branches.

[Eristic]

Cut them into 6-8 inch pieces when you are cutting them back.

2-4 ft pieces will be more manageable and get the job done this year.

[Knitter]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to clear as much as I can this week and have a bonfire Nov 5th, hopefully it'll be slightly less of a pain for others then, as at least folk will be expecting smoke and fires!

I'll see how I get on with clearing the rest and then decide if/when to burn next!

Claire

[stig]

burn.burn.burn get your own back for the thorns i,m sure you are suffering with

[bupster]

I know this is a slightly insane answer to your problem, but I used some of mine to build a compost bin type thing, by sticking some into the ground and then weaving more through them like a basket. I might do it again this year as they're trying to take over my shed by stealth, and fill the "basket" with leaves, as leaf mould needs more ventilation. PS Wear gloves.  ::)

[Knitter]

That sounds really good bupster! Might have a go :)

[quizzical1]

I know this is a slightly insane answer to your problem, but I used some of mine to build a compost bin type thing, by sticking some into the ground and then weaving more through them like a basket. I might do it again this year as they're trying to take over my shed by stealth, and fill the "basket" with leaves, as leaf mould needs more ventilation. PS Wear gloves.  ::)

One problem with that though is that the bits you push into the ground are likely to take root.

[bupster]

I was concerned about that happening but it doesn't seem to, perhaps as I left the cuttings to dry out first. Or you could use bamboo for the uprights just to make sure.

[persephone]

We burned ours. If they're good and dry, they burn very quickly and don't smoke much at all. And its so satisfying to see 'em go!