Blackberry removal hints
Blackberry removal hints
I’m struggling with my yard, blackberry vines have pretty much taken over, does anyone have any tools they’ve found efficient at removing them? Looking for inspiration since search results are filled with such junk
Honestly, the most effective tool is a spade.
100% this. Blackberries are rhisomatic which means they can grow back from a tiny bit of leftover root. You need to remove all the roots to get rid of them. Also blackberries take three years to mature so you may have to deal with this for a few years before they are truly gone.
Apply fertilizer and start watering them. As soon as you try to get blackberries they die off in my experience...
This is my experience as well
I've found it easiest as a two step process, first removing all the vines using loppers (the kinda bolt cutter looking things), and then once that's all been trimmed close to the ground and all the vines discarded, then using a normal shovel to uproot them.
I like using a pickaxe to really pry up the taproots
But aren't blackberries good to grow? My market charges like $8 for a tiny box of them
They are extremely invasive.
Valid point, I don’t want to spend the time or effort needed to cultivate them, and I doubt Himalayan blackberries are a popular commercial cultivar
If it's really crazy, might be best to take it apart in pieces. Don't try to pull out huge pieces, just trim with lopers or some shears if you're brave and treat it like eating an elephant. Spread it over a couple days, even. Like someone else said, trim it all the way back to the root ball and, if you want it gone, shovel it