Andrea
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Brambles in a wallNot so much grow your own as a kill your own question!
We've cleared a massive patch of brambles which were covering the old stone built water tank and channels. We're rotovating to get the roots out of the ground, but how on earth do I get the roots out from between the stones of the walls? I'm talking huge expanses of walls, not just a few meters.
It's very tempting to spray the lot with chemicals to make life easy, but we'd really prefer not to go down that route if there's another way.
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Lozzie
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I think if you are intent on removing it, then chemicals are perhaps your ONLY long-term option  . It would need to be a systemic or translocated chemical weed-killer, best applied when you have cut back the old growth and the new leaves are just coming out.
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dougal
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Agree with Lozzie. Cut back. Wait till regrowth starts.
Then treat with Glyphosphate-based weedkiller. For best results, crush the bramble leaves first (so they take it in better). And mix some wallpaper paste into the glyphosphate and paint it on - don't spray.
Expect to need to repeat this several times... 
And having rotovated, you've got to get the roots out - otherwise each little bit will be sending up shoots...
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Treacodactyl
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Do brambles grow from roots? We mainly get growth from seeds or layering.
I'd suggest cutting back and then try cutting the crown off. That's the bit where the shoots come from and it may kill the plant. After cutting back a few times the plant should die. Worth giving it a try if, like me, you don't like to use weedkillers.
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Bernie66
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Glyphosphate Glyphosphate Glyphosphate. Its the only way unless you are going to spend the next twelves months waiting for the shoots to appear and systematically hacking them back. Not a weedkiller fan myself but with this your options are limited. And they could be damaging the wall so inspect it carefully if its any great height.
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Sceolan
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Even with a chemical solution you may have to be prepared for the long haul as pieces of root that may have seemed to be dormant or even dead will get a new life when the soil is disturbed and shoots are cut off. What seemed to be a dead piece of wood on the wall suddenly gets a new lease on life. Without using chemicals it is a very very long haul. After 8 yrs I still have a few shoot appearing every few feet and that is on a long wall where I can control both sides for at least 15 ft and have rotovated down circa 30in. I am sorry at times I did not start with a chemical solution – it would have been a lot less painful.
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Bernie66
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Dougal's wallpaper paste suggestion sounds really good as well. Never underestimate the resilience of the bramble.
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Andrea
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Is Round Up glyphosphate? It's everywhere here.
The thought of those brambles growing again is just horrifying. Here's a pic of OH with the brush cutter clearing one patch. It was twice his height in places & covered an area larger than the house.
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Lozzie
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Flippin' 'eck, Tucker!!
Sod the Glyphosphate, babe - get the napalm out ... 
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hils
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 geez that sent cold shudders down my spine!
(can type again now I have extracted a thorn from my fingr tip after 2 weeks!)
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Bernie66
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I would be tempted to use fire looking at that
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Treacodactyl
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| Bernie66 wrote: | | I would be tempted to use fire looking at that |
I'd love to see you and Dougal out there with your paintbrushes and weed killer.
Unless I really want the wall clear I'd leave the brambles and call it my "wild life" garden. I bet there's plenty of nesting birds in there in the spring.
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Bernie66
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| Treacodactyl wrote: | | Bernie66 wrote: | | I would be tempted to use fire looking at that |
I'd love to see you and Dougal out there with your paintbrushes and weed killer.
Unless I really want the wall clear I'd leave the brambles and call it my "wild life" garden. I bet there's plenty of nesting birds in there in the spring. |
Mixing fire and weedkiller - maybe not, or was it fertiliser the IRA used in their bombs?
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culpepper
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Thing is though,mine looked much like that and once you clear the land of the cuttings you can see where the brambles are coming through and dig each one out. They will grow back from just the roots,I've had mine covered with black sheeting and when lifting again have found little brambles growing and have then been able to get them out on a second dig(touch wood).Im using a wheel hoe to go over the bit that I havent got sheeting on as at least that gives a gap in the growing.
Next door has a similar bramble patch so there is also the added job of cutting back every bendy bit that threatens to encroach and of course the berries will try to plant themselves.The next door neighbour is 96 however so cant really be expected to get out there and hack at it.
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cab
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Killing off the plants... Will that mean that the roots will rot, swell, and knock the wall over? Not that they won't knock it over anyway. I guesss you may have to think about patching the wall up as the roots rot away?
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Andrea
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| Bernie66 wrote: | | I would be tempted to use fire looking at that |
So tempting. BUT as I'm in central Portugal, currently fire capital of Europe, it's probably not something that would endear me to my neighbours!
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dougal
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| Andrea wrote: | | Here's a pic of OH with the brush cutter clearing one patch. It was twice his height in places & covered an area larger than the house. |
Now that *is* evidence of a large-scale problem.
Whether you use a bulldozer or a chainsaw to cut it back - that's up to you. Personally I doubt you'd gain many friends by deliberately starting another bushfire. (Folks, remember she's in Portugal...)
But yes, cut it back, water it and glyphosphate whatever sprouts.
And expect to repeat the treatment lots of times. If you paint it on as a sticky solution, you'll get better results out of each application - which means fewer applications. However for bigger problems, more applications may be easier than fewer with individual attention.
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Andrea
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| Treacodactyl wrote: | | Unless I really want the wall clear I'd leave the brambles and call it my "wild life" garden. I bet there's plenty of nesting birds in there in the spring. |
The wild life we have nesting in there are significantly more scary - wild boar We reckon if we could trap 5 or 6 of them in that field they could make the rotovator redundant.
The good news is that that particular patch is now mincemeat, just the raking, rotovating and root removal to go now *sob* Reckon Father Christmas will buy me a tractor if I'm very very good?
We've decided that we're going to try & deal with the main patch without chemicals, but will use them on the wall. Unfortunately the wall is above the main water channel leading onto the land, but the alternative of snipping bits of bramble off forever more is just too depressing to countenance.
I have nightmares about brambles.
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Bernie66
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| Andrea wrote: | | Bernie66 wrote: | | I would be tempted to use fire looking at that |
So tempting. BUT as I'm in central Portugal, currently fire capital of Europe, it's probably not something that would endear me to my neighbours! |
Fair point I guess
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