getting rid of briar bushes

[Cactus]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I'm not sure I want to use any chemicals,because my pond is only 20' to 30' down from where these briars are,they are up on the bank of one side of my pond,there is no water directly below the briars but it would definiately end up in the pond. would dynamite get roots and all and then drag to back of property and burn the remains. </font> )</font>

That would bring the fish to the surface....belly up......not good.....

 

[1bush2hog]

Like others have said - the only way to get rid of it is to either dig up the roots, or spray with an effective herbicide.

I have many multiflora on my property that are as big as your wrist at the base. The one's I can get to with my toothbar are gone - some of the others in less accessable areas, I treated last year with Remedy. I have been told it will take several years of spraying these to actually erradicate them - Guess I will find out. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If you hand prune these there is no way to keep from getting bit. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif They are tough.

 

[cmhyland]

I had the Multi-floura rose in my fields.. They always seem to grow next to rocks where the mower doesn't cut them...

I had some that were 15 feet high and I pushed them over with the FEL.... I ran over them with the rotary cutter... Man what a noise! These things were 2 inches in diameter at the base... Chopped them up like confetti... I'm sure they'll be back this year...

They seem to really grow in places that are hard to get at them ( because they would have already me mowed down I guess).

Regards,
Chris

 

[Cactus]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> They seem to really grow in places that are hard to get at them ( </font> )</font>

They will grow in flat places,hilly places.

 

[EastTexFrank]

If you have 20' - 30' to play with you should be OK with Round-Up unless it drifts on to the pond during spraying. It is deactivated by ground contact so leaching is not usually a problem. Timing is critical for best results. I can't remember at what stage of growth it needs to be sprayed but one of the Weed Pages or chemical literature should tell you. I've never been able to kill multiflora rose by just mowing, maybe I don't mow often enough, but I can keep it under control. It has always taken chemicals, and for several consecutive years, to get rid of it.

 

[slowrev]

I have been able to control multiflora with cutting it off at ground level or pulling it up and mowing about every 4-5 weeks for 2 growing seasons. If you use roundup, wait till it has started growing pretty good and use it on a still day when you are not expecting any rain for a couple of days. Spot spray just the foliage of the plant you are wanting to kill and it should be ok close to a pond. Takes a few weeks for the round up to fully take effect.
Ben

 

[1bush2hog]

The advantage of using Remedy vs. Roundup is that Remedy will kill the multiflora rose, but not the grass so it is great around pastures etc.

Roundup kills everything it touches

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( WOOPS....

I am glad you do not have any of the MultiFlora rose either...I would not wish that stuff on anyone....
)</font>

I've got some dogfennel, and ragweed.. dollar weeds.. a few scattered briars.. and otherwise a collection of native grasses and pensacola bahai. Gets better every year.

And as stated.. glad I don't have MFR or locust trees!

Soundguy

 

[63DH8]

One word: Goats! I had blackberry bushes so thick that they were over ten feet tall and some stalks were over two inches in diameter. In less than a year, the brush were gone. You'll have to surround the brush with an electric fence to keep the goats in. They are browsers, so they'll wander if they're not penned in. You can get either milk or meat goats, depending on if you want to spend the time milking the goats. I got angoras. These were very gentle goats. The only problem I had with them was they used to stick their noses where I was working. Also, they kept eating my rose bush and they almost killed my daughter's fire maple by debarking the tree.

 

[twinstackram]

well 2 days ago it warmed up enough to go out and do some work,so I went down to the property and lit her up,got rid of most of them,there was enough small vines mixed in with the briars that they burnt really good,I have a few left that I am going to try to pull out with the truck,doubt my 18 h.p. tractor has enough umph to do it,thanks for all your advice guys,it's nice having such knowledgable people at your fingertips.