Blackberries, before and after

[Highbeam]

Here in the northwest we get 8 foot tall fields of solid blackberries. There is no good way to take care of it without a tractor, FEL, and brush hog. It is a very quick and gratifying job with the right equipment as shown in these pics. This method leaves no debris to dispose of, no chemicals to apply, and no fire to burn. Dare I say that it's environmentally friendly? Nah.

Step one: the problem. There might be a car in there. This particular patch is grown up into the trees where it chokes them and climbs even higher.

 

[Highbeam]

The next thing you do is schmear. That is, approach the patch with FEL raised high and head forward until your grille hits the brush, drop the FEL, and then back out to schmear the briars into the ground. Without this step you and your tractor will be cut up and scratched. Plus it allows you to find stumps, cars, bee hives, squatters, etc.

 

[Highbeam]

Then you chop with the brush hog. If schmeared correctly you should be able to move forward at a pretty decent speed. I prefer to mow such that the clippings are ejected into the next row so that the chopping is complete.

Note that there is no pile of junk to deal with. No greenery, that is the ground level. Repeated mowings to the 4" height will keep this from ever coming back and grass should take over.

No chemicals, fire, or hand work. Total seat time was about an hour with about 1/2 gallon of diesel burned. Beats the heck out of a machete don't you think?

 

[valleydweller1]

Your post reminds me of something I was told once when I was fighting a grass fire:

"Don't let the fire get into those blackberries, there's a car in there with a full tank of gas!"

Greg

 

[cqaigy]

<font color="red"> "Don't let the fire get into those blackberries, there's a car in there with a full tank of gas!"
</font>

Ya and it was probably parked their early that week!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LarryD]

<font color="blue"> Beats the heck out of a machete don't you think? </font>

BTD (Before Tractor Day) I started with a machete. About 3 hours into the project I decided a good weed eater with a blade would work better. 3 hours after that I concluded the vines actually reached out to grab the machine (and me /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif) to stop my progress.

Now I know there are only three viable way to eliminate these brambles:
1. Hydraulics
2. Chemicals
3. Goats
Anything else is a feeble attempt.

 

[Trailblazer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Repeated mowings to the 4" height will keep this from ever coming back and grass should take over. )</font>

Highbeam,

Do you know how many repeated mowings it takes before they stop coming back? My acres of blackberries seem to be weakening after 4 mowings in 2 summers, but they aren't dead yet. Scotch Broom is another pest. The goat idea sounds good, but I'd need an awful lot of goat-proof fencing. To accelerate my reclamation project, sometimes I feel like calling in a napalm strike on my farm.

 

[ZJ_HR]

Do you know what did you missing???
Something very tastey and sweet /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RedRocker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Beats the heck out of a machete don't you think? </font>

BTD (Before Tractor Day) I started with a machete. About 3 hours into the project I decided a good weed eater with a blade would work better. 3 hours after that I concluded the vines actually reached out to grab the machine (and me /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif) to stop my progress.

Now I know there are only three viable way to eliminate these brambles:
1. Hydraulics
2. Chemicals
3. Goats
Anything else is a feeble attempt. )</font>

Larry, that's the same progression of tools I started with, machete, weed eater/blade, tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Farwell]

After the hydraulics think chemistry. Chemical brush killer sprayed in the Fall on any new growth and let the berries sleep all Winter in a blanket of chemicals. A couple seasons of this and your berry nightmares should end. Better living through chemistry.
Farwell