Clearing land and planting grass, suggestions welcome!

[knibloe]

I'm with MacLawn. If you have it cleared, mowing should be enough to keep the blackberries at bay. The grass will come in on it's own, but you will definitely speed things up with seeding. You shouldn't need the roundup.

 

[dave1949]

With all the blackberries I hear about in WA, that ground will be well stocked with berry seeds. Plus birds, coyotes, foxes, etc. will always be reseeding/spreading seeds from nearby berries in their poops.

Even if you spray kill everything that is there now, you would still need to mow it. I'm guessing it will have to be mowed close and frequently for a year or two to stay ahead of the root sprouts. Since you will be mowing anyways, the spraying is redundant, although I would think it would get you quicker results in suppressing the existing root re-growth.

I prefer patience over chemicals when given the choice.

 

[farmer2009]

You can use some form of 2,4-D herbicide on the most persistent Blackberries and Scotch Broom; which will kill both pests but leave the grass undamaged. There are multiple forms of 2,4-D herbicides in different strengths. Check out the inventory at Tractor Supply Company, Rural King or whatever your local ag store is. Buy a gallon of concentrate.

Though considerably more expensive, 'Bayer Advanced Brush Killer Plus' is a superior product.

Bush Hogging regularly will control MOST of the Blackberries and Scotch

The Bayer product if you read the label is Triclopyr. If you will go with Crossbow it's Triclopyr and 2,4-D. And not $35 a quart. Bet you can buy a gallon of crossbow for less than that. Just read the label on rates.

I must also disagree with Eddie. Using glyphosate or roundup now would be fine but after the grass is established it will kill the grass also. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide. Both products in crossbow are selective herbicides and won't damage most grasses.

 

[sdef]

As far as leveling humps and bumps are concerned, if you do not mind breaking up the soil somewhat, running a box blade's shanks through the ground and following up with a landscape rake can make things nice and even. In your case I would run the shanks through there to rip up anything I could anyway.

 

[EddieWalker]

Well, this is the first time I'll disagree with old Eddie. That boy knows his stuff. But, my experience has been once ye get ye ground to mow able status, just keep'er cut, ye grass will win out over ye blackberries, etc. Plus, I just love mowing, bush hogging, etc.! Think about it. Riding on ye tractor letting ye cutter do all the work, smelling the great outdoor air scented by fresh cut green stuff, maybe seeing the occasional crit, man, that's the life! Eddie, get back to building them TEXAS (ye must say and write that word in all caps) houses.

In my area, if you mow blackberry bushed down to the ground and keep them mowed, you will have black berries growing all over the ground at the same height as the grass. It does make them easier to pick, but it doesn't do anything to get rid of them.

Eddie

 

[KiotiJason]

In my area, if you mow blackberry bushed down to the ground and keep them mowed, you will have black berries growing all over the ground at the same height as the grass. It does make them easier to pick, but it doesn't do anything to get rid of them.

Eddie

Yep it's the same with me here Eddie, best advice is to spray the blackberrys. I have one paddock that I haven't And whilst I slash it the Blackberry just grow along the ground. It keeps them low but the get long and leggy. I'd just spot spray and when they die off just drop some hay around the killed off area and the grass will sow.

 

[farmer2009]

Yep it's the same with me here Eddie, best advice is to spray the blackberrys. I have one paddock that I haven't And whilst I slash it the Blackberry just grow along the ground. It keeps them low but the get long and leggy. I'd just spot spray and when they die off just drop some hay around the killed off area and the grass will sow.

Just goes to show what works in different areas of the country. Bushhoging works around here for the most part in blackberry. Spiny amaranth is a totally different cat though. Tough to kill with spray and will grow low is mowed.

 

[fishheadbob]

My place was a berry farm in the 30s and 40s; berries can be mighty persistent. I converted a former berry field which had gone mostly brush of viburnum and goldenrod into a timothy / birdsfoot /red clover meadow. We plowed and disced the daylights out of the land before seeding and boosted the ph quite a bit, berries prefer an acidic soil, but the berries staged a comeback. With some help from roundup (2 4 d is heavily controlled here in grape country) we got the canes out but still get a very light dusting of June strawberries. The very light amounts of strawberry don't seem to bother the hay quality and I'd always stop to munch a few while mowing.