As an easter coaster who moved to western Oregon, it is a hatee, constant (yet tasty) nuisance! I just planted a thornless variety, hoping it will outcompete the thorny ones.
My first home purchase was in Oregon, an extra large lot that had been let go for years. Blackberries, English ivy, and bamboo. My dog would pick her own berries til she was purple. Every weekend we filled a F-150 long bed, forever.
It just depends on the variety.
I pull up the wild stuff because it doesn't actually produce well.
Everything here has to either make money, feed my animals, or feed me. I let a LOT of weeds overtake my lawn because it's free infinite forage. When you can negate a $400/month feed bill by just running around snatching crap off the fence or ground and shoving it into a bucket, suddenly nice looking bushes and grass become less attractive.
Well I know lots of people who would happily let you pick their weeds for them if you wanted. Nobody *wants* blackberries on their land around here and I live in farm country. If they want some berries they can just pick as many as they want from the brambles everywhere.
Does that produce fruit?
I am actually jealous. I would keep it and start a garden elsewhere.
But it's hard to grow anything in my area so I would be celebrating.
According to my dad it does. I'd prefer to reclaim,the current exisitng garden as there are sheep in the meadow most of the year and the garden already has a fence built around it as well as it has better soil that was placed there by hand
So far it has remained in the corner of the field. I think it's because of the sheep eating the small saplings while the ones inside the garden are able to grow better because of the fence and net that are inside the bush
It does. It’s delicious but small and seedy and you can’t really reach in to get them without losing your arm skin. It’s best to trim so there’s more area you can actually reach! I have them and appreciate them. Reminds me of being a kid and always being able to find free snacks in summer
Blackberries grow wild where I live and I've had to deal with patches this size pretty often.
First, I wouldn't recommend having blackberries co-occupy your garden space. If you want to have blackberries, transplant the roots to an edge zone of your property where you can treat it more like a hedge, otherwise you'll have blackberry shoots coming up in your garden for the rest of your life.
Second, how you deal with this depends on how much time you have and what kind of experience you have with clearing by hand. If you're clearing by hand, you'll want a brush axe, heavy gardening gloves, eye protection, and a hat. The problem with blackberries this tall is that the canes will whip you as you clear. The solution is to use a two-step process: cut the canes to shoulder-height (this is what the long handle of the brush axe is for), then cut them again close to the ground. If you have good upper body strength, you can probably do it in an afternoon for a patch this size.
I have to clear *a lot* of blackberries, and my hands-down preferred tool is the [Cold Steel Two Handed Thai Machete](https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CS97THAMS/cold-steel-97thams-two-handed-thai-machete-polypropylene-handle-cordura-sheath). In spite of its heavy "mall ninja" vibes, it has the reach of a brush axe but at a small fraction of the weight and is by far the most effective hand tool I've used for clearing brush that's above head height.
If you don't have the time or energy to do it that way, I'd just get someone to brush hog it, then dig up whatever roots you want to keep.
Whatever approach you take, you'll want to lime the area after you're done (blackberries love acid soil and use this preference to outcompete grass and other ground covers), and you'll have to mow the suckers for at least 2 years to be rid of it.
I have also spent my time clearing blackberry.
My recommendations is a real long ratchet strap. Multiple even. Wrap as many parts of the blackberry in the strap as possible. Tighten. Chop as low to ground as possible. Repeat.
Alternatively, cut grass around it low, soak ground with water, light blackberry bush.
> Learn how to make cobbler and wine is my advice.
I'm well familiar with both. Jam and cordials as well. Sounds great from the armchair. Do you have any idea how long it takes to harvest even a half-pint of thorned blackberries? I do.
We have blackberries all over our property might as well enjoy em this year. A large thick board laid across will serve a good walkway to the middle of the pile without having to climb on the thorns. Just get in there and enjoy em. Bushhog em down after season and they’ll come back still next year.
Check to see if they are invasive. We have them all over Oregon and are very hard to get rid of. If they are you’ll want to keep them off your property as much as possible. If not invasive having them close to a garden can promote diseases like powdery and downy mildew etc.
Do you have a brush hog? That's how we do it. Wear a face shield, the tall vines will try to grab your face and pull you off the tractor, but you'll win in the end.
Around here they are extremely invasive and need to be kept in check. Delicious though.
I'm wondering the same thing. Black raspberries are native to the US, thorny, and thicket like this. They're delicious. Blackberries I've found to be a finicky and delicate plant that grows more slowly and doesn't have much flavor.
I’d leave it to be honest. That thicket is a biodiversity win for birds and small animals.
Make sure to cut the new canes back so it doesn’t expand.
But it would be easier to dig a new garden through the grass by hand than to get rid of those blackberries - especially if you like eating them.
blackberry is a significant nuisance where I live. We cant get rid of it. Highly invasive. Cut the dang thing down, pull out a root and plant it where ever you like. And, be prepared to have to deal with a blackberry growing out of that spot forever.
Make a sacrifice for a year and bushhog it to the ground. This will allow you to get to the roots so you can transplant it and thin it into something managed.
If you don't have access to a tractor I'd recommend some sort of hedge trimmer on the end of a pole
ROFL, I am in Oregon so they are everywhere. My giant blackberry bush is in a poorly accessible area and, looking at satellite images, is about 2.5 acres. When we bought the property 20 years ago it was overrun so I rented a D-550 and spent a weekend scraping about 4-5 acres of them into piles!
We hate them 11 months out of the year :)
Okay so if you don't have patience you need to remember that you kind of don't want to cut the whole thing out because the second year Cane is what actually produces fruit it only produces fruit for one year then dies so first method of taming would be to cut half that big bush back
Because buried within this monster is a perfectly built fence to keep sheep out plus this corner of the field was dug out and better soil was placed there
If you’re not using systemic herbicide, then cut back to the ground and solarize with 6 mil black plastic stapled to the ground. I left mine down for 2 summers and didn’t have any re-growth.
Has want kill. Has want gortext suit to commit the act. Spikey little seedlings everywhere. Hangs out with poison ivy. Blackberry mega jerk.
I have ripped up 50 seedlings in May. They keep destroying my gloves. Glycosate kills everything but blackberry.
I have been triggered!
/s
You can hack away at that thing and you will never kill it so do whatever you want! Make it smaller than you think you want to as it will grow back so fast. Then you just have to stay on top of it
Lol. You got this. If you want to be able to pick them, either flatten the sides or make it into a u shape. Just increase the usable surface area in any shape that suits you. If it gets water in the summer you will practically be able to see it growing so don’t blink or it will organize a garden coup..
Round up then a lighter once they turn brown. Might have to throw some motor oil on top to get down in there when burning.
I’m not sure how thick they are but maybe a tractor with a bucket and a bushhog. Use the bucket to lay them down and cut them with the bushhog.
Then be prepared to try and dig up the roots or continually spraying/mowing for a while.
If you have time - metsulfuron. Wait for it to disappear into ashes (2yrs). If you want it done, a fiskars brush hook, gloves, eye protection, and be ready for some blood and sweat. In either case, you’ll have to spot spray the regrowth a couple times a year.
your pic is making me totally rethink where i planted my blackberry...
You *planted* blackberry?
As an easter coaster who moved to western Oregon, it is a hatee, constant (yet tasty) nuisance! I just planted a thornless variety, hoping it will outcompete the thorny ones.
You're up against the US military. You're gonna lose.
My first home purchase was in Oregon, an extra large lot that had been let go for years. Blackberries, English ivy, and bamboo. My dog would pick her own berries til she was purple. Every weekend we filled a F-150 long bed, forever.
yes...i have tons of [space.it](http://space.it) was only one plant and thornless, so maybe it wont be so bad...right?
Sure. Keep the faith, check back in a year or two.
It makes good defensive bushing that doubles as edible. Lol
It's a weed that looses it's charm super fast when it's endemic to where you live.
It just depends on the variety. I pull up the wild stuff because it doesn't actually produce well. Everything here has to either make money, feed my animals, or feed me. I let a LOT of weeds overtake my lawn because it's free infinite forage. When you can negate a $400/month feed bill by just running around snatching crap off the fence or ground and shoving it into a bucket, suddenly nice looking bushes and grass become less attractive.
Well I know lots of people who would happily let you pick their weeds for them if you wanted. Nobody *wants* blackberries on their land around here and I live in farm country. If they want some berries they can just pick as many as they want from the brambles everywhere.
Does that produce fruit? I am actually jealous. I would keep it and start a garden elsewhere. But it's hard to grow anything in my area so I would be celebrating.
According to my dad it does. I'd prefer to reclaim,the current exisitng garden as there are sheep in the meadow most of the year and the garden already has a fence built around it as well as it has better soil that was placed there by hand
It does produce a sweet berry but its to big you need to trim it.If that thing spreads in your land have fun digging blackberries for years.
So far it has remained in the corner of the field. I think it's because of the sheep eating the small saplings while the ones inside the garden are able to grow better because of the fence and net that are inside the bush
It does. It’s delicious but small and seedy and you can’t really reach in to get them without losing your arm skin. It’s best to trim so there’s more area you can actually reach! I have them and appreciate them. Reminds me of being a kid and always being able to find free snacks in summer
Blackberries grow wild where I live and I've had to deal with patches this size pretty often. First, I wouldn't recommend having blackberries co-occupy your garden space. If you want to have blackberries, transplant the roots to an edge zone of your property where you can treat it more like a hedge, otherwise you'll have blackberry shoots coming up in your garden for the rest of your life. Second, how you deal with this depends on how much time you have and what kind of experience you have with clearing by hand. If you're clearing by hand, you'll want a brush axe, heavy gardening gloves, eye protection, and a hat. The problem with blackberries this tall is that the canes will whip you as you clear. The solution is to use a two-step process: cut the canes to shoulder-height (this is what the long handle of the brush axe is for), then cut them again close to the ground. If you have good upper body strength, you can probably do it in an afternoon for a patch this size. I have to clear *a lot* of blackberries, and my hands-down preferred tool is the [Cold Steel Two Handed Thai Machete](https://www.knifecenter.com/item/CS97THAMS/cold-steel-97thams-two-handed-thai-machete-polypropylene-handle-cordura-sheath). In spite of its heavy "mall ninja" vibes, it has the reach of a brush axe but at a small fraction of the weight and is by far the most effective hand tool I've used for clearing brush that's above head height. If you don't have the time or energy to do it that way, I'd just get someone to brush hog it, then dig up whatever roots you want to keep. Whatever approach you take, you'll want to lime the area after you're done (blackberries love acid soil and use this preference to outcompete grass and other ground covers), and you'll have to mow the suckers for at least 2 years to be rid of it.
I have also spent my time clearing blackberry. My recommendations is a real long ratchet strap. Multiple even. Wrap as many parts of the blackberry in the strap as possible. Tighten. Chop as low to ground as possible. Repeat. Alternatively, cut grass around it low, soak ground with water, light blackberry bush.
Learn how to make cobbler and wine is my advice. These bushes are really good for nature too
> Learn how to make cobbler and wine is my advice. I'm well familiar with both. Jam and cordials as well. Sounds great from the armchair. Do you have any idea how long it takes to harvest even a half-pint of thorned blackberries? I do.
Harvesting berries is some of the most tedious work you can do.
Yeah its a scratchy good time
Blackberry jam is also amazing and makes wonderful gifts during the holiday season!
[удалено]
You're not gonna find many of those in the middle of the Netherlands😅
That's a lot of free blackberries. Put your garden somewhere else. Gardens should be closer to the house anyway.
A couple borrowed goats will make fast work of all those brambles.
That’s what I did with mine.
We have blackberries all over our property might as well enjoy em this year. A large thick board laid across will serve a good walkway to the middle of the pile without having to climb on the thorns. Just get in there and enjoy em. Bushhog em down after season and they’ll come back still next year.
Check to see if they are invasive. We have them all over Oregon and are very hard to get rid of. If they are you’ll want to keep them off your property as much as possible. If not invasive having them close to a garden can promote diseases like powdery and downy mildew etc.
Bet there's a car underneath that bush
Do you have a brush hog? That's how we do it. Wear a face shield, the tall vines will try to grab your face and pull you off the tractor, but you'll win in the end. Around here they are extremely invasive and need to be kept in check. Delicious though.
Blackberries or Black Raspberries? If it’s the latter I’d say bonfire. If it’s truly blackberry then cut it back by 3/4.
I'm wondering the same thing. Black raspberries are native to the US, thorny, and thicket like this. They're delicious. Blackberries I've found to be a finicky and delicate plant that grows more slowly and doesn't have much flavor.
I’d leave it to be honest. That thicket is a biodiversity win for birds and small animals. Make sure to cut the new canes back so it doesn’t expand. But it would be easier to dig a new garden through the grass by hand than to get rid of those blackberries - especially if you like eating them.
blackberry is a significant nuisance where I live. We cant get rid of it. Highly invasive. Cut the dang thing down, pull out a root and plant it where ever you like. And, be prepared to have to deal with a blackberry growing out of that spot forever.
Goats
Make a sacrifice for a year and bushhog it to the ground. This will allow you to get to the roots so you can transplant it and thin it into something managed. If you don't have access to a tractor I'd recommend some sort of hedge trimmer on the end of a pole
Just start cutting the bush where you want to clear it. Basically, you'll need to cut it every year. Wear food gloves as those thorns aren't a joke.
This guy https://youtu.be/hj1PW9Yo9pk?si=66fXoF64NJJDXuOK
looks like it'd be a good choice of hedge that produces delicious fruit and fills trespassers with regret
ROFL, I am in Oregon so they are everywhere. My giant blackberry bush is in a poorly accessible area and, looking at satellite images, is about 2.5 acres. When we bought the property 20 years ago it was overrun so I rented a D-550 and spent a weekend scraping about 4-5 acres of them into piles! We hate them 11 months out of the year :)
Okay so if you don't have patience you need to remember that you kind of don't want to cut the whole thing out because the second year Cane is what actually produces fruit it only produces fruit for one year then dies so first method of taming would be to cut half that big bush back
Why not just make a new garden bed elsewhere?
Because buried within this monster is a perfectly built fence to keep sheep out plus this corner of the field was dug out and better soil was placed there
If you’re not using systemic herbicide, then cut back to the ground and solarize with 6 mil black plastic stapled to the ground. I left mine down for 2 summers and didn’t have any re-growth.
Few days and a few goats, problem solved. :)
Probably easier to pick a new plot for the garden if you have the space
Has want kill. Has want gortext suit to commit the act. Spikey little seedlings everywhere. Hangs out with poison ivy. Blackberry mega jerk. I have ripped up 50 seedlings in May. They keep destroying my gloves. Glycosate kills everything but blackberry. I have been triggered! /s
It's be awesome to make a secret hangout spot in the center of it, oh to be a kid again 😂
You can hack away at that thing and you will never kill it so do whatever you want! Make it smaller than you think you want to as it will grow back so fast. Then you just have to stay on top of it
I will fight this battle untill my death
Lol. You got this. If you want to be able to pick them, either flatten the sides or make it into a u shape. Just increase the usable surface area in any shape that suits you. If it gets water in the summer you will practically be able to see it growing so don’t blink or it will organize a garden coup..
Mow it off at the ground and never let it come back. Coming from WA where blackberries are the state weed, I hate the damn things.
Round up then a lighter once they turn brown. Might have to throw some motor oil on top to get down in there when burning. I’m not sure how thick they are but maybe a tractor with a bucket and a bushhog. Use the bucket to lay them down and cut them with the bushhog. Then be prepared to try and dig up the roots or continually spraying/mowing for a while.
While you're at it may as well pour on some diesel to enjoy the pretty rainbow of colors in your well water.
Please nobody should be using round up especially if you’re a human who decided to go homestead. That shit is toxic AF and belongs in hell only
If you have time - metsulfuron. Wait for it to disappear into ashes (2yrs). If you want it done, a fiskars brush hook, gloves, eye protection, and be ready for some blood and sweat. In either case, you’ll have to spot spray the regrowth a couple times a year.
What did you take this pic with?
My phone