they will eat everything sorry. the goat method is best for clearing an area for planting, not after.Re: goats - that is the one thing I have not tried yet because I don't know where to get goats. Will the goats also eat shrubs or will they somehow magically only eat the wild blackberries?
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The Helpful Gardener
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GeorgiaGirl
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Thanks, soil... at this point, even after five years' growth of absolutely gorgeous shrubs that I adore, I'm thinking the only way to get rid of the wild blackberries is to get rid of everything and start from scratch. So maybe I'll bring in the goats after all. I hate to lose my beautiful shrubs, but they're too big now to temporarily transplant but the thorns are hopelessly entangled in them... *sigh*
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applestar
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Maybe you could fence off the immediate area around your favorite shrubs (I'm envisioning cutting a vertical swath with some kind of power tool and pushing framed fence panels through -- though I've never done this and don't know if such a procedure is realistically do-able).
Have the goats concentrate on everywhere else, and you can concentrate on rescuing the "Sleeping Beauties" from the "briarwood"
Have the goats concentrate on everywhere else, and you can concentrate on rescuing the "Sleeping Beauties" from the "briarwood"
What do the abnormalities look like? There are some virus infections that will result in deformed berries or complete abortion of druplet development. You can take a sample to your local agricultural extension office for testing. Be sure to take the entire plant including the root system. Unfortunatly unless you want to transplant some "healthy" plants and use herbicides on the rest your options are limited.
You can try starving the root system by systematically cutting new growth, which is labor intensive and time consuming. If you go with herbicides, the most effective herbicides are Banvel, Cimarron, Remedy Ultra (or Garlon Ultra), PastureGard, and Telar. Some points about application, it will be most sensitive while blooming, and it is not drought stressed. you will need to wait six weeks before removing treated plants for maximum effectiveness.
I would suggest going to your extension agency first off... there will be some helpful folks there who will more than happy to help you out!
You can try starving the root system by systematically cutting new growth, which is labor intensive and time consuming. If you go with herbicides, the most effective herbicides are Banvel, Cimarron, Remedy Ultra (or Garlon Ultra), PastureGard, and Telar. Some points about application, it will be most sensitive while blooming, and it is not drought stressed. you will need to wait six weeks before removing treated plants for maximum effectiveness.
I would suggest going to your extension agency first off... there will be some helpful folks there who will more than happy to help you out!
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Gary350
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sheeshshe wrote:could I potentially just keep mowing them down everytime they grow back? then I'm just like a goat, right? LOL!
I have a patch of blackberries after it gets full of old dead canes that do not produce blackberries I let the patch migrate to a new location. The roots send up new plants I let all the new plants grow on the west side only all the rest get mowed down when I now the lawn. Blackberry plants keep trying to come up with the grass but every time I mow the lawn I mow down anything trying to come up where it does not belong. The new blackberry patch will produce good berries for many years but when it gets full of old dead canes it is time to let the patch migrate to the east again. I let all the new plants on the east grow all the rest get mowed down. I keep the blackberry patch under control I have to mow the lawn anyway its not a big deal to mow around the blackberry patch.
If you want to get rid of blackberries for good just mow them down they will be gone by the end of summer. If any try to come up the following year mow them down too there won't be any come up the third year. You keep them mowed down lack of sun light to the plant the roots will die.
If you want to get rid of Blackberries fast mow them then till the soil. After you till you will see broken root pieces everywhere pick them up put them in the trash can. Till again over and over you will till up more roots put them in the trash too. Till the soil about every 3 or 4 days for a month when you see more roots on the surface of the soil pick them up throw them in the trash can. Everything will die during the summer when it is hot and not much rain. You don't really need to till but once just keep an eye for new blackberry plants trying to come up all those broken pieces of blackberry roots will try to grow new plants just dig them up one by one throw them in the trash can. Personally I think the shovel is harder work than the tiller.