tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 So far I've cut and painted them with Roundup - they seem to like it. They come up here and there - no dense thicket...yet. Looking for a Plan B. My thoughts so far: Spray paint "SECESSION NOW!" on the garage door, toss a live grenade into the street, let ATF do the rest. Establish a Homicidal Goat Shelter. "Himalayan Berry Farm and U-Pick Auto Parts, LLC" Kudzu. Quote
rob Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 I grew up in Woodinville and spent much of my childhood clearing blackberry bushes. What I found to be the most effective was a gas-powered weed trimmer with a round metal saw-blade attachment (they sell them specifically for blackberries and other thick-stalked weeds) -- take everything down to the ground, and then dig out as much of the root as possible, and then use a ground tiller to tear up the ground and rip out any more roots, and then carefully comb all those roots out of the soft ground, and keep an eye on the area and till it again once you see any new shoots. We tried a flame thrower and actually caught an entire underground root system on fire -- have you ever seen an underground fire? really weird! and dangerous. Quote
KaskadskyjKozak Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 We tried a flame thrower and actually caught an entire underground root system on fire -- have you ever seen an underground fire? really weird! and dangerous. Clearly the flame-thrower loop-hole must be closed! Quote
Pete_H Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 Keep goats. The unintended consequence though is that it might attract degenerates like Polish Bob, who mistake them for sheep. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) The local homeless population would have them on the barbie right quick. They sweep through like the tide on a daily basis. Blackberry density not high enough anyway. I like the flamethrower idea, whether or not it works. Edited January 7, 2013 by tvashtarkatena Quote
rob Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 we tried goats and actually found they avoided the thickest parts of the stalk and root system. They're a good method for cutting back the growth but if you want them gone you're gonna have to get those roots out.... Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 Perhaps I could partially bury bottles of Thunderbird next to each plant and leave some shovels out. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 The advantage of goats is that there's someone to blame. Quote
Bronco Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 Had some luck with Crossbow pesticide, picked up at McLendon's in Woodinville. I think I had to sign a notice that's delivered to homeland security or some such nonsense so you know it must be good stuff. It's also the only thing I've found effective on Horsetail weeds. Probably the same thing now available on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Crossbow-Herbicide-Specialty-gallon-55555282/dp/B004HFJ762/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357596044&sr=8-1&keywords=crossbow+herbicide Roundup just makes it angry. It's like trying to take down a herd of buffalo with a pellet gun. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 Well, Hell, if I have to file a DHS disclosure I might as well pick up a few hundred pounds of ammonium nitrate and blow them out...then fill the craters with Crossbow. Marscaping is kind of what I'm after, here. Quote
rob Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 Blackberry eradication in the Galapagos from horseback Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 Which Governor's daughter do you have to molest to get that job? Quote
matt_warfield Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 PNW is the absolute worst for blackberries. Delicacy someplaces and a nightmare for others. And I once set an underground fire from a campfire that simmered and spread overnight and could have become a big deal. They don't call it the Evergreen state for nothing. Quote
Jim Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 More info that you really want about Rubus armeniacus (syn. discolor) The Nasty One Check out the OSU links. Quote
Pete_H Posted January 7, 2013 Posted January 7, 2013 PNW is the absolute worst for blackberries. You don't say. Not that I'd expect a keener sense of observation from a Bozemanite. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted January 7, 2013 Author Posted January 7, 2013 A friend of mine was gifted a 1959 BMW motorcycle, found under a thicket of blackberries. He was a BMW mechanic at the time - he restored it and rode it to Nova Scotia and back. Still one of the best looking bikes I've ever seen. Quote
Crux Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Controlling Himalayan Blackberry in the Pacific Northwest Quote
matt_warfield Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) To control Blackberry takes Apple with Samsung as backup. Edited January 8, 2013 by matt_warfield Quote
matt_warfield Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) PNW is the absolute worst for blackberries. You don't say. Not that I'd expect a keener sense of observation from a Bozemanite. Well shit, in MT we hunt and peck any berry of any sort. In WA we complain because there are too many and some have stickers. (But I spent 23 yrs. in WA and know what you are talking about). Just trying to fun everybody before the Tide roll the Golden Domers. Edited January 8, 2013 by matt_warfield Quote
Crux Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 To control Blackberry takes Apple with Samsung as backup. This is not the droid you are looking for. Quote
ivan Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Controlling Himalayan Blackberry in the Pacific Northwest interesting, the article says it thrives up to 6000 feet, yet i can't recall seeing it in the n cascades at all, 'cept on the drive through the lowlands gettign there? devil's club just too badass for it? Quote
Whatcomboy Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Nothin better than fresh blackberry pie and vanilla icecream. Quote
mattp Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 I scanned that article and didn't see the technique that we found easy and effective. Maybe I missed it. To kill Himalaya Blackberry, cut it down, dig it up as best you can, and haul the debris away. Cover the affected area with a barrier (we used coffee sacks, anchored with gardening stakes, but I am told that newspaper several pages thick will do, and then cover that with wood chips. Leave it alone for two years. Turn over the soil and plant whatever you want to grow. The blackberry roots will have died because they didn't have photosynthesis feeding for two years. No weed killers and, after the initial battle, not a lot of ongoing physical effort. At a former property I eradicated it from a stone wall by simply steadily removing it for a couple of years. If you prevent it from growing - at all - it will give up. Quote
mattp Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 Nothin better than fresh blackberry pie and vanilla icecream. True that - if it is not in YOUR yard. That stuff is a menace!!!! Quote
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