It’s important to remember that when you’re looking to remove the invasive blackberry bushes, that it’s a lot of hard work. It’s painful, dirty and sometimes, time consuming. We’ll give you a few tips to help you remove even some of the larger blackberry patches.
Spray & Pray?
We do not suggest or recommend spraying live blackberry bushes if your goal is to remove them. It’s much easier to remove the green, live plants than it is to remove the old, dried up and brown blackberry bushes. When they are all dried up and dead, they become much stiffer, and the thorns seem to become much sharper & don’t break off as easy. Making it so much harder to remove the blackberry bushes.
Blackberry Removal Our Way
Find a good starting point. I usually start along the edge of a fence or house/shed and work away from it. The best method I’ve found is to bend over the plants in a larger bundle, exposing the base and ground. Usually, I will cut about 6inches from the ground so i can clearly see where it enters the ground for root removal purposes. Make sure to clear large areas before switching over to cleaning up what was just cut.
Cleaning Up The Cuttings
Over the years, we’ve found a few methods that work well in cleaning up what you have cut. The method usually depends on the type of brush you’re dealing with. Are they long vines, small clippings with leaves Or old dead and dried up bushes. Cleaning up the long green blackberry bushes, I like to use a pitch-fork, balling the cuttings up into a large ball then stabbing it and lifting overhead and walking it to where we are loading it. Beyond that, the leaves and smaller cuttings can be raked up and scooped into garbage cans or onto a tarp for loading into a trailer or pickup.
If the cuttings are that dried up, stiff old dead blackberry vines, I recommend using a large tarp. Lay it out flat, scoop the cuttings onto the tarp and hauling them to your trailer or pickup. As far smaller pieces of debris and leaves, I typically like to make smaller piles throughout the yard and pick them up with a large garbage can. Makes it quick and easy to deal with(figuratively speaking)
Then What?
Seeing how most people don’t want to have to go out and cut these blackberry bushes down every few months, we recommend removing the roots. We accomplish this with the help of a sharp pointed shovel and a pick-axe. Beyond that, spraying the area with some apple-cider vinegar can help to keep them from returning year after year. For “permanent” blackberry removal, I suggest removing the roots. Even still, the chance of them returning at some point is likely. Here in the northwest, we know how invasive these plants can be. And we also know how sweet those berries are and the attractiveness of having fresh blackberries growing in your yard each year. The fact is, they are super hard to maintain and limit their growth without regular upkeep.
Why Remove Blackberry Bushes?
You may ask yourself. Why would I want to remove these fruit bearing plants? As stated above, these berries are sweet and amazing. But there are several negative impacts of blackberry bushes. Some may be situational while others are not so.
- They grow fast and can overtake your yard in weeks
- If you have small children or dogs, they can be hurt by blackberry thorns
- These plants choke out other vegetation and steal the water and nutrients other plants need to survive.
- Since these bushes hold a lot of water, they can rot out your siding to your house or garage or shed. They will also rot out your wooden fences.
- Animals and insects. These bushes are great homes for possums, racoons, feral cats and many insects.
- If you’re allergic to bees, you may want to avoid having blackberry bushes in your yard as bees love them.
If you have an area that is too much for you to handle alone, call us for a free quote. We’ll come by, assess the situation and provide you with an upfront cost. Blackberry Removal Services
