Getting rid of thorny Brambles.. without killing hedge!

Hiya All,

Hope you can help.

I have thorny bramble vines growing from behind my back garden fence. They are coming through underneath my fence, over my Lawn, and getting to be quite a nuisance.

I cut them back, but they keep coming back each year with a vengence

Is there some type of "weed killer" I can water can over my fence to kill these brambles off at the roots?

Thing is though. The house backing onto my mine has a big healthy hedge running along the back fence. I don't really want to harm this in the process of kill off the brambles!

Hope you can help

Martin

 

I had a hawthorn hadge full of brambles, hops, and all sorts of nasties, I have to say we have now dug it out, but probably your best bet is to do what I was discussing with ground elder with dendrobium - that is and you have to be VERY CAREFUL, paint round up onto fresh growing leaves of bamble or have a rubber glove on your hand covered with cotton one, dip you hand in solution and handle fresh leaves - this has added effect of bruising them too. you may need to try something like SBK for brambles though if they are too woody. as I said - do be very careful.

 

Hiya Waco,

Sorry mate - I didn't understand a word of that!

Do I look to buy the "SBK" stuff - then follow the instructions?

Can I add pictures of the bramles on this forum - so people can see what I'm talking about??

Thanks for your advice - keep it coming! 8)

Martin

 

Yes pictures are great, please post.

what I am saying is that if you buy weedkiller like "roundup" it is very dangerous to both you and plants. So you have to be very specific - ie what it touches it will harm/kill - you included.

So you mix up a solution of the stuff but to make sure it goes in the right place you cannot spray as droplets will go everywhere, so you dip in a pint brush and pint it on the leaves of offending weed.

OK it is labourius but hell so is weeding and with brambles and such the more you cut off the more they will like you and layer themselves - that is grow stronger, which is what I think is what you say is happening.

Not an easy job but you should be able to do it with care and persistance.

 

SBK will do the job, but you'll have to take care that you don't get it on any plants that you don't want to kill. You may also have to apply more than once. If you can confine your spraying to the brambles you should be ok. Roundup will also work but I don't think it is is quite as strong and may require more applications - it was available as a paint-on killer gell a couple of years ago though I've not seen it recently.
Going by your description you can't take the easy option of dousing next door with something really effective, so it looks like you'll have to gradually eliminate the weeds by repeated applications. In time it should work though.

 

erm... yeah... I was a bit concerned about killing next door's Hedge etc...

Gawd dammit!

..is there a best time to apply these kinda stuff? During a dry spell?.... at dusk? etc etc

 

A varient on painting it on is to put a bit of Roundup, which I think contains the chemical Glyphosphate, in a polythene bag, push the leaves into the bag and seal it up with sellotape. That way the plant is in contact with the weedkiller for a long period.

The reason for suggesting Roundup or Glyphosphate type weedkiller is that they are systemic weedkillers. That means that the leaves take up the chemicals, which then travel back down the stem to the roots and kill the roots and the whole plant. Ideal for stuff coming in from next door.

There is some information here

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weedkill.htm

Glyphosphate is under Systemic and SBK is under Selective