Wild blackberries can be an absolute nuisance. They are extremely prolific and difficult to remove, not only because they develop very prickly shoots. The easiest way to control blackberries is on lawns. If you mow the shoots regularly with the mower, you will soon have peace. Otherwise you need patience and usually have to make a lot of effort. It can take years to get the wild blackberry problem under control. By the way, chemistry is not a good idea, with tools like Round-up you do more damage than it helps. You have to plan sweat and time when fighting. Nothing will be different.
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Characteristics
- Belongs to the rose family
- Climbing tendrils, usually with many small, sharp spines, spreading climbers
- Occurs throughout the northern hemisphere
- White flowers from May to August
- Berries ripen from August to September
- Blue-black fruits
- Extremely propagating, with runners, shoots and seeds being spread everywhere
- Like sunny to semi-shady places
- Soil rich in lime and nitrogen
Fight with the lawnmower
If you have wild blackberries in your garden that are encroaching on your lawn, you can remove them fairly quickly. This is often the case with properties that border on fields or forest or on properties with wild growth. Blackberries like to spread there and conquer the surroundings. If they grow under the fence or come through the hedge, they must be removed. Lawn areas in particular can be driven over with the lawnmower. The shoots of the plants are mercilessly cut off. This prevents their energy absorption. Over time, the plant dies and does not sprout again, but it takes time. If the infestation is severe, a brushcutter can be used.
- Only possible with straight surfaces
- Mow regularly
- Use a brushcutter if the infestation is severe
- If you don’t stay on the ball intensively, the plants will immediately sprout again and you can start all over again. A few weeks without a cut are enough.
Fight with chemical agents
Chemical agents usually do not help reliably, since the entire root network is not destroyed and the plant keeps sprouting out of it. Muscle strength and endurance are the better ingredients.
Fight mechanically
In order to eradicate blackberry bushes permanently, the tendrils must be regularly torn out. Anything that cannot be pulled out of the ground must be cut off close to the ground. The plant can no longer carry out proper photosynthesis, which weakens it. It is best to loosen the soil beforehand, especially around the roots. Then you have to grab the tendrils tightly, pull them as far down and as hard as possible. It is important to pull out as much of the root as possible, ideally all of it.
If you want to be on the safe side, take a pick and a pickaxe and search the ground for remaining bits of root from which new shoots can grow. This is tedious, but ensures better results.
- pull out tendrils
- Best after heavy rain when the ground is nice and soft
- Cut off what cannot be uprooted to prevent photosynthesis
- Alternatively, the shrub can be chopped up with the chopper blade of a brush cutter. It is important to catch as much of the root as possible. It is best to hold the device at an angle. The wood chips can be left as mulch straight away, as mulch that draws the light out of the root parts that remain in the soil
Combat by light deprivation
If you have time and don’t need the space, you can fight blackberries quite easily. The tendrils are simply cut off close to the ground. Then the surface is generously covered with a thick foil, for example pond foil. Since this is not a pretty sight, it can still be covered with gravel or bark mulch. After two to three years, the blackberry roots are stone dead and you can confidently replant the area. It is important that the foil strips overlap by at least 10 to 15 cm. At the edges, it should protrude at least 50 cm beyond the infested area.
- Cover the surface generously with pond liner or similarly thick liner
- Normal weed film is not enough, it is light and water permeable
Frequently Asked Questions
Can wild blackberries also be fought with fire?
You can also burn blackberries. To do this, the shoots must be cut off again close to the ground. When the new shoots take off after one to two weeks, they are heated for about 5 seconds with a flame burner. This process must be repeated regularly over the next few weeks and months until no more shoots sprout. Then the surface is properly milled through and any roots that can still be found are removed.
Are wild blackberries suitable as an impenetrable hedge?
If you have space, you can definitely consider it. However, you have to be careful not to spread the plants too much, which can happen quickly. The hedges actually become impenetrable. Of course, this has advantages, but also disadvantages. It is difficult to get to the berries and the shoots when they have to be cut. You should think twice before planting such a hedge, of course it is possible.
