Alan Gould wrote in message ...
In article , Zapp
Brannigan writes
Got some area round the back of the house that been overrun with
brambles. What is the best method of getting rid of them, so they don't
come back?

Cut them off close to the ground. Some new shoots will appear, but they
are easily removed and the root systems will rot away by next spring.

This is the non-chemical approach, and has worked for me more than
once. But don't interpret it as just knocking the new shoots off: you
have to pull or fork out the tough central crown the shoots come from,
or they'll keep on coming. Any actual roots left behind can, as Alan
says, be left to rot, as they won't send out shoots. I'd invest in
some stout leather gloves before starting!

There will be some seedlings and probably nettles for the next couple
of years, but they're easy enough to deal with. One lawn I made of an
old bramble-patch still, three years later, sends up surprises in the
form of bindweed seedlings: no top growth was visible at the time I
did the clearing; if it was one of those very fine short lawns I think
they'd probably be dealt with just by mowing. As somebody else --
sorry, I've forgotten who -- said, the soil is likely to be in
excellent condition, as all those leaves and canes rot down nicely.

It may look a bit frightening, but it's actually not a very difficult
job, and it's very satisfying. I go at the canes with secateurs,
usually cutting each one down in manageable lengths till I get to the
cent long ones are more difficult to move about, and more likely to
catch you on the ears.

Mike.