I have a friend with a yard that has become very heavily overgrown with
brambles and ivy. I have this idea of clearing it for him within the next
couple of weeks. My idea is to shred the brambles and ivy, and then spread
the resulting chippings over my own back garden which has rather poor soil.
Due to the volume of material, it would probably give me a surface coating
2 or 3 " deep. I'm guessing that this would rot down over the course of the
winter and improve my soil.

My main question is: Is this likely to result in problems for me in the
form of brambles and ivy springing up all over my garden in the future?

Thank you,

Al

On 11/10/2010 11:23, AL_n wrote:
I have a friend with a yard that has become very heavily overgrown with
brambles and ivy. I have this idea of clearing it for him within the next
couple of weeks. My idea is to shred the brambles and ivy, and then spread
the resulting chippings over my own back garden which has rather poor soil.
Due to the volume of material, it would probably give me a surface coating
2 or 3 " deep. I'm guessing that this would rot down over the course of the
winter and improve my soil.

My main question is: Is this likely to result in problems for me in the
form of brambles and ivy springing up all over my garden in the future?

Thank you,

Al

The ivy would likely appear all over the place. Some of the brambles may
survive too - I've propagated a cultivated variety of bramble by
layering it and I've seen wild brambles layer themselves too, so
presumably if the shredding is coarse some fragments of bramble may be
able to put down roots.

Personally I'd burn the lot and spread the ash over the garden.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"AL_n" wrote
I have a friend with a yard that has become very heavily overgrown with
brambles and ivy. I have this idea of clearing it for him within the next
couple of weeks. My idea is to shred the brambles and ivy, and then spread
the resulting chippings over my own back garden which has rather poor
soil.
Due to the volume of material, it would probably give me a surface coating
2 or 3 " deep. I'm guessing that this would rot down over the course of
the
winter and improve my soil.

My main question is: Is this likely to result in problems for me in the
form of brambles and ivy springing up all over my garden in the future?

I would stack it somewhere, keep it damp, cover it and let it start to rot
and heat up, turning occasionally, to kill any chance of resprouting before
I spread it over the garden in the spring.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On 11/10/2010 10:23, AL_n wrote:
I have a friend with a yard that has become very heavily overgrown with
brambles and ivy. I have this idea of clearing it for him within the next
couple of weeks. My idea is to shred the brambles and ivy, and then spread
the resulting chippings over my own back garden which has rather poor soil.
Due to the volume of material, it would probably give me a surface coating
2 or 3 " deep. I'm guessing that this would rot down over the course of the
winter and improve my soil.

My main question is: Is this likely to result in problems for me in the
form of brambles and ivy springing up all over my garden in the future?

If you stack it in heaps about 2m on a side and keep damp then it won't
matter too much - the stuff will quickly heat up internally and rot
down. I would not spread the stuff around without first composting it.
Both ivy and bramble will regrow from fairly small pieces.

Are you sure you want to move this sort of bulk material around? Might
be a lot easier to compost it in situ (or burn) and take the ash as
fertiliser. Clearing bramble, nettle, ivy scrubland I tend to favour a
hit of glyphosate followed a few weeks later by torching it when tinder
dry (putting in appropriate fire breaks). Ivy being so waxy survives
glyphosate but it doesn't last long in a fire.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote in
news
On 11/10/2010 10:23, AL_n wrote:
I have a friend with a yard that has become very heavily overgrown
with brambles and ivy. I have this idea of clearing it for him within
the next couple of weeks. My idea is to shred the brambles and ivy,
and then spread the resulting chippings over my own back garden which
has rather poor soil. Due to the volume of material, it would
probably give me a surface coating 2 or 3 " deep. I'm guessing that
this would rot down over the course of the winter and improve my
soil.

My main question is: Is this likely to result in problems for me in
the form of brambles and ivy springing up all over my garden in the
future?

If you stack it in heaps about 2m on a side and keep damp then it
won't matter too much - the stuff will quickly heat up internally and
rot down. I would not spread the stuff around without first composting
it. Both ivy and bramble will regrow from fairly small pieces.

Are you sure you want to move this sort of bulk material around? Might
be a lot easier to compost it in situ (or burn) and take the ash as
fertiliser. Clearing bramble, nettle, ivy scrubland I tend to favour a
hit of glyphosate followed a few weeks later by torching it when
tinder dry (putting in appropriate fire breaks). Ivy being so waxy
survives glyphosate but it doesn't last long in a fire.

Regards,
Martin Brown


Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?

If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or worse.

Baz

Baz wrote:
Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?
If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or worse.

People have controlled fires all the time on our allotments. I believe
there are certain rules about the direction the wind is blowing, etc. Would
you like me to find out for you?

On 11/10/2010 15:32, Baz wrote:
Martin wrote in
news

Are you sure you want to move this sort of bulk material around? Might
be a lot easier to compost it in situ (or burn) and take the ash as
fertiliser. Clearing bramble, nettle, ivy scrubland I tend to favour a
hit of glyphosate followed a few weeks later by torching it when
tinder dry (putting in appropriate fire breaks). Ivy being so waxy
survives glyphosate but it doesn't last long in a fire.

Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?

My garden. Under control. Tinder dry it doesn't even make much smoke
though I only burn stuff when the wind is blowing away from the village.

I can even burn real coal we are not in a smokeless zone.

If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or worse.

Sounds like you live in a town or city.

Regards,
Martin Brown

In message , Baz
writes

Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?

If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or worse.

Baz

The last thing I burned in my garden was a pampas grass plant which was
getting large enough to overpower me. I took the precaution of
having a hosepipe to hand, and gave the nearby fence a good soaking, but
until the fire brigade arrived at my door I was unaware that the intense
heat was starting to burn a hole in the fence, which I couldn't see.

A well meaning neighbour could see the fence burning, but couldn't see
me, so instead of telling me she called the fire brigade!

They were satisfied that I had things under control (?), but warned me
about thoroughly soaking down the pampas stump before leaving it.

That stump crumbled away to a nice loamy mulch the following year.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

On 11/10/2010 17:35, Gordon H wrote:


The last thing I burned in my garden was a pampas grass plant which was
getting large enough to overpower me....

That stump crumbled away to a nice loamy mulch the following year.

So did the fire kill the pampas grass? I thought some people burned the
dead foliage off anyway on those to just clean them up rather than kill
them?

I've got a couple of large clumps of it myself and was pondering if a
match sometime over Winter might clean them up. The dead stems are a
pain to trim by hand and they are very sharp on bare skin.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On 11/10/2010 17:16, David in Normandy wrote:
On 11/10/2010 17:35, Gordon H wrote:


The last thing I burned in my garden was a pampas grass plant which was
getting large enough to overpower me....

That stump crumbled away to a nice loamy mulch the following year.

So did the fire kill the pampas grass? I thought some people burned the
dead foliage off anyway on those to just clean them up rather than kill
them?

I suspect it might depend on how big a clump, but they are supposed to
withstand it as a flash burn in the wild. I'd be inclined to wet the
ground underneath before torching one. OTOH it may be that the dry
material is a better insulator so that could be counter productive.

I've got a couple of large clumps of it myself and was pondering if a
match sometime over Winter might clean them up. The dead stems are a
pain to trim by hand and they are very sharp on bare skin.

Like pruning hacksaw blades. Pyracantha is even worse to prune.

Regards,
Martin Brown

In message ,
Janet writes
In article ,
says...

In message , Baz
writes

Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?

If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or worse.

Baz

The last thing I burned in my garden was a pampas grass plant which was
getting large enough to overpower me.

I had a big garden bonfire yesterday afternoon; the embers are still
hot 24 hours later. No restrictions here other than being considerate to
neighbours.

Janet

Put any baking potatoes in?
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

In message , David in
Normandy writes
On 11/10/2010 17:35, Gordon H wrote:


The last thing I burned in my garden was a pampas grass plant which was
getting large enough to overpower me....

That stump crumbled away to a nice loamy mulch the following year.

So did the fire kill the pampas grass? I thought some people burned the
dead foliage off anyway on those to just clean them up rather than kill
them?

I helped it by spraying it with weed killer a week or so earlier, but
yes, the dead stuff went up like a torch, alarmingly so! No
appreciable smoke, but it took nearly all the green stuff with it.

I've got a couple of large clumps of it myself and was pondering if a
match sometime over Winter might clean them up. The dead stems are a
pain to trim by hand and they are very sharp on bare skin.

It's nasty stuff to handle, but provides some Autumn/Winter decoration
and screens off what used to be the vegetable plot, I still have one
plant further from the fence. We bought two in 3" pots after our first
holiday abroad, and lived to regret it eventually.
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

wrote in
:

Baz wrote:
Not taking the p*ss here Martin but how do you get away with burning?
If I have my lighter too high for my ciggies I could be fined or
worse.

People have controlled fires all the time on our allotments. I
believe there are certain rules about the direction the wind is
blowing, etc. Would you like me to find out for you?


No thankyou V
WE are not allowed to create ANY smoke at all where I live.

Martin Brown wrote in news:lFFso.11639
:


Sounds like you live in a town or city.

Regards,
Martin Brown

I live on the outskirts of S****horpe now but was born in a village nearby
and both are not allowed to burn even smokeless fuel. Not allowed to burn
anything, apart from my supper when I have had a few.and even then I get it
in the neck so to speak.

Baz

On 11/10/2010 21:30, Janet wrote:


Put any baking potatoes in?

No; thought of it but I wouldn't put it past the dog to try and
retrieve them.



So you'd end up with baked potatoes and hot dog. ;-)


--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.