Hi all,
I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now
becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into allotments
or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to
constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.
Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I
guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I can't
get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there
is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective
chemical solution?

TIA for any suggestions,

Al

"Al N" wrote .
I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now
becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into allotments
or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to
constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.
Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I
guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I can't
get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there
is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective
chemical solution?


Had such a problem at a previous underused allotment site and we burnt off
the top growth completely, cleared away the debris and then just mowed it
every few weeks so that it could not grow back. One season and it was gone.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Al N" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now
becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into
allotments
or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to
constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.
Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I
guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I
can't
get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there
is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective
chemical solution?

TIA for any suggestions,

Al

I think perhaps you are now too late in the year to use glysophate type weed
killers, but it may be an idea to get the whole area cut down and burn or
dispose of the brambles then when growth restarts in spring hit the whole
thing with roundup, you will of course kill everything, it can then be re
sown with grass seed (or even a meadow mix)

Remember that the ground will be full of weed seeds so if left bare you will
be back to square one in a years time so don't do anything until you are
ready.

Alternatively if the boundary fencing is secure, put in some pigs, within a
year the ground will be clear!

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On Monday, October 28, 2013 10:53:50 PM UTC, Al N wrote:
Hi all,

I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now

becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into allotments

or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to

constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.

Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I

guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I can't

get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there

is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective

chemical solution?



TIA for any suggestions,



Al

Pigs

Jonathan

On 28/10/2013 22:53, Al N wrote:
Hi all,
I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now
becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into allotments
or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to
constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.

Too late to do much now this season although you could just strim it all
down at the roots. My standard approach to reclaiming wilderness from
bramble, groundelder and nettle is glyphosate the first growth in spring
once it is warm enough. Leave until tinder dry make a firebreak and
torch it. Then spot weed anything green on the scorched earth.

I'd be inclined to leave them on the south facing field boundary as they
are moderately stock proof and I like bramble & apple pie!
Sloes and hawthorn are obviously much better as a stock proof hedge.

Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I
guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I can't
get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there
is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective
chemical solution?

TIA for any suggestions,

A couple of hits with glyphosate separated by a burn off of the top
growth will probably get it back under control. You don't say how big
the area is. Holly, ivy and buttercup will remain afterwards.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

"Al N" wrote in message ...

Hi all,
I have acquired a piece of scrubland that used to be grassland but is now
becoming bramble-infested. I'm thinking of turning the land into allotments
or perhaps grazing land - anything that relieves me from having to
constantly maintain it. The first job is to arrest the bramble invasion.
Can anyone advise how to get rid of them? I could burn them away, but I
guess they'd grow back, wouldn't they. They root deeply don't they? I can't
get a bulldozer or JCB onto the land (even if I could afford it), as there
is only a narrow gate about 1.5 mtrs wide. Is there a cost-effective
chemical solution?

TIA for any suggestions,

Al
.................................................. ...........................................

I had the same situation with a half acre field/plot attached to a house I
bought in Leicester. No access for anything bigger than the side path to the
house. I cut down the bramble with a Rip Hook then went over it with one of
these whenever anything grew.

http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mo...76-atcorot.htm

Within two years I was grazing ponies on the land.

I then bought one of the houses backing up to the land which had a large
side garden, got planning permission to put a road in and build on it. Now
two blocks of flats :-)

No more Bramble problems :-)

Mike


---------------------------------------------------------------
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk

"'Mike'" wrote in message ...

I had the same situation with a half acre field/plot attached to a house I
bought in Leicester. No access for anything bigger than the side path to
the house. I cut down the bramble with a Rip Hook then went over it with
one of these whenever anything grew.

http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mo...76-atcorot.htm

Within two years I was grazing ponies on the land.

I then bought one of the houses backing up to the land which had a large
side garden, got planning permission to put a road in and build on it. Now
two blocks of flats :-)

No more Bramble problems :-)

Mike


With half an acre, I think I would have chosen the ride-on version !!

Pete

"Peter & Jeanne" wrote in message
...



"'Mike'" wrote in message ...

I had the same situation with a half acre field/plot attached to a house I
bought in Leicester. No access for anything bigger than the side path to
the house. I cut down the bramble with a Rip Hook then went over it with
one of these whenever anything grew.

http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mo...76-atcorot.htm

Within two years I was grazing ponies on the land.

I then bought one of the houses backing up to the land which had a large
side garden, got planning permission to put a road in and build on it. Now
two blocks of flats :-)

No more Bramble problems :-)

Mike


With half an acre, I think I would have chosen the ride-on version !!

Pete
.................................................. .............................................

Too rough, too much rubbish and brick ends and old iron to clear in the
first instance. Took me ages to get any area started and then on that bit
cleared I grew veg. Something I did do once it was reasonably 'level' was
plant potatoes on the surface in a compost and under strips of black
polythene, that sorted the weeds out!!! Far too many spuds for our family, I
gave them to all the neighbours :-)

Mike

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk