help! feeling defeated by brambles....

Pete C · « **Reply #15 on:** November 03, 2008, 20:46 »

Quote from: "richyrich7"

One or two members on here have azada's they reckon they are ace at root removal

Mine should arrive this week, along with a sickle. I'll post a report after the weekend..........weather permitting

richyrich7 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 03, 2008, 20:49 »

Quote from: "Pete C"

Quote from: "richyrich7"
One or two members on here have azada's they reckon they are ace at root removal

Mine should arrive this week, along with a sickle. I'll post a report after the weekend..........weather permitting

Yes please Pete an azada's on the top of my Christmas pressy list

Thamesmeadhammer · « **Reply #17 on:** November 04, 2008, 16:45 »

So glad Pete C is my Plot neighbour

Think hard work with loads of elbow grease is the only way :cry:

Robin Redbreast · « **Reply #18 on:** November 04, 2008, 17:24 »

hello m8y we hired a strimmer with metall blades fitted i cleared an acre of brambles in half a day then rotovated a few successional times after first poisoning with glyphosate the odd few brambles that did come through were easy to pull. it was worth the backache!!!!!!!

muntjac · « **Reply #19 on:** November 05, 2008, 03:57 »

roundup wont have much affect on brambles .but "SBK" will , follow mix directions for moderate bramble infestation but double up on heavy ,best time to spray is in spring when the new growth starts to come ,if the brambles have no leaves now id wait and just tackle em by hand and then nuke whats left.

DD. · « **Reply #20 on:** November 05, 2008, 05:58 »

Quote from: "muntjac"

just tackle em by hand and then nuke whats left.

You can borrow this - I'm allowed one a month & have been saving them up!

Swing Swang · « **Reply #21 on:** November 05, 2008, 17:43 »

Just an observation on azadas (which I'll call an enchada/enxada 'cos I'm half Portuguese, so I'll use the Portuguese spelling(s) rather than the Spanish one).

They're great pieces of kit for digging, grubbing out roots, breaking up concrete fence holes, digging up potatoes etc etc. Go into any rural hardware store when you're on holiday in the Iberian peninsular other countries in the world?) and you'll pick them up for about a quarter of the on-line price. The steel heads go in the hold and the handles go in a friendly passenger's golf bag!

You get loads of different sizes and shapes too. For example I've got a three pronged one which is great for breaking up the bottom of a trench when double digging.

SS

richyrich7 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 05, 2008, 19:39 »

Thanks Swing Swang well worth getting one then

leafmould · « **Reply #23 on:** November 06, 2008, 12:40 »

Hi Rhian, I am also in Bristol

18 months ago I took on a plot that had not been cultivated for about 15 years, it was covered in brambles 7ft in height, I cut them down with a hooked blade on a pole, and then cut them to ground level with a billhook.

I then had a big bonfire.

To dig the roots out I used a ground workers shovel and a Matock,using a normal shovel and trenching hoe was not very effective, so I had gear up a bit HeHe!

I did not bother with herbicides, theres not much point really as you still have to dig out all the large root balls (most of which were about the size of my fist)

It was alot of work, but once cleared the soil was fantastic, well worth the effort, I would do it all again if had to...

Pete C · « **Reply #24 on:** November 09, 2008, 13:49 »

Quote from: "richyrich7"

Quote from: "Pete C"
Quote from: "richyrich7"
One or two members on here have azada's they reckon they are ace at root removal

Mine should arrive this week, along with a sickle. I'll post a report after the weekend..........weather permitting

Yes please Pete an azada's on the top of my Christmas pressy list

Not Azada's I thought

My new Azada is quite brilliant. There is a definite knack to getting the best results..........I'm getting there. The secret is to let the weight of the tool do the work. Well worth the money. The sickle I got however, is a waste of time. On grass, it just pushes it aside. On brambles, it bounces off!
Def. one for the pressy list

richyrich7 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 09, 2008, 15:17 »

Cheers Pete

How sharps your sickle ?? I have an old rust one but the edge is real sharp and that works ok , but it soon gets a dull edge and then won't cut

PinkTequila · « **Reply #26 on:** November 09, 2008, 16:57 »

A sickle is no good if not razor sharp or not used right. I have seen people struggle with my slash hook and sickle though when they have tried to cut too much in one go by forcing it, this just bends anything over. Let the hook do the work like with an azada in the ground.

Pete C · « **Reply #27 on:** November 09, 2008, 17:01 »

I'd say it was pretty sharp Richy, but I'll get a stone and refine the edge.
Like you say PT, gotta use a sickle right. Get it wrong, and one leg gets suddenly shorter!

rhian13 · « **Reply #28 on:** November 09, 2008, 18:59 »

Thanks for all your replies everyone

sorry been offline - bramble bashing, but good news:
we were tackling the brambles yesterday and were approached by our friendly site representative who kindly recommended another plot

The brambles were concealing another set of horrors, and he said the council might take a while if we needed a skip.......it looked like a collapsed shed - there was nothing but rubble, car parts and noxious looking containers - perhaps not the most organic & child friendly plot :@)

so we've tided up best we can, admitted defeat, and moved plots to one of the rubbish-free-couch-grass plots instead - so I have another weed to tackle, but it looks promising as we have dug out 2 beds so far

a scythe is on the shopping list!!!!!!!

Thanks for all your kind advice - I may take up my fellow Bristol residents up on their offers and swap ideas
cheers everyone - I will definitely follow all your advice when I encounter more brambles - there are some that need removing, but at least its not 300sq metres of them

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