[Shamps]

Hi folks,

Any advice on what I need to do to 'tame' the crazy brambles we have growing on our plot in terms of tying them up to some poles/wiring?.  We cut it back before Christmas, but I am confused about new shoots dead shoots growing shoots etc..

ta

[Dominic]

Keep killing them until they accept they are in fact dead.
I had to reenact texas chainsaw massacre on mine with a hedgetrimmer, twice, and they're still fighting in places.
Mine didnt require any encouragement to grow all over anything and everything.  Plonk a frame for them and they'll quite happily use it.
If you build it, they will come.

[woodburner]

A friend of mine has a simple goal post affair, about 6ft high. In the winter/ early spring she cuts down all the stuff that was tied to it the previous year (right down, not just cutting the strings) and ties the new shoots that would otherwise stay arching away, to it. HTH

[gobs]

You shall not get much fruit on it this year then. Most work like this: lots of fruit on last years growth, so commonly tied to 2 sides. One side shoots that fruited get cut off, new, this seasons growth left for next year on the other side.

[Shamps]

Yeah thats what I thought, but these brambles have been left to go crazy  over what must be years now.  There were two, one at each end of the plot and they had both literally 'snaked' right over the whole plot (ouchy thorns whilst clearing it)


I have attached photos; one of the plot when we got it and the other is the best one I could find of the brambles that we decided to keep but need to 'tame'.  Weve almost got rid of the one at the top end of the plot (shame, but it was huge!!!)

[Shamps]

bramble piccy

[sazzy123]

I hav just cut back our crazy brambles, got arms covered in scratches, they were even growing inside the shed.  Whats best to do with all the bits i have cut of i have a huge pile, they were so overgrown...

got another side to cut back now!

[Yorkie]

If you don't get a green skip to your site, burn them.

Too woody to put on the domestic compost bin.

[oldbean]

I stuff all of mine into a Bosch quiet shredder. It has a mincer type action and is mostly self feeding. All the bits can go into the compost heap/bin.

Don't burn it (or anything else) it is all nutrient, which you will otherwise have to pay for. I heard today that retailers are now buying Growmore at 50% more than they were able to sell at last year. Cheap food is over.

[Yorkie]

Regrettably I don't have access to a shredder.

Experience has shown that brambles on my compost bin are not anywhere near decomposed even after a year.

[peapod]

Agreed with Yorkie, they take forever to rot down, and a huge amount through a shredder is a hard thing to compost down anyway unless you have a large compost space
The burnt remains can be used in the compost bin, there may be a loss of nutrients, but it will be fine in the overall process

[oldbean]

Experience has shown that brambles on my compost bin are not anywhere near decomposed even after a year.

Is there a rush? They can be sieved out and put back on the pile. http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=31113.0 contains a link to a sieve that makes the job much easier.

[Yorkie]

Without going into specifics, no it is not practicable on my small half plot.

Your suggestion of a shredder is definitely a good one but we all find ourselves in different situations and therefore a range of options is appropriate to choose from.

[celjaci]

Going back to the original question on 'taming a bramble' one important consideration is to prevent the ends of the canes touching the ground because they will root. This is one way brambles manage to spread so much and colonise whole plots.

[woodburner]

I use brambles that have been left to dry out for a day or two to burn nasties like couch grass and bindweed roots. They burn really well whereas it's very hard to burn the perennial roots alone. 
I already have two 20 litre paint tubs jammed full with roots and filled to the brim with water, so I really have no use nor anywhere to put any more roots. Burning them is more of a waste of nutrients than burning the brambles though.