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Weed Killers

monicaashokjoshiooLa6DWdmonicaashokjoshiooLa6DWd Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I have some brambles in my garden that I want to kill. They are very near my neighbours fence so I want to use a weedkiller which won't kill anything on the other side of the fence in my neighbours garden. A garden centre suggested sbk root killer and said it won't affect the soil but another person has told me I need to be careful with sbk as it will kill anything around. Thanks in advance, Monica
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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    The best weed killer is you wielding a hoe or a garden fork.  Use the former to decapitate green, leafy weeds so they die from lack of foliage providing photosynthesis.

    Brambles can be cut back with secateurs or loppers and then you use the fork to hoik out the roots.  

    Any chemical weed killer is indiscriminate and will kill any plant upon which it lands.   They also have to be used when a plant is in active growth or the roots will survive and grow again.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • monicaashokjoshiooLa6DWdmonicaashokjoshiooLa6DWd Posts: 6
    Thanks for the advice. The additional problem is the brambles are between my conservatory and the neighbour's fence with no gap. We can't remove the fence to get to them as they have a rambling rose on the other side of sentimental value. So someone is coming to remove the 2 windows of my conservatory and then dig up the brambles as best as they can. There's not really enough space to do much except spray. It is such a pain!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    How small is the gap?   If nothing else can grow there I would physically remove what you can, put down some weed suppressant membrane and chipped bark or stones and then keep an eye and spray - carefully on still days - anything that dares show it's shoots again.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • monicaashokjoshiooLa6DWdmonicaashokjoshiooLa6DWd Posts: 6
    Probably about 1 inch gap! Thank you that's very useful
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Have you spoken with your neighbours? They might be quite happy to get rid of them, or even just those on the boundary. 
    It sound impossible to physically remove them so I'd go with SBK, used to the directions on the bottle and use it on a wind free day .
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2021
    I agree with @hostafan ... SBK is the most practical solution in your situation and used carefully according to the instructions it won't affect other plants or contaminate the surrounding soil.   
    It must be applied to new actively growing foliage in the spring.  If applied to old leaves at this time of year it won't work. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Please don't use weed killers, they are so damaging to wildlife and to be honest there's nothing you can buy non-commercially that's effective. It may say it kills brambles but it rarely works.

    I have brambles on the other side of our fence. I put on some good thick groves and cut them back whenever I see new shoots, over 4 years it has become a lot less of an issue. I guess the problem you have is lack of access to the area. Would your neighbours be open to removing them from their side?

    A photo would be helpful as we could see how much room there is. 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889

    SBK DOES kill brambles, especially if you spray them as they come into strong growth in Spring. 
    Please don't be made to feel guilty about using weedkiller, carefully, selectively and when there's no practical alternative.
    It sounds as if, in this case, you have little option to dig them out. 
    Devon.
  • monicaashokjoshiooLa6DWdmonicaashokjoshiooLa6DWd Posts: 6
    Thanks everyone. I have tried to take a photo. Literally you have the conservatory windows then the bramble pushing against it and the fence directly behind it. There might be some access from the neighbour's side. We talked about having the fence removed to dig out the bramble but that might kill their rambling rose which is growing on the fence

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It is surely possible to ask permission to go round there and dig out the bramble without damaging their rose.  or they could do it.

    If that were my conservatory up against a fence I think I'd put a screen on the windows with some kind of decoration - has to be better than looking at that fence.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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