I wish to destroy a large patch of Briar and wonder if I was
to cut it back leaving only one foot lengths of Briar then drilling through the
centre of each piece before injecting a weed killer with a Glyphosate base.
Would that kill it?
I thought glyphosate had to be absorbed and taken into the plant through the growing leaves? Maybe better to treat the lot, but you'd still need to dig out and remove the plants after they die off if you want to plant something else there, so it might be more economical to dig out as much as you can and then treat any regrowth that appears.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
If you inject into the pith it will certainly harm the plant, but a specific brushwood killer will give a better result than glyphospate on such woody plants
I successfully dealt with brambles and wild raspberries that had taken over a border by cutting the stems down to about a foot high then patiently painting SBK brushwood killer diluted 50/50 with water onto the stems. I did it this way to avoid disturbing snowdrops, Lent lilies and wood anemones which were all dormant when I did this in summer. Also, I like that the weedkiller only goes onto the targeted stems unlike when spraying. I use a half inch paintbrush kept for the purpose and always double glove. And I only mix a small quantity at a time in case the container should be knocked over. It worked really well, but patience is required!
Welder's gauntlets, lopers and a mattock are what you need. Cut off all the top growth and dig out the roots with the mattock.
Same here, although I do keep a lot of the top growth to assist with pulling out the loosened roots. A massive spread of brambles looks quite intimidating, but as so much is connected, it is surprising how quick it can be to clear a large area. And as Posy said, extremely satisfying! Always makes OH laugh when he sees me staggering out of the woodland dragging what looks like a fair sized triffid!
But you only need a small amount! You aren't filling a sprayer, just painting the solution onto stems that have been cut down to about 1ft. This is what I like about this method, you use the chemical only on the plant you are targeting. I only mix up a very small amount in a small plastic margarine tub. I don't slosh it around, just paint the stems with the wet brush. I find it better than covering huge masses of foliage with sprayed weedkiller. If there was nothing worth saving among the brambles I've treated this way I might have considered trying to dig them out, but it would have disturbed too many good things that were in the borders. They have grown well this year, free from the overburden of brambles, wild raspberries and huge nettles.
It does take time to do it carefully, and patience. The solution is best applied straight after cutting the stems, but paint the whole of the stem, not just the cut ends.
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I did it this way to avoid disturbing snowdrops, Lent lilies and wood anemones which were all dormant when I did this in summer.
Also, I like that the weedkiller only goes onto the targeted stems unlike when spraying. I use a half inch paintbrush kept for the purpose and always double glove. And I only mix a small quantity at a time in case the container should be knocked over.
It worked really well, but patience is required!
You aren't filling a sprayer, just painting the solution onto stems that have been cut down to about 1ft.
This is what I like about this method, you use the chemical only on the plant you are targeting.
I only mix up a very small amount in a small plastic margarine tub. I don't slosh it around, just paint the stems with the wet brush.
I find it better than covering huge masses of foliage with sprayed weedkiller. If there was nothing worth saving among the brambles I've treated this way I might have considered trying to dig them out, but it would have disturbed too many good things that were in the borders.
They have grown well this year, free from the overburden of brambles, wild raspberries and huge nettles.
It does take time to do it carefully, and patience. The solution is best applied straight after cutting the stems, but paint the whole of the stem, not just the cut ends.