Wild blackberries are true survivors. If you want to remove them from the garden, you need a little patience. But with a little work they can be eliminated.
Are you driving wild blackberries in the garden to despair because you can't get rid of the plague? Then you are right here. We explain how to permanently remove wild blackberries from lawns, open spaces and inaccessible places in the garden. In some cases, however, you will need a little patience and perseverance. Because wild blackberries can be really stubborn. By the way, they only grow wildly if you don't keep them in check. That's why you need to raise the blackberries.
Removing blackberries from the lawn
If you are having trouble with blackberries on open lawns, the solution is very simple: first cut off all tendrils directly at the root and then mow the lawn regularly and as short as possible. This prevents the plants from absorbing enough solar energy through the leaves to grow. Root stocks that catch your eye during the examining tour should also be removed in order to shorten the waiting time until the meadow is completely free of blackberries.
Remove heavy blackberry infestation on open spaces
If blackberries are left to their own devices in open spaces for a long period of time, the garden often resembles a rampant wilderness. The lawnmower is no longer sufficient for combating it. First remove all shrubs and vines close to the surface with a scythe or electric scythe and then dig up the ground. Manual work with a spade only makes sense for very small areas unless you have considerable strength and time in reserve.
You can loosen the soil faster and more thoroughly with a tiller. If the acquisition costs for a rotary tiller are too high for you, check whether a local garden center rents the equipment by the day. After processing with the tiller, remove the loose roots from the loosened soil. This works with an ordinary garden rake without any problems. The more thorough you are, the less follow-up work you will have to do next year.
Wild Blackberriesremove from inaccessible places
If you want to get rid of blackberries in inaccessible corners of the garden, you have to remove the plants one by one with the roots. First loosen up the area around the rootstock with a hoe or spade to avoid tearing off the roots close to the surface.
Then grasp the plant directly on the ground and dig a few centimeters away, at a 45 degree angle, towards the root, deep into the soil with a weed picker. Ideally directly under the root. With a little pressure on the handle of the weeder, lift the whole plant out cleanly.
I prefer to use an asparagus cutter (see picture) because it is very robust and very long. So that I can dig out the root very deeply.
Should the root tear anyway, you will easily feel and hear it. In this case, you'll have to dig a little more and fish out the remains of the root by hand.
One final tip: do not compost blackberries
Never compost blackberry vines that you have removed from your garden. Individual shoots can easily form new roots, which then also find a rich supply of nutrients on the compost. So play it safe: burn blackberry tendrils together with the roots or dispose of the parts of the plant with household waste.