Can I get some helpful hints on how to kill briers that keep coming back time and time again even after pulling them up by the roots?
Hardiness Zone: 8b
If they are growing back then you are not getting all the root. the root system of briars grows outward and can trail in different directions, take a hoe and dig in the direction the root is growing"this could be several feet" until you can no longer pull any more root. this may take a few diggings to find them all.i had the same problem, even now I can find one sneaking up and I have to attack quickly(ha ha), stay with it and you will be victorious!
I know how I got rid of mine wasn't exact the best thing to do for the environment, but....I mixed about a 1/2 bottle of Roundup with the same amound of Diesel and sprayed along my fence line after I cleared back the briar along the line. With the mixture in a sprayer you can control where you spray and it killed it all back and I'm not seeing any regrowth at all.
We bought a goat! But perhaps you're thinking of something less expensive and bothersome. <Grin>
I know what you mean, Angie - those whitish tubers with the spiny vines that grow up into everything and almost heart-shaped leaves! I asked a local arborist what could be done, and he said "Move!".
I killed some with stump killer. It will kill any plant you put it on. Good luck.
I asked that on yahoo answers. Here is the answer I was given. Buy some cheep powdered laundry detergent.
The kind that has lye in it, and poor it on the area. Thy lye is suppose to kill the roots.When summer comes I guess that answer will be put to the test. Windgate
Any systemic weed killer should do the trick. Systemic means that it will permeate the whole plant. You can ask at any hardware store and they will have one.
I have been successful with Roundup but only when the briers are putting out their new growth in the spring. And don't forget the soft new green shoots are very edible and are packed with vitamins. They taste like green beans.
The above mentioned solutions might work in certain areas but how would one go about killing off briars when they are growing in among bushes that you do not want to harm?
I have azaleas that are infested with briars. I am cutting the new growth off of those briars that I can reach and then taking a paper cup with straight bleach in which I stick the end of the clipped briar. I was told that bleach would kill the briars. It's somewhat difficult to crawl under the azaleas and impossible to dig up all the briars. I'm hoping that this bleach treatment will get absorbed to the root and rid my azaleas of these pesky vines.
Will post my findings as they progress.
Advocating use of pesticides, including Glyphosate/Roundup, contaminates and destroys soil viability. Pesticides also contaminate the watershed. Although 'weed' control is much more labor intensive without using the strong arm of pesticides, it prevents monumental problems later. Try to separate pesticides from drinking water; try to remove pesticides from streams, rivers, and ponds wildlife use; try to grow food crops in dead soil.
I am entirely frustrated by briars which infest hundreds of local azaleas (in Baldwin county, Alabama near Mobile) and am seeking a solution. Please let me know how yours works out. Sounds labor intensive.
This person needs to quit posting until she learns some proper scientific terminology. Glyphosate is NOT a "pesticide", it is a systemic herbicide. Its purpose isn't to "poison the ground", it kills plants by penetrating through the leaf surface (preferably new growth) and attacking the internals of the plant.
ThriftyFun is an opinion site, with questions and answers from normal people. It is not intended to be a definitive resource.
Here is some information about glyphosate from the National Pesticide Information Center, which talks about the risks and benefits of using this type of herbicide.
npic.orst.edu/
Round up does kill the flora and fauna of soil. Thats a fact. Round ups company is currently in a class action lawsuit for causing cancer. Round up drastically harms the environment. The person this commenter was referring to did state that Roundup was a pesticide probably because it does kill EVERY insect in its vicinity for many years. Yes, it kills the annoying weed/ briar, but the damage done takes decades to repair. Pls be kind. We all care or we would not be looking for solutions.
Garden strength vinegar and Orange Oil mixed in a garden sprayer works exactly like Roundup, yet does not poison the earth.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I use vinegar, salt and Dawn dish soap to kill weeds. I have these briars that look similar to blackberry plants. They just will not die no matter how much I spray them.
They must have kryptonite in them. Any suggestions what I can use to kill them? Round-up didn't kill it either. TIA
It could be a "wild" blackberry plant...bird or other creature "planted" version. They are super hard to get rid of.
The only way I know (and I am far from an expert--someone here may know a less strenuous method) is to keep digging them out, bagging and trashing the "remains". The minute you see new growth, dig it out and trash the remains...but each time dig a little deeper.
It sometimes takes digging it out several times to get all the roots.
Be VERY careful as the briars are sharp....wear waders or high boots, heavy duty gloves, and long sleeves. These are no fun when they turn up in a place you don't want them! Good luck!!
You can try salt. However, the salt will make the soil infertile, and you wont be able to grow anything else there.
This is a page about getting rid of blackberry bushes. Blackberry bushes can grow very quickly in spring and summer and are very invasive. Even though the berries are edible and tasty, the bushes are very difficult to get rid of.
This is a page about making homemade blackberry pulling gloves. Removing blackberry plants manually can leave you with lots of thorns in your hands unless you protect them well.
