[mikey9863]

After the first real survey of the grounds (20 acres mixed land) I have discovered numerous  mad areas of Brambles.....I would rather not use chemicals so I take it that the spade will be the best tool for the job......or does anyone know a better solution..... it seems to be smothering the other plants .

[doganjo]

A pair of thick gloves and pull most of them out by the roots if you can.  Cut the rest back, keep them under control and you'll have a great crop of lovely berries.

[happygolucky]

I love  brambles but they do rip  your skin and trip you up before you get to their fruit.....

[Fleecewife]

My theory is that brambles are carnivorous  .  They send out those long, thorny canes which wrap around the legs of passing sheep and humans, and hang on to them tightly so they can never escape.   Once dead and decomposing, the brambles feed on the nutrients released by the corpses 
 
If you have dense thickets then pulling them out by hand won't work.  You really need to cut off the long canes back to just above ground level and have a huge bonfire.   I use big loppers and wear strong gloves and Barbour jacket and trousers, with sturdy boots to get in amongst them, then cut off sections as I can reach them until I am down to the stumps.  Once all the tops are cleared away then you can drag or dig out the roots.  If it's a large thicket then it's a big job.
 
I have heard of pigs clearing brambles but I've no experience of it.
 
The wild brambles around us are not tasty so I grow cultivated varieties.  Some cultivated brambles don't taste all that good, but a few are really delicious.   Unfortunately it's the thorny varieties which taste the best, so you have to keep them well controlled and trained over wires or they reel you in just like the wild ones.

[happygolucky]

I know what  you mean fleecewife, they have captured me on several occasions but I got away!

[henchard]

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[Fleecewife]

I know what  you mean fleecewife, they have captured me on several occasions but I got away!

Me too, but it's been a close-run thing 

[happygolucky]

I went beating and I was the only one who got stuck in a pile of brambles, my legs were too short to lift them  high enough.....the other nasty thing is the nettles tend to be right next tot he fruit protecting it, then of course the flies, I have a nice bowl of raspberries and red itchy lumps on my legs today!

[mikey9863]

After 8 hours I have managed to clear around 20 feet of Brambles with all sorts of tools and implements......Dug out around 80% of the roots. I wore heavy gloves, over trousers and a heavy coat......one or two small jags but nothing of what I expected.......worst injury was a nettle in the face.....

[Fleecewife]

It's one of those ghastly marathon events which haunt your dreams - endless      Some will come back so be ready to dig them out as soon as you see them so they don't have time to get re-established.
 
Well done for doing so much in your first go.

[mikey9863]

I still have another 50 or 60 feet of these beasts...... these ones will just get topped out of view at the moment as the bushes that they are in are really dense and i don't want to destroy them so I will wait until autumn when the bushes are a lot less dense....

[mikey9863]

Day 2 of the GREAT BRAMBLE OFFENSIVE..... on better inspection of the next set of planting it amazed me that I was able to actually get below a lot of the plants to the root ball of most of the brambles....Sweat, blood and a lot of tears later....... section 2 COMPLETED..... only one more 40 foot area to complete then just need to keep an eye on them.......   

[Fleecewife]

Heavens - you're determined to beat those brambles 

[Lesley Silvester]

Well done, Mikey. Sounds like you are doing a great job. You will probably find they come through again but, if you keep them down, they will weaken over time and you WILL WIN.

I once went blackberrying with a friend and my children. We found a huge clump and the kids and I were busy one side but my friend disappeared from view. She had worked her way into the middle of the clump where the best berries were and couldn't  find her way out again. The only way we knew she was there was because we were all singing as we worked. We had to tell her to keep singing so we could follow her voice and get her out again.