How to Remove Blackberry Bushes

While blackberries are delicious, blackberry bushes are the bane of many gardens and yards. They are deep rooted, hardy and notoriously difficult to eradicate when they are unwanted. To add insult to injury, many of the methods that frustrated gardeners use to eliminate blackberry bushes actually strengthen and promote the growth of the plants. Fortunately, while ridding yourself of bothersome blackberry bushes is difficult, it is not impossible.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Garden tiller
• Heavy-duty gardening gloves
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Using pruning shears, cut the bushes off near the ground. Remove the bushes as quickly as possible. If you allow them to remain on the ground, they may spawn new blackberry bushes.

2. Dig the stump of the blackberry bush out of the ground with a shovel, ensuring that you severe each and every tiny root from the stump. If necessary, cut down a little further than you think you need to--blackberries are notoriously hardy. Discard the stumps and roots. Repeat for each bush.

3. Dump boiling water over the area where you removed the blackberry stumps and roots. Repeat this boiling water process a couple of times; this will cause the root system to rot.

4. Till the blackberry bush root area deeply and thoroughly. Shovel out as much of the tilled up root system as possible and dispose of it.

Tips & Warnings

• Eliminate blackberry bushes as soon as you notice them. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to eradicate them. Always did them out heartily; lightly digging at the roots of blackberry bushes only stimulates their growth and exacerbates the problem.

• Do not try to remove blackberry bushes by burning them. This only stimulates their renewal and regenerating properties, making the problem worse. Do not use herbicides on blackberry bushes after the leaves have started to die; at this time, the chemicals cannot be properly absorbed and are ineffective. Always wear heavy-duty gardening gloves when handling blackberry bushes to avoid hand injury.

References

• Getting Rid of Blackberry Bushes

Resources

• Nonchemical Blackberry Bush Removal