How to Kill Blackberry Vines

Wild blackberry vines can take over your property.

The most common and aggressive blackberry vine is the Himalaya blackberry vine, according to the University of California's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. Himalaya blackberry vines are identified by their cluster of five oval, saw-toothed leaves. Blackberry vines produce new plants from nodes, buds on the roots underground, and the tips of vines that come into contact with the soil. Killing wild blackberry vines is a process that takes time and a combination of treatments to be successful at getting rid of this nuisance vine.

Things You'll Need

• Loppers or weed trimmer
• Garbage bags
• Shovel or spade
• Lawn mower
• Rake
• Rototiller
• Herbicide

Instructions

Non-Chemical Control

1. Cut the blackberry vines as close to ground level as you can with loppers for a small area or a weed trimmer for a larger area.

2. Put the cut vines into garbage bags and set to the side.

3. Dig up the blackberry roots and side roots. Pull them out of the ground and put them in the garbage bags.

4. Mow the area to get rid of blackberry vine stems that remain. Rake up vine debris if you don't have a lawn mower with a collection bag attached.

5. Rototill the soil in the area thoroughly, removing blackberry roots brought to the surface.

6. Remove new vine growth by digging and mowing the following year.

Chemical Control

1. Apply glyphosate herbicide in the late summer or early fall. Apply triclopyr in midsummer as long as the temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray the blackberry vine foliage thoroughly. All the foliage should be wet to ensure the vines soak up the herbicide.

3. Pick up vine stems when plants wither and turn brown. Pull or dig up roots. Put debris in garbage bags and take them to a landfill.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear gloves, jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to protect your hands and skin from the thorns on the blackberry vines.

• Dispose of blackberry vine debris by taking it to the landfill or put it on a compost pile.

• Repeated tilling of the soil where the blackberry vines were located will keep new vines from putting down roots and kill the blackberry vines completely.

• Look for an herbicide that contains glyphosate or triclopyr.

• Follow the directions on the herbicide label for application and amount to use.

• Wait 40 to 60 days before mowing the blackberry vine area after using glyphosate herbicide.

• Do not apply herbicide to blackberry vines when there is a drought.

• Keep children and pets away from the area where you spray the herbicide.

References

• University of California IPM: Wild Blackberries
• Oregon State University Extension: Blackberries Take Persistance and Time to Control
• Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides: Nonchemical Methods for Removing Unwanted Blackberry Plants

Resources

• Oregon State University Department of Horticulture: Rubus discolor
• University of California IPM: Warning on the Use of Chemicals
• Western Washington University: Problem Plants