Brambles and nettles

sussexbaker

Hi all

My garden was left to it's own devices for two years prior to me buying it, and as a result large parts of it became over run with nettles and brambles. As part of my refurbishment I had a massive cutting back programme with a brush cutter, although I'm now beginning to wonder if I wasn't a bit premature doing that. I was thinking about spraying with Roundup (or something similar) and then covering the area with carpet until the spring. However I want to grow fruit and veg in the previously overrun areas so I'm a bit wary of gardening by poison. What's the best approach to take?

wellused

Too late for roundup now if you want to use the ground you will have to start digging to remove the bramble and nettle roots, I am told that a mattock is the best tool for this.

sussexbaker

Too late now because no leaves left (I was looking at the roundup brush and stump killer which seems to be more a paint on product) or because the ground wouldn't be useable? I wouldn't be using the ground for 3+ months so wouldn't any poisons be washed away/break down?

wellused

I don't know how long roundup brush killer stays in the soil what does it say on the bottle?

Ectophile

Roundup (Glyphosate) breaks down in the soil in a few weeks. Exactly how many weeks will depend on your soil and the weather conditions.

But it's really most effective against plants that are actively growing, rather than ones that have died back in the autumn.

Davesnave

You are too late to use glyphosate. Get some old carpet, or similar, cover the stuff up and let the weeds put out light-seeking growth if we get a mildish winter. It will be more receptive to a gyphosate attack then next spring.

Glyphosate's active ingredients stop working very quickly in soil, which is why farmers can kill sward and re-sow at the same time, if they want to.

Alternatively, buy some good tools, including a mattock, and get digging.

Don't expect either method to get 100% results, first time.

sussexbaker

Hi all

Thanks for the helpful advice. I've got carpet over part of the bramble infested area at the moment (a handy byproduct of putting new flooring in the house!) so I'll continue doing that. Then it sounds like come the spring I should look at a twin pronged approach.

I did see a reference to a particular non-glyphosate based poison which took about 3 months to disappear, but I've managed to lose the reference to it (and tbh I'm not sure I want to be spraying too much poison in an area I hope to grow food on).

Davesnave

sussexbaker wrote: »

.

I did see a reference to a particular non-glyphosate based poison which took about 3 months to disappear, but I've managed to lose the reference to it (and tbh I'm not sure I want to be spraying too much poison in an area I hope to grow food on).

It may have been an outdated ref to sodium chlorate, which was withdrawn about 3 years ago and took about 6 months to become ineffective.

Sally_A

Compost nettles, burn brambles.

Nettles are fab for the compost heap or for making tomato feed.

wellused

I have found that brambles burn really well once all of the moisture has burned out of them.

meercatsunited

had the same problem, I dug up my nettles in borders making sure none were left but they will have sown lots of seed over 2 years so be prepared for more in the future.

brambles really hard to get rid of, the roots often go very deep. at late summer this yearI have covered them in goo made from some wall paper paste with glyphosate and not sprayed the ground and will continue all next year, they do go eventually.

I grow organic produce so really important not to contaminate soil