They spread by runners and are considered a woody plant. I personally just pull them up after a good rain, but even so some come back thanks to the runners (in smaller numbers, thank goodness). If you spray them, use the woody formula of herbicide.

Goats, followed by chickens. Confined to a sturdy pen these two can rid an area of all scraps of life and leave you some compost/poop in the process. It should take about a year.

Thanks ESH, I picked up some Brush Be Gone today to try. It says on the label specifically for woody plants and listed wild blackberry. Think I'll cut it down pretty well with a weed eater and then apply and till well after the the killer does it's thing. John, I love your suggestion but I have hopes of being able to plant in a couple of these areas this year. LOL I had a place in the country many years ago and a bunch of blackberry and weeds in an area I wanted to incorporate in my horse pasture. So one night I was at a horse auction and some adorable baby goats came in to be sold. I had to bring one home thinking I could put him in the pasture and he would help with weed control. Well I brought him home and put him out in the pasture. He would steal the horses sweet feed and wouldn't touch the weeds or blackberry! Well, I had such a soft spot for him, I just ended up keeping him as a pet. The only vegetation I ever saw him eat was to head butt a stalk of corn in my garden and eat the ear of corn when he got it knocked over!! I must be too much of a animal lover to be a good goat farmer! LOL

I think I've done the same thing!! Yep, you have to just barely feed them in order to get them to start eating the briers or weeds or bushes or whatever you're trying to get rid of. Once they get a taste for it you can start feeding small amounts of grain to keep them healthy.

Brush be Gone works well too but sometimes you have to apply it often to rid of everything.

I live in the city. I can't have goats or chickens. I have dug and pulled but, they seem to grow as fast as I pull. I'll try the spray. Thanks for the info.

And for more effective uptake of the herbicide, paint it on the freshly cut stems immediately after you whack 'em back. And use undiluted concentrate...just dab a little on each stem and it'll go straight into the plant's vascular system. If you wait more than just a few minutes after you cut the plants back, the wound will begin to heal and "scab" over, reducing the effectiveness. If you've got a large area, I'd suggest this being a two man job. You cut and have someone else follwing closely behind with a sprayer to apply the herbicide. In this case, mix the concentrate, but mix it strong. This also works VERY NICELY for removing rouge english ivy from trees.

thanks dawg, I thought I'd gotten the blackberry plant out of the flower bed but now see it's sprouting up 3 feet away.Think I'll do the cut 'n dab method so I can go forth and plant in nearby areas, which I couldn't if I sprayed.

You can also cover one hand with a firm latex glove and then slip a soft absorbent cotton work glove over it and just dip that hands finger tips into a small container of RoundUp. Snip the weeds with the other hand and touch the cut ends with the gloved hand.

Great ideas folks!!! Thanks to all of you!!! Looks like several of us have blackberries to fight back this year. I will definately be using some of the methods described as soon as I get a dry day or two to start cutting them back.