I have roses planted where a previous strawberry patch was, and they continue to shoot up long arms even after 10 years! And trying to get prickly shoots out of thorny roses is not fun. So, I can feel your pain. lol

Anyway, I have finally decided there is NO way I will ever win this war and am going to do what I should have years ago - paint them with roundup. Can't spray because of my roses, but I can paint them and hopefully it will put a dent in them coming up through my roses.

You said you didn't want to poison them, but perhaps painting the poison on might still be an option. You will just have to determine that yourself. I don't think slats through the fence will help. And, if your neighbor eats the berries, he might not appreciate your poisoning them. But I think you indicated that they were pretty much abandoned.

The only other option I see is to leave enough space behind your climbing roses to be able to go back there and trim the shoots. Maybe you can find a nice thornless rose to work around.

Thanks for your quick answer, Holley.

Will Roundup even kill blackberries?

I think Roundup turns non-poisonous in the soil, isn't that right? So it wouldn't poison the froggies and stream?

Seems like I heard Crossbow is the only thing that will kill blackberries. I bought that in my last house years ago, read the label, and took it back to the store for a refund. It's such baaaad stuff I was pretty sure I'd die and then go to he!! for using it and have to face all my victims and explain it to them.

The neighbor doesn't eat the berries. Nobody can get to them. Well, I can get to some of them but they can't get to the same side of them that I can. Nobody could get to the middle -- well, maybe Paul Bunyan with a machete. I don't want to destroy their back yard. I would just love about a 2' clearance from my fence, but dream on. I did get my son to go on their side of the fence with a blade on his weedeater a couple of years, but not for a couple. That really did help.

If the Roundup worked to peel the berry plants back a couple of feet from my fence I would for sure use it, although I'd need buckets of it. They're all the way across the back of my yard.

Did it work on your strawberries? I think it would there.

The PO did put some roses on my hill on about 1/3 of the back of my yard. I have to be really careful trying to trim the blackberries around there and I usually get my shirt or pants caught on a thorn at some point and get cut up and wreck my clothes. It's tricky stuff.

Do they have roses that don't have thorns? That's what I need.

Painting Roundup on my horsetail weeds is on my to-do list. I hope that works.

If I could affod it I'd have a solid wooden fence put up there and that would keep a lot of them back, but it would cost over a grand. Not in the budget. I already have wood on the two sides of the yard and that has to be stained every so often.

You could be right about the plastic slats. They might just yield right of way to the blackberries. I was hoping the berries would hit that and turn around and head back into the neighbor's yard. Silly rabbit me.

I am so happy someone asked this question.

I live in the woods on the east coast of Canada. And wild blackberries and raspberries are everywhere. They are my arc nemesis along with colts foot. And like you poison anything in my garden is out of the question. Due to our three small children and tons of wild life.

My thought is that plastic probably wouldn't work to keep them out of your yard completely because of their runners, which seem to go on forever. But the plastic may buy you enough space so that you can have your climbing rose and not have to cut yourself to shreds trying to control the blackberry plants.

I really hope someone else has an better plan of attack we can both use!!

Carrie B.

I don't know if Roundup will kill blackberries or not. I thought it killed anything with foliage! Maybe someone else can give you a better answer for something that will kill the plants and not hurt the frogs. I wouldn't spray anything though, as I think frogs are pretty sensitive to chemicals (paint it on). I came to the realization of painting on roundup just today as I was trying to get those blasted shoots out of my roses. I now have cuts and scratches all over my arm and some on my legs!

There are thornless roses (or almost thornless) - go to the rose forum and ask for a good one in you in your zone. I think the Zephirine Drouhin may be a good candidate for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zephirine Drouhin thornless rose

Wow! That's a beauty. Pink, 4", very fragrant, nice! Thanks for that. With those blackberries and the rose bushes I have, I get tired of being stuck. But we do love our roses, don't we? I have spent a bunch of time drooling over the rose galleries. Yumm!

I'm so sorry you got all scratched up. Ouch! There's no way to do that job and avoid getting hurt, not that I've found. As an aside, I know a gal who got all scratched up blackberry picking and got infected. Antibiotic cream didn't heal it. A friend told her to wrap her legs in cottage cheese and saran wrap overnight, and she did, and it took all the soreness and infection out. The germs would rather live in the cottage cheese than in you.

My roses that the PO planted are pretty puny. He planted them where they get a lot of shade. So maybe I should move them away from there. Just not sure to where. Can you move yours?

I was wondering something else... where you have a soft stem, like that darned horse tail weed, I wonder if you could fill up a hypodermic syringe and just give 'em a shot of Roundup in the stem?

I move my roses quite frequently. (Poor planning, I guess). I have some in the shade I need to move now, but not sure what to put in their place.

I've never heard about putting cottage cheese on, but if it saves a trip to the doctor's, I guess it's worth it! Hopefully I won't have any scratches that get infected. I'm more likely to get poison ivy. :(

I think Roundup only works through the foliage, so I'm not sure if shooting it directly into the stem is the same. I vaguely recall my biology class, but it's been so long, I just vaguely recall taking the class, not anything that was taught! lol We get lots of crazy looks from our pharmacist because we buy needles for two diabetic cats. Can you imagine telling the pharmacist you need some needles for horse tail weed??? :O

AAArrrghh - are you kidding???? If you can't prune it back????? Don't take chemicals to it......crimeny - do you not realize that you share space with this plant??? Round-up!!! - holy Hannah.
"A 2008 scientific study has shown that Roundup formulations and metabolic products cause the death of human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cells in vitro even at low concentrations. The effects were not proportional to the main active ingredient concentrations (glyphosate) but dependent on the nature of the adjuvants used in the Roundup formulation.[11]"

Not just my opinion!!

Cheers, Nancy.

Your fence will not stop blackberries from sending out underground runners several feet under the fence into your yard. I have a blackberry patch and I just have to keep mowing the ones down that come up 6 feet or more away!

Good luck.

I just vaguely recall taking the class, not anything that was taught! lol

ROTFLOL! I'm glad I'm not the only one. You can buy shot needles through the dog catalogs online, like Foster & Smith, and save your embarrassment in front of the pharmacist.

I've used the cottage cheese for infections many times since I learned that. You only need to leave it on for a few minutes -- half hour is plenty. Make sure NOT to use it in any area you can't rinse thoroughly or it will make the infection much worse (not in a dog's infected ear for instance). It's great to use on pets because if they get off their bandage and eat the cc no biggie.

Oh dear, Nancy. Thanks for that info. I guess not Roundup. I do prune it back and it's back again within a few days, not weeks, days. It's a never-ending task all summer.

Gldno, I know I'll still get it through the ground, but it's the fence that's the problem.

I should have taken and posted a pic before. All that you see coming through the fence is blackberries. Look at the length of that one arm. I trimmed that all back to the fence about 8 days ago. (and look at all the plums on my tree - yum!) On the left of the fence, blackberries. Center low on pic, plant-digging-up dog, as usual, moving at high speed. Sorry the grass isn't mowed, it's been too hot!

So... does anyone think that slats being added to the fence will stop these things from poking through? If so it would save me from hand trimming probably 200' of that fence every week or two.

Okay I have been giving you problem some thought today while puttering in my own garden. And came up with a suggestion. What if you planted a more vigorous climbing rose close to the fence to compete for space and block sunlight coming from your side of the fence. Most plants will take the easiest path to sunlight. And than prune what comes through the rose bush instead of what comes through the fence.
Also I think I would put down weed barrier directly around your rose bush to keep the runners away.
Personally I think the plastic would work for the most part but I'm not sure how it would look. If you put up your plastic and then your climber close to the fence you would probably be golden.

DISCLAMER* I have only been gardening a few years!!!

Best of luck,
Carrie

Carrie, I think you're suggesting that if I plant a climber that grows good and thick, the blackberries may grow UP instead of OUT? That's a very interesting thought that hadn't occurred to me. I admit I think the slats in the fence are ugly. They fade, get broken, etc. I've never seen them and thought they looked good. The wooden lath slats do look better. Maybe I'm just going to have to give up and keep trimming them, and see if I can get my son to hack them back for me once a year, poor kid. Not a fun job for him but it really does help when he clears a two-foot path on the neighbor's side of the fence.

Treelover, they do make a mesh sort of fencing, but it's light-permeable. I can't think of any product like you describe. I think I'm going to end up doing as you say and planting whatever I plant far enough from the fence that I can still get up to the fence and trim those blackberries without getting scratched from something in my yard at the same time. sigh

Thanks about the dog! She really is a pretty girl. Her shoulder comes up to just under my kneecap and she weighs about 30 lbs. That is a 6' fence we're looking at. I have two other smaller boy dogs not pictured. She would be a great dog for a jogger or a frisbee boy. Not so much for an old lady. lol

Wonderful looking plums.

We don't have blackberry troubles in Eastern WA (though my raspberry patch does send out absurdly long runners), so I am afraid I cannot speak from experience. I do have realatives that live in and near Seattle that have blackberry patches. One realative has a lawn right next to a berry patch. I always wondered how he can keep runners out. I think the mowing it constantly keeps them at bay.

I think getting rid of them completely is futile. You might have had a chance if this was just a small area, but since your neighbors have such a large patch (which will keep sending runners out and reseed perhaps) it will just keep on commin'.

I think slats would be poked out and broken by the branches after awhile. I tall wooden of vinyl fence might work, but they might just row over that. A deep trench might keep the runners away, but that might be dangerous if you walk back there and space is limited anyway. I suppose the most one can do is keep cutting them. Sorry I could not be of more help. :-(

I really like the idea of a rose, but it might be a bear trying to get berry suckers out from the middle and when the roses and branches get in a tangle.

If you do go with roses, this is a great site to get PNW rose info. Link below.

Cute dog indeed! It is hard to believe such a sweet little dog can do so much damage in the garden!

CMK

Here is a link that might be useful: rdrop.com

Oceanna, Not sure if it will work, but how about putting down layers of cardboard over the area in the winter and cover with a heavy layer of mulch (if your son is willing to go back over the fence-try bribery and threats). If you can keep the blackberry area covered before they start to resprout and then keep it covered for a season, that should get rid of them. Oh, btw, sorry I misspelled your name in another post-which reminds me-if I lend you my dogs, they will trample anything! Cynthia

Thanks about the plums, Cristin. The tree is super laden! This is its third year and last year I got two plums. I got it from Raintree and I'm happy with everything I got from them, except my pear tree has yet to produce.

I hear you about the raspberries -- my good-sized patch at my last house was volunteer from the neighbor's yard. lol. You're right about the mowing. Every blackberry that comes up through the lawn is no problem at all.

Sorry I could not be of more help. :-(

Maybe the best help is to just be a realist about it, and that's what you're doing. Maybe I should make a pie or jam, huh?

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out and I saved it.

Cynthia, I didn't even notice a misspelling, don't worry. Thanks but no thanks on borrowing your dogs (what kind are they?). Bonnie not only tramples and digs up, she digs holes you can stumble into. Here's a picture of her right before her first haircut. She was not leaping when I went to push the button on the camera but this IS her personality...

Thanks for the great idea to block off the ground from light for a couple of feet on the neighbor's side of the fence after I get my son to cut it back! I'll have to make a few cardboard runs I think.

Hmmm...what kind? The closest I can come is they are happy dogs. Seriously, Annabelle (the mom) is a border collie mix- black with white paws, tip of tail, and chest/tummy. Clouseau (the slap-happy idiot of a son-not unlike my own come to think of it)is larger with the face of a golden and markings similar to a german shepherd that may be the result of a golden/border collie mix. Who knows? Your Wheaten is the cutest thing. I do know what you mean about the holes though. That would be a great new thread-what have your dogs excavated lately?

Your problem has really been bothering me! Surely we can come up with some solution. There is an interesting thread on the roses forum that you may want to read about using vinegar and salt to kill weeds. That might be something you may wish to investigate. Or maybe some others here can let you know if they think it would be safe for the wildlife.

And - you may want to try just boiling water! I forgot that just boiling water is good to use on a lot of weeds, and of course, is environmentally safe.

Good luck! I just don't think you're going to be able to garden next to that without a LOT of frustration. Wish your neighbors would just mow this area on a regular basis - that would help a lot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinegar thread - read to the end

I think because I've been so scratched up, this is really bothering me - so, here's another suggestion:
Fire! Take a blow torch and kill them all! Just make sure you have a helper with a water hose handy. :)

Holley, lol -- I can't just set fire to my neighbor's yard. That might not go over well, ya know? The neighbors have a long piece of land and this is on the back of their land... it's their back yard.

I've used vinegar (not salt) on my driveway weeds and it kills them well. Only finally I got tired of them coming back so I filled in all the cracks with cement from a bottle. :o)

I did find this. Maybe I can talk the neighbor into buying a goat? lol!

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Kill Blackberries

I like the goat idea! lol

Just one more suggestion, then I'll go:

If you have enough room to do this without cutting off half your yard, sink wooden posts into the ground along your fence (but far enough away for you to get a lawn mower back there), front them with lattice, and grow climbing roses (or other vines) in front. They will grow up and spread out and block the blackberry vines (from sight)while giving you a beautiful focal point. You can then keep the blackberry vines from growing into the roses by mowing behind the screen, but you won't have to worry about every shoot that comes up your fence.

Hope that helps!

TTFN!

Thanks, Holley! :o)

Now what are you going to do about your raspberries?

Round up!!!! They're goners! :)

I've got blackberry troubles here in the Willamette Valley. I've been cutting and pulling and packing them into the garden waste cart. For weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks.

I want to KILL THEM DEAD and then keep the area cultivated, which will keep them at bay. Roundup only puts a dent in them.

Tell me more about Crossbow.
The blackberries have grown through a beautiful Dawn Redwood and some other plants; can I paint the Crossbow just on the canes? Or do I have to spray the leaves? (which might contaminate the trees)

Is there a forum for herbicides or weeds?

The only think I know thats none chemical that really works is a goat. Is there any chance you can get the neighbor to get one or two and keep them back there? Since there is already one fence line it shouldn,t be that big a deal to put up three more or staking it back there. I have a friend that has three goats to keep the blackberries down in her raven and they do a really nice job of it. I have been mowing my blackberrys for 5 years now in my field and they still come up . The horses won,t touch them.

Rain2fall, I don't know about Crossbow, but did you google it?

Madeyna, thinks for the info about goats. I don't think we are zoned for that here, but maybe someone reading is. The little Pigmy goats are so cute!

Oceanna, I also live in Western Washington. I live just outside of Duvall in the woods on the side of a mountain. I have blackberries!!! I feel your pain.
I am also sorry to tell you this:
The cross bow will work but to a limited degree and it is pretty pricy for the amount you have to kill. The goats will not eat the older woodier stuff, they prefer the younger stuff. They will also eat your garden if they get half a chance. The goats still leave the root systems which will regrow with vigor. Nothing you do with a chain link fence will stop the blackberries. A high cement block wall will hold them back, some.
Everywhere a branch touches down it will root. And those babies get long. Second and insideously is the bird factor. They drop the seeds. ugh!

The only thing you can do that will have any effect is to cut them back and then dig out the roots. This is a major pain in the butt but it will work. You need to cut down as wide a swath of them as you can and dig the base of the plants out. Only if you do this will you stand a chance of those beautiful roses on your fence line. Trust me it it worth the trouble of doing.

I have had to do it in several areas not to mention that I still have 2 acres of the beast that need to be destroyed. I'm looking to get a track hoe in here to dig it all out.

Yes, I've read the label (Crossbow). It says to paint it on the cut ends of canes immediately after cutting them, and to mix it with either deisel or kerosene. I would rather mix it with water. It can be mixed with water for spray applications, but I can't spray.

Does anybody know which carriers I can use and why or why not?

Is there an herbicide forum? Or a weed-killing forum? I would really like some help going after these blackberries.

I had a landscape architect give me some advice once. I had thought I wanted to grow blackberries and I am on a 1/4 acre lot. The look on his face was precious. He told me that if I wanted to grow them, I needed to pour concrete three feet down on all sides to contain it.[g] Needless to say I changed my mind. Have not heard of anyone remedies to get rid of them, sorry.

Grew blackberries and boysenberries on Treasure Island (in San Francisco Bay Area), and though I don't regret growing them (I love berries), it was a pain to put them at bay. Basically, get prepared to dig, and dig deep to get them completely out! I was lucky to grow them in sandy soil, and I just wanted to get them out so the landlord wouldn't come after me about it. They may have grown back by now (moved over three years ago from there), as I never went back. It was probably the most labor intensive thing I have ever done in the garden, but at least it does not hurt anything (though it does disturb the soil), and gives a great work out! Recommend using a pick and shovel, or a back hoe if you can rent one.

arggg blackberries. Live in the PNW, up in the Enumclaw area. The problem with leaving a blackberry patch is that the birds eat and spread the seeds, it is a never ending problem. What i do is just resign myself to knowing that a couple of days each year is dedicated to blackberry removal. I cut back the long stems, dig out the clumps when i can get to them, and use roundup selectively in the spring. I have over an acre, which has many shrub borders, and at one time, the blackberries were everywhere. Each year it is a little better. I have even removed full grown garden bones shrubs because a clump of blackberries was growing right up through the middle. Unfortunately it is all about perseverance, it is hard to spend the day beating back the blackberries, when you would rather be trimming the roses, but you can win the battle.
Nice days like today are good because the blackberries are still mostly green and you can see them, and then get to them to dig them out. Good luck to us all. :)