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Bramble slasher or other tool for getting rid of brambles

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  • #1

    Bramble slasher or other tool for getting rid of brambles

    A friend is coming over by car and has offered to bring something over for me. It occurred to me that a tool to get rid of brambles would be a good idea.

    On a very old thread, someone has a picture of what looks to be a long-handled bill hook that they said was very useful. I've seen similar on ebay.

    This was also recommended on another thread:
    Grass Slasher Weeder - Tools | Green Shopping

    Does anyone have any views on these or recommendations for other tools/suppliers?

    Here where I live, they recommend very powerful chemicals but they're not suitable for our location as we have a vein of underground water below us. And I'd rather not use a brushcutter as I find them a bit heavy to wield.
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  • #2
    My first reaction was - poor Bramble, on her birthday too
    My 2nd was - sorry, I haven't a clue! I cut the brambles down with loppers - to about a foot high and lever out the roots with a fork. Takes longer but at least they're gone.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post
      My first reaction was - poor Bramble, on her birthday too
      My 2nd was - sorry, I haven't a clue! I cut the brambles down with loppers - to about a foot high and lever out the roots with a fork. Takes longer but at least they're gone.
      Yes, I forgot about the birthday girl! Sorry about that, Bramble.

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      • #4
        Brambles shouldn't be slashed at . The thorns can do serious injury if they fly around. VC,s approach is sensible and effective.
        Last edited by Aberdeenplotter; 03-05-2016, 04:36 AM. Reason: Flemmin predictive text

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        • #5
          Thanks for the advice, guys. Looks like lopping it is. I need an emoticon thingy for "sigh of despair"... I'll be long gone before the job is done!

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          • #6
            I own a long handled slasher and believe me if you think a brushcutter is hard to handle, dont even think about this. You really need to swing to get up enough speed to cut, even when razor sharp, as the bramble has a cushioning effect when it hits.
            After about 10 minutes I usually collapse in a sweaty gibbering heap and swear to get the brushcutter running again.
            the loppers are the way to go
            don't be afraid to innovate and try new things
            remember.........only the dead fish go with the flow

            Another certified member of the Nutters club

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            • #7
              Thanks, snakeshack. Nothing for it but to get lopping though. Some patches have been growing since well before we arrived. I'll probably find an Iberian corpse in one of the patches, it's so dense. Ah well, lopping it is.

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              • #8
                I'd go for loppers too, followed by the trenching (Chillington) hoe.
                Location ... Nottingham

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                • #9
                  Sommat like this'd get rid of 'em Snoop.......................
                  sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
                  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
                  -------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
                  -----------------------------------------------------------
                  KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

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                  • #10
                    If you can just keep lopping the growing tips off, enough to stop them rooting, it helps. That's what I do, give them a short back and sides and dig them out when I'm feeling energetic.

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                    • #11
                      Our garden began as a field full of brambles - we found cutting to the ground with loppers and then running over with the lawn mower keeps them from coming back. Except of course where we can't mow and there I just keep on cutting to the ground in the (faint) hope of exhausting them.
                      And they only produce small rubbish fruit.
                      Le Sarramea https://jgsgardening.blogspot.com/

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                      • #12
                        Bigmally, that looks a bit like overkill for what he's dealing with, but maybe it would be good for the evil brambles. I'll see about getting a burning permit from our local forestry agent next winter. Could be an option. Hope so!

                        Maybe I should say we have about 12 acres, all but about two or three inhabited by pine trees, kermes oak, brambles and the odd holm and Portuguese oak. Actually, it's hard to know what's worse, the brambles or the kermes oak. Add oak to a name and it sounds grand, but it is a total and utter weed of the nastiest variety. I've tried lopping and grubbing it out, but turn your back and it's back. Pretty much like brambles, really.

                        Meanwhile, out with the loppers... Thanks for all the advice guys.

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                        • #13
                          I'd not heard of kermes oak before. You learn summat new every day!
                          PFAF says you can use the leaves to repel slugs so it can't be all bad Quercus coccifera Kermes Oak PFAF Plant Database
                          Last edited by veggiechicken; 03-05-2016, 09:51 PM.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post
                            I'd not heard of kermes oak before. You learn summat new every day!
                            PFAF says you can use the leaves to repel slugs so it can't be all bad Quercus coccifera Kermes Oak PFAF Plant Database
                            That was an interesting read. Especially "An ornamental plant, it thrives in Britain". No-one in their right mind should plant it! It spreads its roots far and wide and is impossible to eradicate. The leaves are good against slugs because they are as scratchy and prickly as holly. As for "it doesn't tolerate root disturbance", as far as I can tell it doesn't care a jot!

                            Time to get me some more loppers and a team of slaves (otherwise known as visitors)!

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