When we were viewing our property, we saw lots of blackberries which I thought would be awesome for eating even though they have some pretty mean prickles which is not great for toddlers (side note: though the nasty stabs and jabs sound like they should be from a thorn, they are in fact prickles and not thorns.) Little did I know, prickles would be the least of our problems when it comes to how much of a nuisance these plants would be. I had heard from others that blackberries were a nightmare to get out of gardens but I was not expecting the enormous amount of work it was going to take to get them in check. Especially since we really wanted to selectively clear our property by hand, careful not to disturb ingenious species and beneficial flora.
We were given the keys (but not house keys! The house had no outdoor locks – another story!) on a wet and stormy day in October. By then the season had changed from the thick foliage of summer to the brightly coloured beautiful leaves of fall and we got a clear view of what was going on. It wasn’t until we attacked the garden that we were blown away at how destructive the canes of the blackberries were. In the old orchard they were pulling down the old established trees. Honestly, pulling them down. So we went on a rescue mission and couldn’t believe what we found.
The property is more than 5 acres and the invasion of blackberries were evident everywhere! We didn’t even know we owned a chicken coop! It was completely obscured by thick vines of blackberries. We spent hundreds and hundreds of man hours within the first 2 months just cutting back the thick canes that were everywhere. Actually, that is basically all we did. I swear some of the canes that I pulled out of the trees were 20 feet or more long. We went through many pairs of gloves and yelped a few choice words when the thorns “attacked us.” Many scrapes and many of the prickles had to be pulled out of my scalp.
We burned many of the vines as we did not have a chipper on hand and from what I’ve read the vines have to be cut into very small pieces so they don’t grow or cause more growth. We wanted to get much more done this year but the weather turned and now we have feet of snow.
We know in the spring the blackberries will be back with a vengeance but I’m hopeful that we now have the upper hand. I’m also hopeful that we will get our hands on some goats as they will be much better workers than we can ever be at blackberry removal.
It is extremely important that any species that may become invasive not be purposely introduced into native eco systems or be properly maintained so they do not get out of hand. For more information on invasive species in British Columbia please visit http://bcinvasives.ca/invasive-species/identify/invasive-plants/himalayan-blackberry
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
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