Selective bramble warfare: killing blackberries but not raspberries?

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ProCupidineNata Boston-Metro, MA Jun 17, 2017

Hi!
I wondered if anyone had suggestions for eradicating (or at least keeping at bay) a blackberry scourge ;) intent on taking over the property WITHOUT harming my raspberries? I'd never had any success with plants of any sort indoors, but last year I finally had a bit of outdoor space to work with, and in spite of me, the raspberries I got (nearly all primocane, from backyardberryplants -- the gentleman there has the patience of a saint!) survived.
I have nearly no idea how to care for them -or their little suckers-
but the more pressing issue has become the blackberry plants (not sure what the right term is: canes? bushes? all-consuming-brambles-of-doom?) that are spreading everywhere. They are as aggressive as you might imagine; nothing in their path has stood much of a chance.
Going after them individually is proving ineffective (I might be winning skirmishes, but *not* the war!) and it seems like all the products and approaches I could use that I've read promising information about would probably do in my raspberries. I apologize if the answer is buried in another thread I've overlooked, but any advice would be appreciated!
I live in the Boston-Metro area, by the way.

Post #10304801
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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Jun 17, 2017

Snip off canes of what you don't want, and swab the fresh cut ends with glyphosate/Roundup.

You will win the battle, and you will not damage the raspberries.

Post #10304809
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ProCupidineNata Boston-Metro, MA Jun 18, 2017

Quote from ViburnumValley :
Snip off canes of what you don't want, and swab the fresh cut ends with glyphosate/Roundup.

You will win the battle, and you will not damage the raspberries.


Thank you! Wait, then I don't need to destroy my back hacking up the roots?! Wow... File that under: "Things I Wish I had Known Several Minor Injuries and Many Sore Muscles Ago"!



This message was edited Jun 18, 2017 6:04 AM

Post #10304828
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ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Jun 18, 2017

You CAN do that. You just don't need to.

Expect that you won't eliminate all the persistent blackberries the first time out, but you will apply far less effort and disturbance to your landscape - which in itself turns up more weed seeds to deal with after they germinate.

As I noted: you can swab the herbicide onto the cut surface. Alternatively, you can mix (or use premixed formulas) the glyphosate and fill an empty squirt bottle (like window cleaner) and use a squirt to the cut surface as an application method.

The key is targeted application rather than over-the-top spraying of foliage till runoff and drift onto non-target plants. That's just pouring money on the ground, or setting it on fire.

Post #10304848
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