Briars problem

[Madra]

Can anyone recommend an approach to getting rid of briars that surround other flowers/small trees/bushes ? I cant use weedkiller cos I dont want to kill the flowers and the roots of these guys seem to interfere with the flowers as well. Pruning only seems to be temperary.

 

[Betsy Og]

a weedkiller like Grazon 90 doesnt kill everything e.g. grass survives. Maybe test out on a sample of the flowers/shrubs that could be affected.

so 1: spray very carefully

2: if its a small area then dig up the roots

 

[Sherman]

You can get a systemic weedkiller containing glysophate (sp?) which you paint as a gel onto each individual leave - time consuming but very effective. Otherwise an organic but slower method is to cut down all topgrowth every couple of weeks - this eventually weakens the roots so much that they die.

 

[tomthumb]

we had awful briars springing up. We used with good success in the past a stump/root killing crystal stuff that did the job for briars, ivy and other monsters. You cut back to near the root and pack the stuff carefully round the stump avoiding the plants you care about.

 

[Henny Penny]

If you mix the weedkiller with flour, it forms a paste that clings to the leafs of the plant and won't drip onto other plants.