Moving to new Place, need advice its overgrown

[themamahen]

bought a place 3 yrs ago property has not been bushogged since and blackberries are rampant I need a way to knock down, tear out exc. I dont have a bushog and cant afford one now i have a 4 wheeler and a very handy hubby if anyone can offer advice on something that can be made or drug behind the 4 wheeler to knock down some of the brambles. O its about 18 acres open.

TIA
mama

[elkhound]

troybilt makes a decent walk behind trimmer that will cut dry cornstalks...but its expensive too..not as much as a bush hog.but its way more labor intensive.can you get a neighbor to put in a path so you can attack it from all sides with mower,loppers,trimmers etc.without a bush hog its going to be slow going.

maybe you could put something on front of atv like a snow plow to knock some down....if you do..get a few bottles of slime for fixing flats...surely you will run over locust thorns too.

[countrylivin]

My grandfather would go to the feedlot and buy a bunch of goats and bring them home and put up fencing on the area he wanted cleared (I think he hotwired it--but my memory is alittle vague) he then kept moving the fence until he had all of it trimmed down. Then he would take them back to the feedlot and typically got all of his money back. They also do a nice job of fertilizing. But this of course may not work with your vegetation.

[Nimrod]

Rent a brush hog?

[Zilli]

Goats.

When I bought this place seven years ago, we weren't even aware right away that there was a pond on it because it was hidden by the blackberries. LOL

Got the fencing up and a shelter built and moved my goats in and it's like a golf course now. Well, not quite, but all the blackberries within reach of the goats are gone.

I have five acres of very steep hillside and there is no way I could keep the brush down to a manageable level but the goats keep that taken care of, too.

I suspect some good goat-proof fencing and some kind of shelter would cost less than what it would cost to buy something mechanical.

[where I want to]

If at all possible- goats.................

[oregon woodsmok]

Hire someone to come in with a brush hog and cut them down.

Then start spraying because every little chopped up piece will set roots and you'll have blackberries again next spring.

[SeaGoat]

Did you buy the property next to me?!

We are COVERED in blackberries. I bought a couple goats just to keep them from growing and tearing my fencing down..
I am about to expand so they can reach all new territory.

[Callieslamb]

I second hiring someone to brush hog for you. It will be cheaper than anything else. THEN get a couple goats or one of the primative-type breeds of sheep - icelandic, finn, shetland, jacob and let them do the work for you. You can sell or butcher them in the fall.

[elkhound]

have yall priced fencing lately....the bush hog would be cheaper.i know you can string temp electric wire but getting posts and such you still need a path cut for the fence.

but you could get a goat and stake it out on a chain like a dog.a farmer i knew done that.but you might lose it to coyotes or other predator.theres no way cheap around this.

pick ya poison...lol....$200 for the standard roll 330ft long.

http://tsc.tractorsupply.com/nav/cat...fieldfencing/0

[fishhead]

A scythe for cutting a path for the electric fencing, thick pants and leather gloves followed by goats.

[Zilli]

Originally Posted by fishhead

A scythe for cutting a path for the electric fencing, thick pants and leather gloves followed by goats.

This.

I have field fence down below the house where the ground isn't too steep but I have a three strand hot wire running up the side of my mountain where it's too steep to do much else with.

And the thing with goats is that they will keep the brush down. It has been my experience that brush hogging blackberries is a temporary fix and something that has to be repeated - unless you're willing to use poison such as Crossbow and/or Weedmaster.

I would never, ever stake a goat out.

[themamahen]

thanks guys i will try to find someone with a bush hog but have been asking my family to find me someone local for 3 yrs which is why its in such bad shape they didnt have time ?
well anyways we are about to build our house on it and a road going in so goats wont be fast enough but i do plan on getting some next year. maybe ill just hire someone .... Maybe they'll take pymts LOL

[Raeven]

Originally Posted by elkhound

but you could get a goat and stake it out on a chain like a dog.a farmer i knew done that.but you might lose it to coyotes or other predator.theres no way cheap around this.

Please don't do this. Unless the goat has ready access to water and shade, it's a pure cruelty. Also, goats are herd animals. There is nothing sadder than a lone goat!

Better to work out a temporary electric fencing situation and move them as you need to. They do work very well on blackberry brambles.

So do pigs, and they may be easier to contain, depending on the breed. If you're not looking for breeding stock types, you can pick them up for not too much money. If you have a particularly bad patch of something unwanted, sprinkle dry COB or sweet feed around the area. The pigs will till it all up and fertilize it, too. Slaughter when you're done and fill your freezer.

[jwal10]

Focus on the house and access (it will determine where you need to fence) then fence for goats and let them do the work. Might not be pretty at first but it hasn't for 3 years already. Don't waste time and resourses until you get the lay of the land. If you can find somebody and afford it go ahead and bushhog, at least where you need fence. The other thing is just clean the perimeter with the machine brought in to clear for the road and building pads. It is there, get maximum use out of it while there. Focus on the big picture and go for the best bang for the buck. You can spend money clearing it but it will grow right back and you will have to do it again and again until the property is fenced to be usable....James

[am1too]

I started with a 22 inch lawn mower and a pair of lopers. Wore out several of each.

Are you trying to make a city lot out of acrage? Seems like you want something more instant. I do not buy instant anything anymore.

I can not imagine anyone wanting to destroy native blackberries. Especially if one want to live off of the land (read make money). I would love to have your problem. Blackberry jelley is worth bucks.

[Forestdude]

I had the same issue with some spots on my land when I first bought it. Blackberries are no fun to tame by hand. I agree with the folks saying to hire someone to bush hog it. But...I didn't, and I was able to get it knocked down by some unconventional means. I used my 4x4 truck to plow through it and mash it down (an atv would work too). After it was mashed down, I sprayed herbicide on it (don't hate me). And to finish it off, I burned the snot out of it. I then seeded with grass and clover in the ashes, and it came up beautiful. I've now got some grafted persimmons, pears, plums and some oaks planted that are doing real well.

[motdaugrnds]

I second Raeven's post. Please don't stake goats. It makes them too vulnerable to predators!

If you decide on goats, please don't get the "dairy" ones. Their udders tend to get too scratched up by thorny bushes. Get the "meat" type and they, too, will do a good job destroying those brambles for you.

We purchased a DR Field & Brush Mower to keep all the brush off our place. It is much cheaper than a tractor, is better than dragging something behind a 4-wheeler and will chop up anything it can push over...even 3" tree saplings.

[themamahen]

Originally Posted by am1too

I started with a 22 inch lawn mower and a pair of lopers. Wore out several of each.

Are you trying to make a city lot out of acrage? Seems like you want something more instant. I do not buy instant anything anymore.

I can not imagine anyone wanting to destroy native blackberries. Especially if one want to live off of the land (read make money). I would love to have your problem. Blackberry jelley is worth bucks.

I cant imagine anyone Wanting NOT to be able to walk their own land? i literally cant walk across the property, it was logged and had been vacant n untended until they brush hogged it when i bought it, wild blackberries over decades will desecrate your fields, IE: how you gonna make hay with all the brambles?

obviously i dont want a city lot if i bought 24 acres 14 miles out of town but the land has to be usuable, and now it isnt.

Now to everyone else who has been helpful thank you very much for all the suggestions, hadnt planned on getting livestock as of now, where i will be living is 1 hour away from the place while we are building it, i dont want to leave stock on the property. I think brushhogging is in order until spring when the house should be at least dried in and we can be on the property more.

thanks all
mama

[wy_white_wolf]

wait till next spring and burn it off. Mow or plow a fire break around the area and call the local fire department and see if they will do it as a training exersize.

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