I have got to get rid of the briar!

Heritagefarm · #21 02/22/11, 11:55 AM

Is this the plant?
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SMRO

fordy · #22 02/22/11, 12:18 PM

.................Are these briars the ones that grow straight out of the ground looking for a fence or bush too support them , nasty little buggers , and they become very thick over time ? I mowed'um down with my riding mower , and one place they were so thick I took a steel cable and made a couple of loops around their base and used my FE loader too pull multiple root stalks out of the ground . Wish I new the correct name for them , they were forever trying too use my fence for a support . , fordy

texican · #23 02/22/11, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anette

I think what you are calling green-briars, are what we call saw briars. It has the big tuberous roots that texican described. My thought is, for goats (or donkeys) to be effective you should cut them as planned. The foragers would browse down the leaves as they sprouted....maybe???

Good luck to you!

anette

Saw briars... the devil's hair... hate the stuff. The reason carharrt double kneed pants were invented (or it shoulda been).

Quote:

Originally Posted by johncotexas

Well, the trees are almost all over ten feet tall and most are twenty plus but the vine still grows to the top, smothers out the tree and in a few years the tree is nothing but a giant blob-mass of briar that will fall over from rot or weight. That allows light in to let more briar succeed. These trees have DOZENS of briars going up each trunk. It is a major attack.
I think that I will try a combo of cutting with trimmer, torch and mowing what I can and letting a bunch of goats assault it for a while and see how that works.
I thank you all again for the input!

I've got some vines, don't know the species, that attacks cypress trees I've planted in my swamp rehab project. Not the same species that climbs trees in drier hardwood and pine forests. These vines are fast growing, thin stemmed, and wrap around the stem of the trees, and when they reach the top, they 'poof' out, and bend the tops over. A few times I went down and machete'd the vines, but before I left, they were growing again... and poisoning a rehab area didn't really feel right, so I let em suffer a year or two. Most of the ones I planted in the swamp are over 30' now, getting their first baby knees, and the vines still grow on em, but aren't threatening toppling anymore.

I'm thinking your site must be wet'ish? Hardwood trees?

johncotexas · #24 02/22/11, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

Is this the plant?
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SMRO

Yup, That is the one... although the photos there on the USDA site really do gloss over how nasty the stuff is. That site almost makes it look nice with berries and all. HA!

Texican, Yes, it is all hardwoods but not really wet. Real sandy but that doesn't matter because this stuff grows anywhere you let it. I have a friend that is offering goats and another offering the loan of a torch so here I go, off to work. Gonna be an interesting weekend. Thanks again.