Cheapest / most effective way to dig up bushes

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2018 at 10:44

I have a new house whose previous owner was a gardener before she got old. There are bramble bushes galore like this.

There's loads more. About 7 of these things plus some trees etc. I've cut them all to the floor but attempting to dig one out nearly cost me my back. So what's the solution? Mini digger? Poison? Some device?

Don't want to pay someone to do it. Just watch the right tool for the job.

Thanks

planty · 7 Apr 2018 at 11:14

I would just give it a go with a fork and spade. What's the soil/ground like?

jpaul · 7 Apr 2018 at 11:17

wait for the soil to be saturated/rainy-season .... then use a pickaxe - give good mechanical advantage (I bought one for a reluctant tree)

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2018 at 11:20

jpaul said:
wait for the soil to be saturated/rainy-season .... then use a pickaxe - give good mechanical advantage (I bought one for a reluctant tree)

It's too difficult. Stones and clay. I dug one out and I kid you not even with a brand new root breaker it took a day to get it out. If I attempted the whole garden it would take weeks and I'd be a broken man. Need a power tool solution I suspect.

ron3003 · 7 Apr 2018 at 12:29

Trolley jack and tie down strap.

lookitsjonno · 7 Apr 2018 at 13:41

Fork to raise the roots then cut them with secateurs, rinse and repeat

Haze · 7 Apr 2018 at 17:06

jpaul said:
wait for the soil to be saturated/rainy-season .... then use a pickaxe - give good mechanical advantage (I bought one for a reluctant tree)

What country do you live in..... its rained nearly everyday for the last 3 weeks....

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2018 at 17:35

ron3003 said:
Trolley jack and tie down strap.

I have seen this demonstrated on YouTube. It was a thought to do it. I think you can get a garden tripod jack designed for this.

mrbazmondo · 7 Apr 2018 at 18:11

You could try burning them. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Range-WEED-BURNER-Cannisters-Butane/dp/B008CIT3MS

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2018 at 18:22

mrbazmondo said:
You could try burning them. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Range-WEED-BURNER-Cannisters-Butane/dp/B008CIT3MS

Whilst that sounds fun. I doubt it will destroy 3 feet roots. Given the answers haven't been anything out of the the ordinary, I think I shall go the mini digger route and tackle it all in a day.

mrbazmondo · 7 Apr 2018 at 18:28

Sounds like you don't really like fun.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=burning+roots+of+trees

sovietspybob · 7 Apr 2018 at 18:54

The burning thing only really works on dead tree stumps and even then seems to be a right old faff.

Pickaxe and some decent quality loppers for the roots would work but you will need to put a lot of effort in if the ground is heavy clay. Otherwise minidigger if you're feeling flush.

planty · 7 Apr 2018 at 19:36

ChroniC said:
Whilst that sounds fun. I doubt it will destroy 3 feet roots. Given the answers haven't been anything out of the the ordinary, I think I shall go the mini digger route and tackle it all in a day.

The answers are the cheapest/most effective way of doing the job. Apart from the fire maybe

ChroniC · 7 Apr 2018 at 21:37

planty said:
The answers are the cheapest/most effective way of doing the job. Apart from the fire maybe

Not sure I would call digging for a day to get one Bush out, effective. None the less I appreciate its the cheapest and the advice. Was hoping there was a middle ground between the mini digger and free.

Effectively the mini digger might end up the cheapest as its a hundred for the day and I can tear the garden to bits in that time.

jpaul · 7 Apr 2018 at 21:38

Haze said:
What country do you live in..... its rained nearly everyday for the last 3 weeks....

the original picture had looked dry !

ratface said:
As you've found out root breakers are useless

yes - I googled a picture - don't know how you get force+accuracy without putting it through your foot, spade looks more effective

ron3003 said:
Trolley jack

had forgotten, I used a bottle jack too , once I could get purchase under the tree root.

Steampunk · 7 Apr 2018 at 22:06

ChroniC said:
I have a new house whose previous owner was a gardener before she got old. There are bramble bushes galore like this
There's loads more. About 7 of these things plus some trees etc. I've cut them all to the floor but attempting to dig one out nearly cost me my back. So what's the solution? Mini digger? Poison? Some device?

Don't want to pay someone to do it. Just watch the right tool for the job.

Thanks

Doesn't look like a bramble to me. You can try loosening around it with a fork, then a pry/wrecking bar to lever it out. You might need a lopper to cut any big roots. If they really are brambles, you could spray them with SBK Brushwood Killer. This would kill all the small roots, but you still get dead root balls that probably need digging out. Brambles take a few years to get rid of because they can keep coming back from the smallest roots, seeds, etc.

a1ex2001 · 7 Apr 2018 at 22:52

ratface said:
As you've found out root breakers are useless, buy a mattock and a cheap disposable hand saw to cut any thick roots

I've taken numerous trees and 15ft high Buddleia's out my garden with the above

This the mattock is so under rated as a tool! A mini digger for some little shrubs damn the world is going soft!

Hedge · 8 Apr 2018 at 08:29

Just takes time. Dig about 6-12 inches around the culprit to loosen all the ground around it. Putting a fork in too close to it is just gonna get the fork caught in the roots and probably bend your fork.

ChroniC · 8 Apr 2018 at 08:47

a1ex2001 said:
This the mattock is so under rated as a tool! A mini digger for some little shrubs damn the world is going soft!

It's not just brambles. There are more bushes that have roots thicker than your wrist in places, and two tree stumps that I had cut down. The tree was 20feet high. Just couldn't be bother to take pictures of everything. I will take some more pictures later.