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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ChroniC · 8 Apr 2018 at 10:21

Hedge said:
Hire a car engine jack. Wrap straps around all bushes and pull em out.

This might have been an option before I cut them.
There are loads like this (also the misses says the others aren't brambles they're blackberry bushes)

ChroniC · 8 Apr 2018 at 20:18

Trust me I have. That picture is about 2 foot deeper than the surround soil and has settled since I did it. There's next doors fence right there and I have dug about 3 feet around the roots before cutting them. Which was hard enough since you can get a spade in without hitting a root or stone. I'd probably need to go about 5 foot around and 4 deep. Which is also difficult since the fence and a concrete path surround them. That's just not effective when you have a lot of these things to remove.

I'm just going to be a wimp :rolleyes:

and bite the bullet. I suppose I did ask for a tool, I just didn't realise it would be Haze.

ChroniC · 8 Apr 2018 at 21:14

ash_scotland88 said:
Well you could be attempting to remove this;
https://imgur.com/a/hiYYE

I have one of those too. Not quite as big, but I was going to leave that to rot once I poison it.