Ask the Experts: Blackberry Control

We are rapidly approaching fall after a long, hot, dry summer. Time to start thinking about back to school, football, pumpkin lattes, pruning your trees and shrubs, and... spraying blackberries. Yep! Fall is actually the best time for blackberry control!

• There's nothing wrong with spraying blackberries in the spring, so long as the canes have fully developed leaves to take up the herbicide. The problem is, blackberries are very hardy, and chances are, they will need to be sprayed again in the fall.

• The conundrum of not spraying in the spring is dealing with blackberries through the summer and watching them grow and get out of control.

• Cutting them back in the spring is the best option, then spray in the fall.

• Why is the fall the best time to spray?

  • Starting in late summer, blackberries begin to translocate nutrients from their foliage down into their root system, storing energy for next year's growth.

  • Spraying in September through early October is ideal because the blackberries will pull the herbicide down into their root system along with the nutrients. This provides a long-lasting, more complete control.
    

Bear in mind, blackberries are extremely resilient! It can take a few years of repeated spraying to totally eradicate a stand. Plus, birds and other animals that eat the berries redistribute the undigested seeds in their scat, continually spreading what I consider one of the most invasive plants we have in our area.

Blackberry control is one of our specialties, so contact us now to get a free quote and start the process of ridding your landscape of blackberries.