Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Just for everyone's information - most of this can be easily done with a little spot spraying, disking, strategically timed mowing and occasional seeding.
The one thing I have been unable to effectively deal with easily is wild blackberry invading NWSGs. No one realizes the magnitude of how aggressive they can be until you deal with a place like mine where they like to grow. Something like Bush Honeysuckle would be easier to deal with in a field setting than wild blackberry. Mowing once a year is mostly ineffective and doesn't keep them from spreading. Spot spraying becomes harder and harder as time goes on if you are doing many acres. Mowing twice a year would help, but that kind of defeats the purpose of what I see as the goals of providing cover. I have a neighbor who has the same issue. He has tried burning blackberry and found it to help very little.
I'm meeting with a F&W guy soon to look at doing some area spraying next year. We have discussed it on the phone and both feel that it could be done in such a way as to strongly set back the blackberry with little negative affect on other forbs. Blackberry starts leafing out and blooming earlier than almost anything else, so taking that timing into account may be the key.
It all boils down to the fact that early successional habitat can be tougher to maintain in some settings. Blackberry is in a class of its own. If you aren't troubled with it, the job is much easier.
The one thing I have been unable to effectively deal with easily is wild blackberry invading NWSGs. No one realizes the magnitude of how aggressive they can be until you deal with a place like mine where they like to grow. Something like Bush Honeysuckle would be easier to deal with in a field setting than wild blackberry. Mowing once a year is mostly ineffective and doesn't keep them from spreading. Spot spraying becomes harder and harder as time goes on if you are doing many acres. Mowing twice a year would help, but that kind of defeats the purpose of what I see as the goals of providing cover. I have a neighbor who has the same issue. He has tried burning blackberry and found it to help very little.
I'm meeting with a F&W guy soon to look at doing some area spraying next year. We have discussed it on the phone and both feel that it could be done in such a way as to strongly set back the blackberry with little negative affect on other forbs. Blackberry starts leafing out and blooming earlier than almost anything else, so taking that timing into account may be the key.
It all boils down to the fact that early successional habitat can be tougher to maintain in some settings. Blackberry is in a class of its own. If you aren't troubled with it, the job is much easier.
