Overgrown garden advice

pegdrums

Howdy.
We have purchased a house with an overgrown garden. Looks like bramble and something else.

What tools would you recommend to tackle this? I'm happy out to pick up some second hand gear that I can service and keep for future use I just don't know whether I need a chain saw, hedge trimmer or strimmer or what. Petrol or electric?

These are the best pics I have for now I'm afraid.
Cheers.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19pYgmW1nPpiTU1I7yfXqV09JRhgZJ63p/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nWAXD3vRZ3MGNE5h9hOEQdQxtNhZYXs-/view?usp=drivesdk

Samuel T. Cogley

Christ - I's see if Kim Jong is willing to give you one of his nukes.

I think a machete would be a good start.

Citizenpain

Briar hook and elbow grease to start

https://www.smkw.com/council-tool-two-handed-12-briar-hook

gozunda

I was going to suggest a good long handled slash hook but I think a couple of goats might to a better job on that lot tbh ...:eek:

Edit: Best gloves for that type of work are the thick leather welding gloves - you'll get a pair in your local hardware shop ...

Graces7

Clearing similar with secateurs.. LIDL E2. Snip each bramble right at base ..

Long reach hedge trimmer is the machine you want for clearing this. Keep cutting it back like a hedge until you can get under neath to cut the stems which are often clumped together. If you you keep cutting back 6 inches it makes the debris left over manageable.

Long reach hedge trimmer is best because it saves a lot of stooping. If you bought a kombi system)(multi tool) you could always by a strimmer attachment for it for other tidying up.

Lumen

Congrats on the new house!

I did a lot of this last year. In my bloodied, exhausted experience....

- Chainsaw: wrong tool, dangerous.
- Hedge trimmer: too weak, will get destroyed. Hedge trimmers are designed to cut leaves and thin shoots.
- Strimmer: fine if you want to tickle it, otherwise useless.
- Bill hook: too short.

What will work OK:
- Hand saws: good for stems over an inch thick, except you'll be removing the leverage you need to get the roots out.
- Loppers: Good for reaching in to thumb-thick base stems, but it looks like you have thousands.
- Secateurs: are you immortal? If so, this is a great choice. But you'll still need to get at the roots with something else.

What will work well...
- Slash hook: perfect hand tool for clearance, will cut and pull.
- Pick axe/mattock. Get a good fibreglass-handled one. The wider-bladed ones are good for digging and cutting roots, the narrower blade ones have more force but need accuracy. Using a pick-axe is very tiring!

The thing I always wanted but never tried was a petrol brush cutter with a solid blade. I wouldn't buy any power tools for this job as you'll only be doing it once, but you could hire one.

Even if you manage to clear the surface, you'll still have all the roots to deal with. It took me a whole weekend recently to clear a 5m section of hedge with hand tools, and half of that was the roots.

If you want this done quickly and have sufficiently access, get in a digger and a diesel chipper/shredder run by experienced operators, rip the stuff out by the roots, feed it into the maw of death and get any stuff that can't be chipped/shredded removed off site.

Wear protective clothing, particularly eye protection, boots and thick trousers. Good cheap PPE online, in builders providers or in DIY shops.

RockDesk

Loppers are great for taking down overgrown brambles etc. They look like they wouldn't do much but they're very effective.

I had a challenge like this a few years ago, not on this scale! The pain was after the cutting down, chopping it into smaller bit for the brown bin!

Don't try and tackle it in one go, just do it bit by bit. But you've a lovely few days to be out in the garden

magicbastarder

Lumen wrote: »

- Hedge trimmer: too weak, will get destroyed. Hedge trimmers are designed to cut leaves and thin shoots.

what i can see in the photos looks very doable for a hedge trimmer though. i bought a reasonably good bosch one and it can handle (fresh) wood as thick as a finger.

i'd say borrow one and it'd go through the brambles with no hassle.

Thud

i rented one of these from Wicklow Hire, great machine but takes a bit of upper body strength to steer and manoeuvre;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcSZqb5rMB4

pegdrums

Wow, didn't expect so many replys. Thanks for all the advice.
So things to borrow or buy.......

Machete
Briar hook
Long handled slash hook
Secateurs
Long reach hedge trimmer ( kombi)
Loppers
Pick axe

I've no bother buying most of these second hand as they can be sharpened and used plenty in the future

Rent.....
Diesel chipper
Possibly the petrol hedge trimmer

What about disposing/ using the chopped up stuff??


Rotavating might or might not be needed but sure that's way down the line.

We're not actually in now, we've just gone sale agreed. I just wanna hit the ground running when we get the keys so we can get the bbq fired up!

RockDesk

pegdrums wrote: »

What about disposing/ using the chopped up stuff??

I chopped it up relatively small and put them in the large compostable bags and put them in the brown bin. The ones that didn't go in, I just left them in the garden until their turn for the bin came around. They end up getting soggy in the bag so get easier to shove into the bin!

It did take alot of time and arm scratches to get the stuff to acceptable size for collection.

pegdrums

RockDesk wrote: »

I chopped it up relatively small and put them in the large compostable bags and put them in the brown bin. The ones that didn't go in, I just left them in the garden until their turn for the bin came around. They end up getting soggy in the bag so get easier to shove into the bin!

It did take alot of time and arm scratches to get the stuff to acceptable size for collection.

Do you think any of it could be used for mulch or composting?

Or would it just come back to life and take over again?

Samuel T. Cogley

BTW OP, progress reports with photos would be very much appreciated. Best of luck with the project!

RockDesk

I have no idea, sorry. I've never made my own mulch or compost. I'm sure someone here would know though!

wexie

If you do get a strimmer then look for a decent one that will also work as a brushcutter, I did a similar job to that in a corner of the garden and it worked very well.

You'd have gone through a lot of nylon string before one of these is starting to show signs of wear and tear.

Definitely a machete, was a shop local to here that was selling them as 'bramble slashers' or something along those lines. I got 2, cause they were 5.99!!! My wife asked me why I needed 2.... 'I don't but they're 5.99' she didn't get it.

Good luck with it, be a pretty satisfying job to do with some nice weather. Make sure to keep a few beers or ciders in the fridge!!!

RockDesk

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

BTW OP, progress reports with photos would be very much appreciated. Best of luck with the project!

Oh yes! Make sure you take lots of photos so you can admire your hard work when it's all done!

pegdrums

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

BTW OP, progress reports with photos would be very much appreciated. Best of luck with the project!

Definitely. As I said it'll be a while yet before were in and can get started but I'll definitely be doing a progress reportas it's my first time. I'll keep Ya posted.

Lumen

pegdrums wrote: »

Machete
Briar hook
Long handled slash hook

You only need one of these. They all do basically the same job.

The machete is a hacking tool, I don't think it will pull stuff out.

The slash hook has enough length to swing and pull out stuff. It's a real weapon.

I don't know what a briar hook is. Is it better than a slash? Don't know.

pegdrums wrote: »

Rent diesel chipper...What about disposing/ using the chopped up stuff??

I wouldn't rent a chipper. They have a tendency to clog up and then you're stuffed, particularly if you're doing it at the weekend when the hire place can't help. Better to just pay someone (tree surgery type contractor) to come in and chip it on site, and leave you with the chippings for mulch.

Glass fused light

pegdrums wrote: »

What about disposing/ using the chopped up stuff??

Garden plant books from library to ID any keepers


Wheel Barrow and Grape fork.
One in cutting and one pulling out and bagging at a safe distance.

Plus before you start swinging or chopping, a long stick to check for builders rubble (not carefully stored at a hight:D)


Best of luck on the house & BBQ

Thud

pegdrums wrote: »

Do you think any of it could be used for mulch or composting?

Or would it just come back to life and take over again?

Brambles take a long time to compost especially the thorns, if you have a long term compost pile might go in there

Glass fused light

pegdrums wrote: »

Do you think any of it could be used for mulch or composting?

Or would it just come back to life and take over again?

Bramble and vines best not use
Leaves and small soft greener shoots\twigs would be ok
Larger harder wood would take a longer time so you would need 2 piles if composting on site.

Glass fused light

Lumen wrote: »

The slash hook has enough length to swing and pull out stuff. It's a real weapon.

I don't know what a briar hook is. Is it better than a slash? Don't know.

The briar hook is usually a handheld slash hook (without a long handle) with a more pronounced curve.

magicbastarder

you'll be surprised how little that vast bulk of material takes up if you mulch it down, compared to its original volume.

gozunda

For industrial amounts of long thick briars a hedge trimmer is not much use in my experience as the stems are very fiberous / flexible (not like wood) and can have a nasty habit of whipping back straight at you.

Any chance you can organise a meitheal of neighbours / friends with the promise of beer and bbq when finished

gozunda

Lumen wrote: »

You only need one of these. They all do basically the same job.

The machete is a hacking tool, I don't think it will pull stuff out.

The slash hook has enough length to swing and pull out stuff. It's a real weapon.

I don't know what a briar hook is. Is it better than a slash? Don't know.

I wouldn't rent a chipper. They have a tendency to clog up and then you're stuffed, particularly if you're doing it at the weekend when the hire place can't help. Better to just pay someone (tree surgery type contractor) to come in and chip it on site, and leave you with the chippings for mulch.

Slashhook my weapon of choice (for brambles)

Last time I bought one I had to carry it through the town to where I was parked up. Got some very strange looks

La.m

OP I'd give serious thought to getting a gardener in just to clear it as opposed to buying equipments that you'll (hopefully) not need again. I spent €200 when I moved into my house to get a gardener to clear the entire thing (and it was seriously overgrown) and it was the best €200 I ever spent. Took him 1 1/2 days, he took all the rubbish away and gave me advise about the plants he unearthed. We even found a paved garden path that you couldn't even see due to it being so overgrown.

Glass fused light

gozunda wrote: »

Slashhook my weapon of choice (for brambles)

Last time I bought one I had to carry it through the town to where I was parked up. Got some very strange looks

Naw, that wasn't the slash hook, it was the big black hooded cape.:eek:

CJhaughey

Be wary of small pieces of blackberry, they will start to root and regrow if not removed from the ground, I would be inclined to stack it to dry and burn as much of it as you can to prevent regrowth.
If you have good neighbours a hot fire won't release much smoke, just don't overload it with green material or it will produce a lot of smoke.

gozunda

Glass fused light wrote: »

Naw, that wasn't the slash hook, it was the big black hooded cape.:eek:

You're thinking of a Scythe - that's for different type of work altogether

Glass fused light

gozunda wrote: »

You're thinking of a Scythe - that's for different type of work altogether

Yes I know, but the OP could put it on the list for the post winter cut.

pegdrums

Glass fused light wrote: »

Yes I know, but the OP could put it on the list for the post winter cut.

What now the hooded cape or the scythe?

pegdrums

La.m wrote: »

OP I'd give serious thought to getting a gardener in just to clear it as opposed to buying equipments that you'll (hopefully) not need again. I spent €200 when I moved into my house to get a gardener to clear the entire thing (and it was seriously overgrown) and it was the best €200 I ever spent. Took him 1 1/2 days, he took all the rubbish away and gave me advise about the plants he unearthed. We even found a paved garden path that you couldn't even see due to it being so overgrown.

I have thought about it but i would take great pride in doing it myself.
As regards the tools I'd see myself using the hand tools plenty in the future....Loppers, secateurs, pick etc. Perhaps not so much the slash hook. I'll need a hedge trimmer at some stage but perhaps not a bad ass petrol one.

It's easy to say all that now though isn't it!

Glass fused light

pegdrums wrote: »

I have thought about it but i would take great pride in doing it myself.
As regards the tools I'd see myself using the hand tools plenty in the future....Loppers, secateurs, pick etc. Perhaps not so much the slash hook. I'll need a hedge trimmer at some stage but perhaps not a bad ass petrol one.

It's easy to say all that now though isn't it!

Right then, very first thing you need to do is buy a measure tape.

Measure the wall and floor space of that block shed
subtract
* the walkway up the middle,
* the house DIY tool space,
* the you are not keeping that in the house space
Once done you should be half way to figuring the garden tools.



PS keep a spot down the back for the it was too cheap to leave behind

miezekatze

That doesn't look too bad actually! I would put it all into fairly sturdy bags once done and then bring to a recycling centre. If it's not too much you could stick it in the brown bin.

gozunda

pegdrums wrote: »

What now the hooded cape or the scythe?

Don't forget the couple of goats ...

Glass fused light

gozunda wrote: »

Don't forget the couple of goats ...

Ahem .... Errr.. Pigs (and a tooth pull)?

gozunda

Glass fused light wrote: »

Ahem .... Errr.. Pigs (and a tooth pull)?

Now you've lost me ...

Glass fused light

gozunda wrote: »

Now you've lost me ...

Totally off topic

looksee

That thing on the right looks like a very overgrown clematis montana? Does it have prickles (Montana doesn't)? This information is not a lot of help as they are still a nightmare to get out once they are out of hand. That's probably why the previous people moved...

peasant

Slash hook, welding gloves and safety boots is all it takes from experience.

The slash hook really is the only tool that delivers satisfying results with brambles (dead and green). Hedgecutters, strimmers (even with blade) or chainsaws don't work. The brambles are too elastic (and tough at the same time).

The hook for slashing and pulling, the gloves for gathering everything together and the boots for trampling it into a compact bundle that can easily be removed.

Oh and do get the secateurs as well..perfect for cutting that one string of bramble your slash hook just can't quite get to.

Finish it all off with a robust lawnmower.

gozunda

peasant wrote: »

Slash hook, welding gloves and safety boots is all it takes from experience.

The slash hook really is the only tool that delivers satisfying results with brambles (dead and green). Hedgecutters, strimmers (even with blade) or chainsaws don't work. The brambles are too elastic (and tough at the same time).

The hook for slashing and pulling, the gloves for gathering everything together and the boots for trampling it into a compact bundle that can easily be removed.

Oh and do get the secateurs as well..perfect for cutting that one string of bramble your slash hook just can't quite get to.

Finish it all off with a robust lawnmower.

^^^ This ...

peasant

peasant wrote: »

Slash hook, welding gloves and safety boots is all it takes from experience.

The slash hook really is the only tool that delivers satisfying results with brambles (dead and green). Hedgecutters, strimmers (even with blade) or chainsaws don't work. The brambles are too elastic (and tough at the same time).

The hook for slashing and pulling, the gloves for gathering everything together and the boots for trampling it into a compact bundle that can easily be removed.

Oh and do get the secateurs as well..perfect for cutting that one string of bramble your slash hook just can't quite get to.

Finish it all off with a robust lawnmower.

Really long brambles are hard to pile up though. Ive had plenty of success with a hedge cutter. I know a slash hook will work. But with the hedge cutter taking 6 inches off the face each time leaves you with v debris that is easily raked up into a pile.

Maybe it's because I use a still hedge cutter (long reach) and the cheap ones are no good

Lumen

Deleted User wrote: »

Maybe it's because I use a still hedge cutter (long reach) and the cheap ones are no good

Maybe. Mine is electric and whilst it's fine for actual hedge trimming, it is easily defeated by clearance work.

Graces7

CJhaughey wrote: »

Be wary of small pieces of blackberry, they will start to root and regrow if not removed from the ground, I would be inclined to stack it to dry and burn as much of it as you can to prevent regrowth.
If you have good neighbours a hot fire won't release much smoke, just don't overload it with green material or it will produce a lot of smoke.

You beat me to this. Brambles and nettles are very successful at growing.
I cleared a small patch to plant and am pulling out long strings of woody blackberry root and nettle roots as in several feet long, Take care by the way as the nettle roots sting mightily .

So cutting down is only the first part,

I am lucky in that I have access to an old disused field but yes they wlill regrow

magicbastarder

depending on the sort of garden(ing) you want, you could just stack all the mulched material in a corner and let it rot down.
i'm lucky enough to have a big enough garden that we have one corner i just dump hedge cuttings on. evey few years i dig out all the stuff that's composted down and spread it elsewhere in the garden. the frogs like the big pile of hedge cuttings.

pegdrums

Again many thanks for all the advice and enthusiasm!!

I very nearly picked the 4 in 1 multi tool that they have in Aldi at the moment but composed myself and left it their! 150 lids was a bit much considering you'd get a better machine second hand in decent nick for that.


I think I'll pick up a slash hook, gloves and maybe a machete. Who hasn't wanted to buy a machete at some stage?Brute force and new house excitement should tide me through.

That shed will probably need rebuilding so best save the yo-yos for that.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g4LHrbIWMm3_8K_KVFYStxyV0Ww-AAUi
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15Ac3H13mq1zFzq9zNkCv729fGKh2pDvo

gozunda

pegdrums wrote: »

Again many thanks for all the advice and enthusiasm!!

I very nearly picked the 4 in 1 multi tool that they have in Aldi at the moment but composed myself and left it their! 150 lids was a bit much considering you'd get a better machine second hand in decent nick for that.


I think I'll pick up a slash hook, gloves and maybe a machete. Who hasn't wanted to buy a machete at some stage?Brute force and new house excitement should tide me through.

That shed will probably need rebuilding so best save the yo-yos for that.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g4LHrbIWMm3_8K_KVFYStxyV0Ww-AAUi
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15Ac3H13mq1zFzq9zNkCv729fGKh2pDvo

Great stuff - sounds like you're sorted. Photos of the progress please

A2LUE42

Is weedkiller an option? Spray using a pumped sprayer, leave for a week, cut back what you can reach, dispose of waste, rince and repeat. You would be amazed how fast you progress and you are killing the roots as you go. I echo everyone who suggested good gloves. I have cleared much worse on the past year. Once you start toake progress it will fly. Just get started before other crap starts growing up through it and blocks your view of the bases.