Briars are thorny plants that can invade your yard, garden, farm, or land and cause problems for you and your desirable plants. Briar patches grow as vines, bushes, or shrubs; some produce fruit such as blackberries or brambles.
Greenbriar vines can be hard to kill because they have deep roots that can resprout if not removed completely. They can also spread by seeds or runners and thrive under trees or other plants in low-light conditions. Different methods exist to get rid of briars depending on the size of the infestation, the season, and the type of briar.
Some standard methods include digging, spraying, mowing, covering, and grazing. Digging involves using a shovel or a hoe to dig up the briars and their roots from the ground. Spraying involves using an herbicide with the active ingredient glyphosate to kill the briars and their roots above ground.
Mowing involves regularly cutting down the briars above ground to weaken them and prevent them from flowering and seeding. Covering involves laying a thick layer of mulch, cardboard, or landscape fabric over the briars to smother them and block sunlight. Grazing involves using animals such as goats to eat the briars and their foliage.
In our guide, you’ll see more about each method in detail and explain how to use it for effectively clearing briars from woods on your land. By the end, you’ll have plenty of tips on preventing briars from returning and dealing with specific types of briars, such as greenbrier, cat saw brier, poison ivy, or sticker briars. (Read What Makes Small Holes In The Ground)
What Is a Briar?
A Briar is a woody plant characterized by thorns, prickles, or spines. Briars are commonly found in temperate regions and are often considered weeds or invasive species because of their aggressive growth habit. Some common types of Briars include blackberry, raspberry, and rose bushes. Briars can be challenging to control because they spread through horizontal underground stems, known as rhizomes, which can produce new shoots and roots.
Briar patches form dense thickets that can be difficult to navigate, making them a nuisance in fields, forests, and other natural areas. Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) is an invasive wild rose that may be found in USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Other briars include dewberry (Rubus flagellaris), which can be found in USDA zones 3b through 8a, and blackberry (Rubus spp.), which can be found in USDA zones 6 through 8. A briar patch is difficult to get rid of since the plants grow back from the roots, but persistent digging and powerful pesticides eventually eradicate it.
Green Brier Patches Basics
Greenbrier, deer thorn, catbrier, cat saw brier, and sarsaparilla are among other names for brier vines (Smilax spp.). These thorny climbingvines grow from deep, underground roots that are nearly impossible to pull up by hand.
They are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 11. And even a tiny remnant will swiftly grow a new plant. Most of the Smilax genus plants are climbing vines with thorns that appear magically around the garden.
The vine’s fruit, tiny berries in shades of red, blue, or black, are the true culprit behind this spread. These berries are popular with birds; the undigested seeds are left behind everywhere and quickly germinate.
Greenbrier vines are now challenging to get rid of. These plants can thrive in the crown of a shrub or so deep in wooded areas that it takes several years for them to emerge from the plant canopy. All the roots are embedded by then, and the rhizome network is in place.
How To Control Green Briar Patches?
The care of Greenbrier vines in the garden is immediate and ongoing. Digging out the root when it is still small is your best option. Although the tap roots go deep, pulling it out by tugging on it is not a good idea because the plant will soon resprout if even a small amount of soil is left behind. Use a shovel and dig it out as soon as you see one. And keep an eye out for its companions because they rarely show up alone.
If you miss the tiny window of opportunity to get rid of the early smilax plants, you’ll likely have to be content with pruning away the above-ground stems. Without briar leaves and sunlight, the vine may eventually weaken and perish. Herbicides with the active ingredient glyphosate or triclopyr can be effective. The latter is probably preferable because it won’t hurt most grass species and woody, decorative species. (Learn How To Get Rid Of Pachysandra)
What Herbicide Will Kill Greenbrier?
Two herbicides that can kill greenbrier are glyphosate and triclopyr. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that kills any plant it contacts, while triclopyr is a selective herbicide that kills broadleaf plants but not grasses.
To use these herbicides effectively, you need to follow these steps:
How to use glyphosateon wild briars?
For glyphosate, you can either spray or paint it on the greenbrier vines. If you can unravel the vines from other plants, lay them on bare ground or plastic and spray them with a 10% solution of glyphosate (12 ounces of a product containing at least 41% active ingredient per gallon of water).
Leave it for 48 hours, then cut the stems to ground level. If you cannot unravel the vines, cut them as close to the ground as possible and paint concentrated glyphosate on the cut stems. If new sprouts appear, spray them with a 10% solution when they are 6 to 8 inches high.
How to use triclopyr to remove briars?
- You can also spray or paint triclopyr on the greenbrier vines.
- If you can unravel the vines from other plants, spray them with a 10% solution of triclopyr (9 fluid ounces of a product containing 61.6% active ingredient per gallon of water, or a 50:50 mix of an 8 or 8.8% product with an equal amount of water).
- Leave it for at least one week, then cut the stems to ground level.
- If you cannot unravel the vines, cut them as close to the ground as possible and paint concentrated triclopyr on the cut stems.
- If new sprouts appear, spray them with a 10% solution when they are 6 to 8 inches high.
Be careful not to let these herbicides contact desirable plants or their bark, as they can cause damage or death. Always read and follow label directions before using any herbicide. Note: The ideal period to control briars is late spring to early summer. When a plant is actively growing and has all of its leaves open, it absorbs most of most herbicide.
However, in the winter, briar is controlled by a basal bark herbicide spray. Briar loses leaves in early fall until late fall, yet it can still absorb herbicide through its bark.
How To Remove Briars By Hand
Small Areas of Briar Weed Digging and covering controls small briar areas. You can control one or two small briar plants by following these steps in your shrub-filled area regularly:
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, eye protection, and leather gloves to protect yourself from the briar thorns.
- Use cutting tools, such as pruning shears or loppers, to mow down the briar stems about 2 inches above the dirt. This will make it easier to dig up the plants and their roots.
- Use a garden tool, such as a garden fork or spade, to dig up the plants and their roots. Start from the edge of the plant and work your way inwards.
- Loosen the dirt around the roots and pull them out gently. Try to remove as much of the root system as possible to prevent regrowth.
- Lay ground cover fabric over the area where you dug up the briars. The cover fabric is a material that blocks sunlight and prevents weeds from growing through it. You can buy cover fabric at garden centers or online. Cut the fabric to fit the area and secure it with metal pins or rocks.
- Spread a 2-inch layer of cover material over the cover fabric. Cover material is a material that helps retain moisture and adds organic matter to the soil. You can use wood pieces, bark chips, straw, pine needles, or compost as cover material. Cover material also makes your garden look more attractive and natural.
- Put briar stems and roots in the trash; do not compost them. Briars can sprout from any part of their plant material and infest your compost pile.
- Clean your cutting tools by wiping their blades with alcohol before you use them on other plants. This will prevent the spreading of any diseases or pests that may be on the briars.
By digging and covering small areas of briar weed, you can control them effectively without using chemicals or harming other plants. You can use the same steps to deal with poison ivy around your yard. (Read When To Remove Straw Netting From New Grass)
What Is A Natural Briar Killer?
One natural way to control Briars is to use goats. Goats are known to be browsers and can eat a wide variety of plants, including Briars. They can reach areas that may be difficult for humans to access, making them an effective tool for controlling Briars in these areas.
Goats also have a digestive system that allows them to break down tough plant material, including thorns and prickles. As they graze on the wild grapevines or bushes full of blackberries, the goats can also help trample the plants and stumps to loosen the soil, making removing the root system in the early spring easier.
Additionally, goats are not a quick fix and may take several a few years to bring areas under control.
