To clear overgrown blackberries safely, start with proper hand protection, cut in stages, watch for hidden hazards, and allow time for a return visit to treat regrowth. This kind of job can easily take out two days of the week, especially when you are handling heavy green waste and unexpected equipment issues. This guide breaks down Greg Collishaw’s on-site process and shows how a Jim’s Mowing job can be handled more efficiently from first cut to final follow-up.
Watch Greg Collishaw clear overgrown blackberries above, or keep reading for the step-by-step breakdown.
What Do You Need to Clear Overgrown Blackberries Safely?
For a job like this, you need more than just a cutting tool. You also need the right protection, a plan for waste, and backup if something goes wrong.
You will need:
- Welding gloves
- A combi unit
- A working hedge attachment or hedge function on the combi unit
- Access to a reliable mowing shop
- A vehicle or trailer for green waste loads
- Tip access for disposal
- A phone for calling the shop and checking the timing
- Dext on your phone for invoice tracking
- Poison for treating new growth on the return visit
If the site is large, heavily overgrown, or full of hidden rubbish, it also helps to have an off-sider. Greg makes it clear that loading and waste runs take time, and that is often the part that slows the whole day down.
How Do You Clear Overgrown Blackberries Step by Step?
Step 1: Put On Welding Gloves Before You Touch the Blackberries
Greg’s first practical tip is simple and useful. Use welding gloves when you are dealing with blackberries because they are big, thick, and can go down pretty far on your arms.
That extra coverage lets you handle the growth more heavily without getting torn up straight away. On a rough clean-up job, that matters.
Step 2: Start the First Clearing Pass
Begin by clearing the visible growth so you can expose the ground and see what is underneath. Greg had already started this first pass and pointed out that you could see some ground where the first cut had gone through.
This first stage is about opening the site up. It is not the final finish.
Step 3: Stop Immediately If the Combi Unit Breaks
If the combi unit breaks while you are out on the job, stop and deal with it straight away. Greg’s unit failed on site, and he did not try to force his way through the rest of the job with damaged gear.
That quick stop likely saved more damage. It also gave him a chance to diagnose the issue early.
Step 4: Call Your Mowing Shop and Get Advice
Greg’s next move was to call his mowing shop, explain what had happened, and test a few things based on the advice they gave him. That let him figure out vaguely what the problem was before making the trip.
A good relationship with your mowing shop can be the difference between losing the day and getting back on site.
Step 5: Get the Tool Fixed and Return to the Site Fast
Greg took the unit down to Mooroolbark, and the shop fixed it on the spot. He says it was “five minutes in the shop”, which is exactly why fast support matters on a busy day.
Once the combi unit was working again, he went straight back on site. If you can recover the tool quickly, you still have a chance to finish the job that day or at least avoid losing momentum.
Step 6: Watch for Hidden Metal Before You Cut Deeper
As Greg got back into the job, he found a couple of metal grates hidden in between the blackberries. He also suspected he had hit the metal grating up against the side of the shed earlier, which likely caused the overload.
This is the danger point on overgrown jobs. Once the site is dense, you do not fully know what is buried in it when you first quote or start cutting. Slow down, expose the area, and check before you power through anything solid.
Step 7: Do a Second Pass at a Lower Height
Once the first layer is cleared, go back over the area at a lower height. Greg’s plan was to cut everything as far down to the ground as he could after the first clear was done.
This second pass is what turns a rough knockdown into a proper clean-up. It gets the blackberry growth lower and makes the follow-up treatment much more effective.
Step 8: Return After a Couple of Weeks and Treat New Growth
Greg’s final control step is not done on the same day. After cutting everything down, he plans to give it a couple of weeks, then come back and poison any new growth.
That is a practical way to deal with regrowth. Cutting alone clears the site, but the return visit helps stop the job from bouncing straight back.
Step 9: Plan Green Waste Runs Around the Tip Times
Big clean-up jobs are not just about cutting. They are also about moving waste efficiently.
Greg checked the time, noted it was just before one o’clock, and planned another load so he could get back before the tip closed at 4.30. He also planned ahead for the next morning, knowing he could drop off again at 7.30 on the way back if needed. That kind of planning saves wasted trips and protects the rest of the day.
Step 10: Keep the Admin Simple When Work Gets Busy
Greg also mentions using Dext on his phone to photograph invoices so the details are saved electronically. On a busy spring run, when he is full and picking up extra work, that sort of simple admin system removes clutter.
It is not part of the cutting job itself, but it is part of running the work properly. Big messy jobs are easier to manage when your paperwork is not a mess, too.
What Mistakes Should You Avoid When Clearing Overgrown Blackberries?
Do not use light gloves and assume they will be enough. Greg specifically recommends welding gloves because blackberries are tough, and the protection needs to go further down the arm.
Do not power through hidden resistance. Greg’s drive shaft snapped from overload, and the likely cause was hidden metal. If the tool hits something solid, stop and check it.
Do not treat the first pass as the finished job. Greg’s own process is to clear first, then go back lower, then return later to poison new growth.
Do not ignore your support network. If you do not have a good relationship with a mowing shop, a breakdown can cost you a couple of days and leave the job unfinished.
Do not underestimate overgrown jobs when quoting. Greg says you do not really know entirely what you are doing when you are first quoting a site like this, because hidden hazards can be buried underneath.
When Should You Call a Professional to Remove Overgrown Blackberries?
You should call a professional when the site is heavily overgrown, the growth is wrapped around sheds or fencing, or there is a real chance of hidden hazards under the blackberry cover. Jobs like this can involve metal grating, hidden rubbish, tool damage, and multiple waste runs, which is where a routine tidy-up turns into a bigger clean-up.
You should also bring in help if the waste volume is large enough to need repeated tip trips, or if the job is likely to spill into a second day. That is where proper planning, the right gear, and experience matter.
If you want this handled without guessing your way through it, book a Jim’s Mowing clean-up and ask about broader garden maintenance support. If you are comparing service options, this is also a good place to point readers to Jim’s Mowing services, garden clean-up help from Jim’s Mowing, and a Jim’s Mowing quote request page. For people looking at the business side, this type of job also shows the value of Jim’s Mowing franchise support on real work days.
What Questions Do People Ask About Clearing Overgrown Blackberries?
Yes, but only if you use the right setup and stop when the tool hits resistance. Greg’s combi unit was doing the job, but the drive shaft snapped after an overload.
The shop found that the drive shaft going through the middle had snapped from overload. Greg believed he had hit a hidden metal grating and then tried to power through it.
Greg’s method is to wait a couple of weeks, then come back and poison any new growth. That gives the site time to settle before the follow-up treatment.
Because hidden hazards can be buried under the growth. Greg found a couple of metal grates only after he was partway through the job.
Greg says a job like this can completely take out two days of the week. That can increase if you lose time to breakdowns or repeated waste runs.
Because fast advice and on-the-spot repairs can keep the day alive. In Greg’s case, the unit was fixed in five minutes in the shop, and he got back on site.