When we first looked at the Blue Range Close block, we realised that, because it had not been actively used for several years, there was a significant problem with blackberry infestation.
One of the lessons we had already learned was that the three most important things in plantation establishment were "Weeds, weeds and weeds!". We therefore knew we would have to make a concerted attack on the blackberries. We also knew that we would have to do this soon, because the best time to spray blackberries is in late-summer or early-autumn when they have stopped growing and are starting to draw leaf nutrients back into their root systems. Having only settled on the land purchase in late-February, we were pressed for time. However, 2005 was a long late summer and so we were able to spray in early April. The blackberry spraying was contracted out to a professional weed control company, who managed to finish the job in about two weeks at a cost of approximately $10,000. Weed control is not cheap, but it's worth every cent!
As a result of the spraying, the luxuriant blackberry growth soon changed in apprearance. Gone was the lush green growth, with the leaves and stalks turning brown (aided by the onset of winter). By next summer, when the blackberries would normally be flourishing again, the majority of the growth was dead, with only a few missed patches and some minor regrowth to be controlled with a follow-up spray in January 2006.
