BlackBerry time in Victoria

Submitted: Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:18
ThreadID: 41732 Views:2235 Replies:3 FollowUps:16
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What a near perfect long weekend (except a 30ft high tree stayed exactly
where it was after I chain sawed completely thru it), after proceeding on
and checking out many places it seemed to us that the hot dry summer had
stuffed the blackberry growing cycle, with small dehydrated and burnt fruit
being all we found.

Thinking about it, it seemed the most likely chance of getting a few was
along a shaded creek where they could overhang the water.
We diverted off the overgrown track we were on to such a place we know
near the old Rubicon power station where there is a lovely creek and sure
enough found Blackberries of an acceptable quality.
At the creek is a rocky crossing which we always seem to hit the diff in
and while wife was collecting I found the suspected deep hole and filled
it with rocks.

As I prepared to drive thru a couple of trail bikes pulled up from
a nearby camp to watch, seems a vehicle had recently got stuck there
and they wanted to see another stranding.
They hadn't seen me stack the odds and were dissapointed that
we crossed relatively cleanly.

By now we had a 2lt container full of acceptable Blackberries, and
were within range of an oven so soon had a lovely Apple and Blackberry
sponge cooked, topped with icecream.
We had left kids with friends, and got a text message saying -
"We have speared 23 carp - and can we stay the night ?"

Knowing this meant the sponge was all ours, we accepted a little
to readily and the delightful long weekend continued on.

Its still a little early for Blackberries north of Melbourne but at
current prices a 2lt container is worth more than $15 and its easy
to pick more than the cost of the trip, but it looks like
you will have to take care to go to places near water to make it
worthwhile this season.

Robin Miller
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Reply By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:26

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:26
Nice fruit Robin, but what a horrible weed. I hope they soon will find a fungus that would wipe them out in the High Country. Ingress into gardens from the roadside weeds, transported by birds, is a real worry.

I hope you can cultivate your own if you want them!
AnswerID: 218324

Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:29

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:29
Hi John

Agree, don't think I'd let blackberries anywhere near my property.

Robin Miller

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Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:36

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:36
Robin, on "that" fruit again, everytime an eater passes faeces they deposit the seed. If you do that anywhere round the traps they provide the new plant with the nutrient to give it too a healthy start in life. If you eat blackberries crap in a prepared toilet please, not behind any tree.
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Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:46

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:46
On that line John , have been told birds are a big spreader , don't know much about the subject myself.

Seems I see a lot where there used to be human habitation though.

Robin Miller
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Follow Up By: Psi - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:49

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 10:49
Geezus John

Do you have to be so graphic? C,mon, this is a family forum!

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Follow Up By: Des Lexic - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 11:16

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 11:16
Psi, I think you got the message quite succinctly.

John, Did you catch up with the visitors on the weekend? I thought you might have been at the tennis.
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Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 12:18

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 12:18
Psi, sorry you are offended by some elementary facts of natural health and hygiene. It happens every day of the week, may be several times. Unless I can be graphic the message won't get across to some.

Des, yes the visitors left this morning a little late for their next appointment. The Bonz family, well three of em, here last night too for dinner.

Robin, hikers are a common source of spread, though not in our garden where that common rogue the common blackbird does it. No doubt 4by drivers and passengers can be as much a source of spread. Hence my comment.
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Follow Up By: Member - Pesty (SA) - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:28

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:28
Used to work for a guy who had his own personal blackberrys in his back yard, was quite shocked when he just walked into the bush, it was a thornless one and didnt seem to spread much with time like the wild ones do.
Dont know if you can still get them.

Cheers Pesty
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Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 15:03

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 15:03
Local berry grower has the thornless ones tooPesty but I guess because they have no thorns the rabbits can eat the canes before anything else, so they get out competed mate. Was discussing it this morning with Nick as he reckons there should be a genetic solution. Millions being spent already but so many people and birds are continuing to spread them.

Hope SWMBO is thriving.....
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Follow Up By: Willem - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 20:51

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 20:51
Dunno what that Psi fella is on about

We have a lovely stand of thornless blackberries which we are training up over a pergola.

Hmmmm .........berries and icecream...yummmmmm
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Follow Up By: Member - JohnR (Vic)&Moses - Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007 at 02:47

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007 at 02:47
Willem, I think Psi feels a bit let down. Just a bit low you may say.
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Reply By: Max - Sydney - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:19

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:19
Makes the mouth water - I can remember picnics about this time of year in Adelaide to gather blackberries by the bucket. In areas now part of the suburbs too.

However, its a noxious plant in NSW and you'd be crazy to try picking and eating any that happened to grow as they are likely to have had a good dose of spray! For all the reasons given so graphically by some of the respondents!

Pity
Max
AnswerID: 218360

Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:24

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:24
They are frequently sprayed in State Forests, NPs, etc in Victoria too - usually DSE put notices up to that effect but they blow away etc? How are you feeling Robin? :)

Mike Harding
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Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:19

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:19
Hi Max

You raise an interesting point about health aspects of picking
sprayed Blackberries.

Haven't looked into this lately, but have a government
report somewhere stating that its policy to not spray
Blackberries when they contain fruit. This is specifically
to reduce possibility of public picking sprayed fruit.

Apparently there is no real issue otherwise. Its been some
time since I've seen rows of browned out Blackberries in our
area, but when I did we would avoid the area.

Its also wise, I would think to not eat them whilst picking
until they are at least washed.

Last year we picked about $100 of Blackberries in a lazy
afternoon and my wife makes a wonderful healthy type sponge
pudding which is just heaven to consume.

We break picked berries into sizes enough for a pie, put
them into individual supermarket plastic bags and freeze
them for use over months ahead.

Robin Miller

P.S. Just noted your follow up Mike - according to my old policy statement placing signs proved impractical.

We are a bit into healthy stuff and believe there are many common foods that would make you sicker than even recently sprayed berries.

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Reply By: Shaker - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:45

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 13:45
What happened to the 30' tree that you cut all the way through?
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Follow Up By: Member No 1- Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:11

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:11
i want to know too!
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:15

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:15
It's now a 29' 11.5" tree :)
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Follow Up By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:22

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 14:22
Yeah but is it waiting to fall at some inopportune time?
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Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 15:14

Monday, Jan 29, 2007 at 15:14
Hi Shaker

The 30ft tree was not one of my finer moments, it was only few years
old and grew straight up near others on side of track such that it
made it difficult to get past and maybe impossible next year.

Being on steep slope as well it was hard to gauge which way it
would fall.
If it had been much more than 200mm thick I would have left it for now.

Use a chainsaw a lot, and did the usual two cuts and it just stood
there.
Its seems hard to believe but I've seen a tree stand this way for over
a month.

No wind, but an accident waiting to happen and couldn't leave it that way, so I gave it a push with both hands about 1 meter above the cut.
It moved slightly and top got caught in another tree only about 1 meter away and it was still almost vertical.
Thought about the options (I'm deep into bush on a trail bike, before
heading off to blackberries).

Decided best was to cut it carefully as high as I safely could
about 1 meter above first cuts. This would cause the 1 meter long section
to break out under the small lean. Catch is that the break out occurs very fast
and top 25ft of tree drops vertically down, hits the ground and could go
in any direction, as its spits out lower section.

Knowing forces, I cut from where I would not get hit but this gave me
poor control of saw.
As I completed the cut the tree snapped as expected and I moved letting go
of the saw which I expected to happen.
The tree dropped 1.5 meters, spitting out the 1 meter section. It began to fall
and when at about 60 degrees on its way down it caught up in a third tree.

The saw rolled down the slope about 20 meters (vertical).

I keep my eye on the tree and when it stopped moving I grabbed it above its base
(now on the ground) and jerked it upwards and let go.
This weight of the remaining 25ft above causes the base to be re-positioned
a couple of feet further out causing the top to drop down a little more.
You have to do this just right and be prepared to jump, not reccomended
at all, and a heavy part of my assesment in how to handle the issue was that
the weight of the tree was manageable, if difficult.

Repeated this process 3 times till it finally gave up and came down.
However in its last act of defiance it now lay across the track and would have
to be cut up and moved piece by piece.

Unbelieveably the chainsaw was still running, and I slid down the 50 degree slope
to retrive it and finnish the job.

Robin Miller
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