Overgrown garden on Mallorca: where to start
An overgrown plot is usually the first job on a property that has changed hands or been left through a couple of summers. The temptation is to put a machine through it. The better approach is to spend an hour finding out what is under the growth first, because on this island that frequently includes old terracing, a cistern, buried irrigation and mature trees worth keeping.
Key takeaways
- Clearance is priced mostly on volume, access and where the waste goes, not on area alone.
- Old walls, cisterns and irrigation are common finds and easy to destroy with a machine.
- Dry brush against buildings is a genuine fire risk here and cleared margins are expected on rural land.
- Burning green waste is restricted or banned outright during the high risk months.
Find out what is under it first
Walk the plot and probe. Dry stone terracing shows as a line of stone under the growth. A cistern shows as a flat area or a rim. Old irrigation shows as pipe ends at bed edges. Mature almond, carob and olive are usually still alive under years of neglect and respond to pruning over a couple of seasons. Marking all of it before anyone starts is what separates a clearance from a demolition.
What clearance is priced on
Cutting is the quick part. The cost sits in what leaves the site.
- Volume of material, which is why photographs matter more than square metres.
- Whether a chipper can get close enough to reduce the pile before it moves.
- How far it is to a licensed disposal point.
- Access, since a plot reached only through a house is a different job from one a lorry can back into.
- How much has to be done by hand to protect what is being kept.
Fire, and what the rules expect
Dry brush against a building is a real hazard on Mallorca in summer, and rural properties are generally expected to keep cleared margins around structures and along access tracks. Burning is restricted or prohibited during the high risk period, so chipping and licensed disposal are the normal route. Any quote should say which it assumes, because leaving arisings on site is one of the quiet ways a cheap price becomes cheap.
The order to do it in
| Step | Why it comes here |
|---|---|
| Mark what is being kept | Once it is cut, the decision is made for you |
| Clear by hand around the keepers | Machines cannot see a wall under bramble |
| Machine clear the open ground | This is where the volume is |
| Remove waste | Volume is the largest single cost |
| Survey what has appeared | The plot you now have is not the one you bought |
| Plan the garden | A design drawn before clearance is drawn blind |
What comes next
A cleared plot regrows unless something changes. That means either a maintenance rhythm or a planting scheme that occupies the ground, and on a rural parcel usually a decision about how much becomes garden and how much stays managed land. The renovation checklist covers the next stage.
How the matching works
We do not clear plots. Send photographs and a description and we pass it to vetted clearance companies on Mallorca covering your area, who quote you directly. Request free quotes and check that disposal is included in each.
How is garden clearance priced?
Mostly by volume of material, access and distance to licensed disposal. Photographs make the quotes you receive far more accurate than a description of the area.
Can I burn the green waste on my land?
Only within the rules, and burning is restricted or banned during the high risk months. Chipping and licensed disposal are the usual answer.
Will machine clearance damage what is underneath?
It can. If you suspect old walls, terracing or irrigation under the growth, say so in the request so those areas are cleared by hand.
Can old fruit trees be saved after years of neglect?
Often, with pruning spread over two or three seasons rather than one hard cut. It is worth asking before anything is removed.
Where to start
Photograph the plot from several angles, including the access, and mark anything you already know is worth keeping. Send it through and several companies can price the same clearance.
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