Little sanity check from the OB if you don't mind.

We have a pasture or two that are getting out of control with weeds and small mesquite trees/bushes. I'm thinking we hit with broadcast sprayer mixed up with sendero/surfactant/dye as a first pass. After a few months we can then spot treat those stubborn spots.

Does that sound about right to those of you that have been down this road before?

A lot of weeds have already seeded out this time of year and dropped the seeds. What about shred it all and then hit things in the spring as they start to come up? The mesquite you could spray now, youpun that kinda thing. Goat weed and the like I spray in the spring and catch it before it seeds out. I don't do a lot of spraying of weeds this time of year since you're just killing things that will die in a couple months anyway (granted depending on location and what weeds you're fighting)

Similar question - once those mesquite trees reach 3-4 inches in the truck, is a dozer about the only real option (for a large field)

For that size of mesquite, you can pull them with tractor and chain if you can catch it after a good rain.
You won't get all of them but you will get more than half of them.

Gulf Coast Aggie said:

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For that size of mesquite, you can pull them with tractor and chain if you can catch it after a good rain.
You won't get all of them but you will get more than half of them.

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Talking 30 acres +/-

Been neglected for some time now

Stem spray them and let them sit for 6 months at least so they can die and dry out. You may need another application. Then you can go back and push them over with a tractor and burn them.

You could also shred over them and hit the cut stump with a remedy mixture. It's going to take some work / time for that much acreage but it's never easy. I've been fighting youpon for years and I'm just finally starting to feel like I'm winning the war

https://texnat.tamu.edu/about/brush-busters/mesquite/stem-spray-method/

Shredding is probably one of the worst things you can do for mesquites if you're planning to spray them. A foliar spray will work on mesquites this time of year as long as you have a good leaf canopy.

Also, how dense and what size mesquites are we looking at? That will determine if you should broadcast spray or do individual plants.

BlueSmoke said:

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Similar question - once those mesquite trees reach 3-4 inches in the truck, is a dozer about the only real option (for a large field)

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Have any of you tried Remedy/deisel with "hack and squirt" method on rough barked mesquite? I would imagine a full girdle cut and spray would work but I have never tried it.

I just cleared 20 acres of huisache that had been neglected for three years. Me and a helper finished after around 3 hard days.
Again, you need a good soaking rain to be successful.

What makes shredding bad? How's that any different then hitting with a mulcher or a chainsaw? Genuine question I'm trying to better myself

Full disclosure I'm a spray, die, and push over kinda guy but I have neighbors that are shred and spray folks and they have good results.

Assuming the brush is not too tall. I would as a first pass would try a cocktail of 2,4-D and Remedy. If you do not have the equipment, then a local sprayer may have a better option and only cost around $1,000.

Spot spray as needed after that.

My uncle sprayed about 50 acres of mesquite about 6-7 years ago. Let them die. Then shredded them. He still gets flats from thorns scattered by the shredding. If it's an area you don't plan on driving on by tractor or vehicle I guess it would be ok.
I sprayed some Honey Locust about five years ago and mulched them the next year. Never again. I'm still getting flats from thorns scattered.

Now I either pull them up with a tree puller and carefully stack them or use a tree shear for the big ones…cutting at ground level….. spray the fresh cut stumps and stack and burn. I stack with a grapple and don't push them into piles to keep from scattering thorns.

Someone please explain this to me like I am 4. I have yaupon growing around the base of some desired trees. How do I kill the yaupon and not the tree?

I think you can cut them down at ground level and paint the same mix on to avoid over spraying the tree you want to keep.

I would not use diesel and remedy and paint yaupon stumps under the drip line of any tree that you value. Too much risk even with focused painting of stumps. Love me some Remedy and diesel, but keep it away from live oak canopy drip lines. We mechanically cut trash brush if we really want to clear beneath our large live oaks.

1Aggie99
I recently had about 30 acres of mesquite sprayed with a drone, sprayed with sendero/remedy/high quality surfactant mixed in water. Local feed store (Iola) does this, cost me about $3,300.00.

I will wait until spring to determine how good of kill I got, but early indications have me hopeful it was money well spent. Still gonna have to deal with getting dead trees and bushes, and thorns, taken care of. Wonderful consequence is even goat weeds are dead and not putting back out in areas sprayed. And grass is as thick and green as I've ever seen it in my 66 years on this place, I know we've had advantageous rain but I alao believe part of the grass being so great is that mesquite and goat weeds aren't competing with grass for moisture.

In years past I have grubbed mesquite with a Blue Diamond "stump bucket" on a tractor with great success. Other family members hired a local outfit to come in with skid steer and pincher/grubber and within two to three years it's hard to tell if that $10,000.00 spent was worthwhile. I can't help but think that they weren't as meticulous as I was in making sure I got several feet of tap root on all I pulled/grubbed up myself.

I have personal sprayed diesel and Remedy (3 oz. Remedy per gallon diesel) on bases of mesquite, from knee high to rough bark trunks up to 6" diameter with excellent kill results; but you have to spray completely around the circumference from ground level to at least a bit above the first "V" or crotch, as well as saturate the ground around the base.

If I was physically able, or had the money to hire the labor, my preferred method would be cut and liberally treat the stump with diesel/Remedy mix. I have cut several areas about knee high, gathering the trunks and thorns while green to pile in burn piles while thorns aren't as likely to break off. Immediately spraying the stumps cross section and circumference down to the ground and saturating ground around cut base. Had excellent kill that way to, and can come back in a year or so with front end loader bucket just at or above ground level and push/clear stumps.

Only if you want to piss off the mesquite and have it come back with a vengeance. Ask me how I know.

Thanks for the feedback. Really helpful

Small mesquites

Get on a program of grazon next every year religiously for 3-5 years
They'll disappear

With Grazon do you need to wait the six months before shredding?

I've got a bunch of tiny mesquite plants in a grassy area that ideally I'd like to spray and shred the area as normal so it doesn't get too out of hand and looks taken care off.

No animals on this and just for space.

wai3gotgoats said:

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1Aggie99
I recently had about 30 acres of mesquite sprayed with a drone, sprayed with sendero/remedy/high quality surfactant mixed in water. Local feed store (Iola) does this, cost me about $3,300.00.

I will wait until spring to determine how good of kill I got, but early indications have me hopeful it was money well spent. Still gonna have to deal with getting dead trees and bushes, and thorns, taken care of. Wonderful consequence is even goat weeds are dead and not putting back out in areas sprayed. And grass is as thick and green as I've ever seen it in my 66 years on this place, I know we've had advantageous rain but I alao believe part of the grass being so great is that mesquite and goat weeds aren't competing with grass for moisture.

In years past I have grubbed mesquite with a Blue Diamond "stump bucket" on a tractor with great success. Other family members hired a local outfit to come in with skid steer and pincher/grubber and within two to three years it's hard to tell if that $10,000.00 spent was worthwhile. I can't help but think that they weren't as meticulous as I was in making sure I got several feet of tap root on all I pulled/grubbed up myself.

I have personal sprayed diesel and Remedy (3 oz. Remedy per gallon diesel) on bases of mesquite, from knee high to rough bark trunks up to 6" diameter with excellent kill results; but you have to spray completely around the circumference from ground level to at least a bit above the first "V" or crotch, as well as saturate the ground around the base.

If I was physically able, or had the money to hire the labor, my preferred method would be cut and liberally treat the stump with diesel/Remedy mix. I have cut several areas about knee high, gathering the trunks and thorns while green to pile in burn piles while thorns aren't as likely to break off. Immediately spraying the stumps cross section and circumference down to the ground and saturating ground around cut base. Had excellent kill that way to, and can come back in a year or so with front end loader bucket just at or above ground level and push/clear stumps.

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$3,300 is a bargain for that much acreage!

Yes.

8 gallons of Sendero and 5 gallons of Remedy was $2500 of the total billed.
Maybe my pleasant disposition was a factor in garnering a rock bottom deal.
Iola Feed says they range as far as 2 hours away, spraying with their drone, so some of you might wanta see if you can get a bargain too.