Took more pictures of the brush I want to take out. How do I proceed?

[BJE80]

Here are more pictures of where I want to put that food plot where I want to just chop down the brush. I call these tags but they sure are skinny branchs for tags aren't they? What do you think they are and how would you go about killing them? The hope was that i could just use the weed whacker saw blade but there was concerns about the root bases growing back.

 

[wiscwhip]

Wow BJE, many of your pics look just like a couple areas on my old man's place on the north side of the river. We had that same brushy stuff growing on our place, never did ID it with 100% certainty. We would cut them as close to the ground as possible and then immediately treat the cut ends with Tordon. It worked well, but if you are planning on planting something in there this fall, I would get to work, it takes a while for the roots and "stumps" to break down far enough to be able to properly "till" those areas. A disc was almost worthless, we had to moldboard plow those areas with the 2 bottom and the Farmall to get those roots to where they didn't interfere with the disc getting to the proper depth.

 

[BJE80]

Wow BJE, many of your pics look just like a couple areas on my old man's place on the north side of the river. We had that same brushy stuff growing on our place, never did ID it with 100% certainty. We would cut them as close to the ground as possible and then immediately treat the cut ends with Tordon. It worked well, but if you are planning on planting something in there this fall, I would get to work, it takes a while for the roots and "stumps" to break down far enough to be able to properly "till" those areas. A disc was almost worthless, we had to moldboard plow those areas with the 2 bottom and the Farmall to get those roots to where they didn't interfere with the disc getting to the proper depth.

Ok. This will be no till. If I could get equipment there I would try and just pull them out.


Would you treat them or would you consider just cutting them down and seeing what comes back up?

 

[wiscwhip]

If you cut and treat them and want to plant right away, you might try gly first(?), as the Tordon did seem like it may have had some residual effects. We cut and sprayed in April and plowed up the roots in May and then disked and planted in August. The rye came up fine and grew, but it seemed like it might have struggled a bit that first fall. Could have been the Tordon or just the fact it was a new plot on very low ph sand?

 

[BJE80]

If you cut and treat them and want to plant right away, you might try gly first(?), as the Tordon did seem like it may have had some residual effects. We cut and sprayed in April and plowed up the roots in May and then disked and planted in August. The rye came up fine and grew, but it seemed like it might have struggled a bit that first fall. Could have been the Tordon or just the fact it was a new plot on very low ph sand?

Would you even consider just chopping it down and see what it does? Only use chemicals if I have too. Or am I way off base.

 

[wiscwhip]

If I was going to do that, I would do it immediately. Get them cut and then see what comes up when everything takes off in the next month or so, then you can cut again and treat with chemical if you think your not getting the kill you wanted.

 

[BJE80]

If I was going to do that, I would do it immediately. Get them cut and then see what comes up when everything takes off in the next month or so, then you can cut again and treat with chemical if you think your not getting the kill you wanted.

I was hoping to cut this weekend I think. At least some of it to see what it does.

 

[wiscwhip]

I would make it a point to get it done over the next couple weeks for sure, that way you will still have time to redo it if your not seeing the results you want. What do you plan on planting in there?

 

[BJE80]

I would make it a point to get it done over the next couple weeks for sure, that way you will still have time to redo it if your not seeing the results you want. What do you plan on planting in there?

I don't know yet. Depends how it all looks come fall. I'll be spraying with gly to keep the grasses down all summer and broadcast into it. It will be a small seed and/or WR.

 

[BJE80]

Lets say I wanted to spray with Tordon. I assume you just used a backpack sprayer after chopping it all down and spray the whole area?

 

[wiscwhip]

No, just spot spray the tops of the cut stems. If you are going to use a couple gly applications on the whole area to keep summer weeds down, I would just cut the brush now and spray the stumps and any new sprouts when you spray everything else.

 

[BJE80]

I like that plan. Alot. :)


How did stuff grow for you in that area you prepared by your old place?

 

[wiscwhip]

The first fall it was slow, but the rye came up and made it through to spring, seemed a bit stunted that first fall, as I said. Maybe from the Tordon, or just as likely from planting into a new, low ph plot that the lime hadn't started working on yet. Within 2 years it was growing as good as the rest of our plot areas, but our soil was all the same, so I would have expected nothing different. That area got only rye the first fall, buckwheat the next spring, then to a rye/ppt mixed planting the second fall. After that we tried some experiments with different clovers, different brassica mixes, a bird's foot trefoil/small burnet mix, but in the end, most years it came down to rye/brassicas in the fall and BW the next spring.

 

[chummer]

They will definitely grow back but hit any new growth with your gly and they will be dead by fall. Can you get a truck in there. I have pulled a lot of stuff like that and it comes out real easy. I use a cable with a hook on the end. Wrap the whole bundle and hook it, they will pull right out.

 

[BJE80]

They will definitely grow back but hit any new growth with your gly and they will be dead by fall. Can you get a truck in there. I have pulled a lot of stuff like that and it comes out real easy. I use a cable with a hook on the end. Wrap the whole bundle and hook it, they will pull right out.

Like i said earlier I would rather pull them out if I could get anything back there. I can't even get my ATV there.



Plus they will all get nuked a few times this summer as I keep the weeds down so that should be a winner.

 

[chummer]

Like i said earlier I would rather pull them out if I could get anything back there. I can't even get my ATV there.



Plus they will all get nuked a few times this summer as I keep the weeds down so that should be a winner.

From my a experience if they are completely dead this year next year you should be able to smash them up with an axe. Not fun if there is a lot of them but should be fine to broadcast over.

 

[BJE80]

BJE,

I'm going to put in a plot in a similar area if all goes well. I've going a DR Brushcutter that I'm going to use to keep it cut back after the sprayings. I'll be doing WR and Purple top turnips in the fall. I may try some clover earlier if I have time.

Sweet I wish you luck. I am going to start working this weekend on it I think.

 

[Jim Timber]

I think you'll be fine with the brush blade and spray plan.