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Mesquite Clearing #7372643 12/10/18 09:43 PM
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Dalroo Offline OP
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Not sure if right place to post, but will start here since it is kind of a DIY...

I purchased my place in early 2015. It has been used for grazing for most of past 40 years, but I did find aerials from the 50s that show it mostly open pasture, and I have been told that there was significant hay produced on it many years ago. Through lack of management and overgrazing, parts of my place are now densely wooded in mesquite. Most is covered in small mesquite, 1-2", but some of the trees are as large as 8 - 10" in diameter.

Using Remedy, I have been spraying, waiting 'til dead, then pushing back with the tractor, and respraying regrowth as needed. The good side of this, what I have cleared is now pretty clean, and each year there is less regrowth to spray. A few problems with this method, the mature trees take a lot of spray, I can't get my tractor into some areas without tearing up the tires, and biggest challenge, at this pace I should get done sometime around the year 2350.

I am going to try another method, but first curious for feedback. I am contemplating getting a forestry mulcher and knocking down 10-12 acres at once. I know regrowth will be a problem, but once down, I can access these areas with the tractor and keep them mowed, while also spraying the regrowth as needed. I think once down I can use less chemical on the regrowth than I am using on the woody, rough bark trees.

The main issue that concerns me, the regrowth is usually bush, so instead of single tree, I will be dealing with bushy growth.

Any thoughts? Experience?


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How about that Brandon!
Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7372676 12/10/18 10:21 PM
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I would consider having it sprayed with an airplane if it is heavily grown over. I had some sprayed and it only cost $25/acre.

Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7372691 12/10/18 10:29 PM
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Have you thought about about a dozer with a root plow?


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Payne] #7372702 12/10/18 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Payne
Have you thought about about a dozer with a root plow?


Yup...push....plow....pile....and burn....


Originally Posted by Sneaky
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Originally Posted by beaversnipe
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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7372725 12/10/18 11:06 PM
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There's a reason that you don't see a lot of forestry mulchers dealing with mesquite. I would bet by the time you spent the time and money spraying afterwards you could've hired out a dozer to do it.

Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7372760 12/11/18 12:07 AM
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Once you have the mesquite cleared, you also have to keep at it year after year. I have seen a lot of places that spent the time and money clearing mesquite, and not follow through keeping it cleared. Within 10 years some of them are worse than before they started. It is a lifetime commitment.


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7372916 12/11/18 02:10 AM
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I've been helping a friend on his place in Del Rio cutting mesquite and cedar this year.
Used one of these on the smaller ones and pushed the larger ones.
We sprayed the cuttings with remedy and diesel. Looking good so far.
http://brushshark.com/
We had the 6' mounted on 100 horse JD.


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You`re walking on the fighting side of me. (Merle)
Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7373343 12/11/18 03:35 PM
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Good comments and yes, strongly considered dozer and aerial spraying. Haven't fully committed to mulching.

Keep the comments coming, and pdr55, I like the post with your experience.


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How about that Brandon!
Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7373379 12/11/18 04:18 PM
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I had a 22 acre field cleared for hay on a place I used to own. Here is how the dozer guy handled it.
1. Dozed the field with a D7.
2. Raked and piled everything into a long windrow.
3. Burned pile and buried ashes and whatever didn't burn up.
4. Came back with a D9 and root plowed the field. Raked and burned again.
5. Disked the field 3 times with a 20' offset disk
6. I used my tractor to disk again and dragged the field with a 10' long piece of railroad rail to level the ground.
7. Lightly disked again and sprigged with Jiggs and rolled the sprigs with a huge roller.
The whole process cost me almost $400/acre but I cut and baled the place for 7 years and never once saw any mesquite come back. As others have said, you can spray mesquite and eventually get rid of it but I'm not a big fan of spraying every year for the rest of my life.
BTW I've seen places that were mulched end up looking worse than they did before mulching.
Just my 2cents


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7373459 12/11/18 05:30 PM
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Is there a lot of ground cover/grass? Is control burn an option?

Our property burned a few years ago and the fire really set the brush of all kinds back. We had a pretty heavy load of fuel for the fire, ungrazed and it was during January when it burned so dormant. It killed anything less than baseball size diameter was just gone, most of the bigger stuff was significantly stunted and some of it died. It would be a place to start anyway.


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7373503 12/11/18 06:13 PM
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Fire is your friend....I love controlled burns....helps eliminate or mitigate uncontrolled (wild) burns.....its gonna burn sooner or later.....either managed or unmanaged......Fire is a wonderful underutilized management tool.... 2cents


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7373560 12/11/18 06:56 PM
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Call you local NRCS agent - the EQIP program might match funds for dozing, root plowing, raking and burning. Did 23 acres that way. Paid the big dozer man to do it. NRCS paid for half.

Last edited by George - w/ Map My Ranch; 12/11/18 06:58 PM.

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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7374359 12/12/18 01:05 PM
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Is it huntable land? If so give someone a great deal on a hunting season lease with one catch...


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7374387 12/12/18 01:42 PM
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Mulching is great for cedar because it doesn't regrow from the roots, but mequite (and huisache) however, will still thrive from the roots even after it's cut off at ground level - the larger the tree -> the more established the roots -> the more difficult to kill. That's why there are different types of applications for Remedy. The leaf spray method won't kill the established trees.

my 2cents - The dozer - root plow method will be the fastest, but also probably cost the most. If you want to DIY:

1- you could rent a dozer/rake or

2 - if you have a decent sized tractor with a FEL then find a well built root grubber. You can knock the trees over with the FEL then pull the roots with the grubber ->push into piles and burn.

Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7374503 12/12/18 03:03 PM
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Need to get the tap root, so I'd say use a grubber like maid by Vail products, or excavator with grapple type bucket, I think they do less surface damage than a Dozer.

I used a 150hp tractor years ago, neighbor had made a grubber that worked very good that attached similar to a bail spike on FEL.

Here is a mean mofo on mesquite and heck of an operator






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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7374618 12/12/18 04:46 PM
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I agree with Western, Excavator is the cleanest and fastest way to grub mesquites, got to get the root ball. No way I would aerial spray, have seen it done a a lot out here and 75% of the trees come back.


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7376788 12/14/18 02:56 PM
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I spoke at length with the folks at A&M Agriculture Department about my needs. They had a great deal of input on methods for mesquite control, and actually provided some thoughts on how to go about clearing using the forestry mulching approach. Probably the biggest change to my plan wold be not to mow the areas following clearing, but to spray, with a combination of Remedy and Sendero, any regrowth and let it sit for a season (or two) to get good root kill.

They agreed that dozing is a very effective method to minimize regrowth, but it is also the most disruptive to the land. Fire is good as well, but does not usually impact trees that are more mature.

I still haven't made a final decision and going to talk grubbing next. Any way I go, this is going to be a long process and will take several years of maintenance to get the land to the condition I want. Stay tuned....


Dalroo
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How about that Brandon!
Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7377009 12/14/18 06:30 PM
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Don't use Sendero, buy Remedy and Reclaim and mix with water and dish soap. Remedy and Reclaim mixed is the same as Sendero but a lot cheaper. They charge a lot for pre-mixing it for you. I've used this method for years on mesquite and it works very well.
I use the generic brands of Remedy and Reclaim and they work just as good as name brands and about 1/3 cheaper.
Triclopyr 4 is Remedy
Clopyralid 3 is Reclaim

For Prickly Pear I use Picloram 22k

Last edited by Stompy; 12/14/18 06:56 PM.

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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7377977 12/15/18 11:13 PM
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The best way I have seen is an excavator with one of these http://www.trkattachments.com/members/uploads/7_445332239_efcae4007c4ce3443f284429_0.jpg gets the root deep enough it wont come back and minimal disturbance of soil

Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7378673 12/17/18 01:19 AM
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Excavator with a grubbing blade is the best. If you can afford it, have them bring their skid-steer too and clean/level afterwards .
Dozing works but takes longer and is tougher on the land.
A place next to us burned 7 years ago and took out all the mesquites- for a year. Then every one of them sprouted thick at the bases.
An old rancher told me that “if you cut them, or mow them, or mulch them you just piss them off.”
Grubbing works, then spot-spray from then to eternity.


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Re: Mesquite Clearing [Re: Dalroo] #7382659 12/20/18 08:32 PM
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I have been cutting them down and then immediately spray the stump with remedy or roundup. Both seem to work well, even on big trees. Small trees I just use a limb lopper and then spray. Try a few this winter and then check them in the spring, they will be dead. Have to spray right after you cut them, if you wait it does not work.

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