Advice on fence line management/clearing

[Bobby_G]

We own land near Freer Tx. It is some of the thickest brush I've ever hunted. We have 2 main right of ways through the primary land that are maintained by the oil company's. Just 4 years ago our fence lines were so thick we couldn't even walk them. I hired a guy to brush hog the entire fence line and cut us some paths through the thick brush. The problem was the brush hog left 2" stobs in its paths...so sharp we couldn't drive it because we'd lose tires. Last year I hired a guy to bull doze the paths and fence lines and that was an amazing difference; however, the mesquite is coming back with a vengeance and if I don't start to manage it now, I fear it will get out of control.

I've read about using the Remedy Herbacide/Diesel mixture but do not know if its effective and/or cost effective. Any input on this appreciated...

If I were to purchase a tractor/brush hog/disc set up, would brush hogging the fences and paths twice a year and then discing the areas afterwards do the job?? My thought is disturbing the root system would not allow the mesquite bushes to take hold and start to grow...or would that enhance it's growth??

Any ideas or tips is appreciated. This is a hunting place only so no farming of any kind. We own 100 acres and that's what I'm trying to maintain....we have access to another 400 acres to hunt but that is off limits to any clearing (long story for another day lol)

Thanks in advance for taking time to comment...

[kingranch]

I have the same problem in Zapata
Even the baby mesquites boom into 6 footers with a good rainy season
The best u can do is hire a Dozer or one of those hogs that churns the dirt. Then every so often keep a bush hog on it to keep em down
- my buddy keeps a 6 foot heavy metal I-beam at his ranch and hooks it to the back of the truck and tows it around the roads often...lil Mexican ingenuity to keep the stuff from growing back

[pyrobow]

Mequite has tap roots and a disc will probably not do ant good.

[txnduckhntr]

spray the stobs with remedy and diesel, discing your just gonna get more sprouts. we also use reclaim. slick it off with a dozer and spray the sprouts till their gone

[westtexducks]

spray the stobs with remedy and diesel, discing your just gonna get more sprouts. we also use reclaim. slick it off with a dozer and spray the sprouts till their gone

Yep, going to have to kill the roots off with poison. Or you can go down the fenceline with a trackhoe or backhoe and spot grub every single one of them which will wipe them out completely. Remedy and 2-4d mixed with diesel is what we spray the roots/stubs with if we are just knocking the tops off of them.

[30-30]

A rancher used to pay me by the hour to dig up mesquite sprouts with a pick axe along his roads. He would walk the roads each year and spray any sprouts with a remedy/diesel/dye mixture (very effective btw) and have me come through a few weeks later. I'm sure that's not very cost effective but there seemed to be fewer sprouts each year. Not a whole lot fewer, but fewer.

[trey.c]

U need to root plow the senderos

[DuramaxDude]

Talk to your local extension agent tor NRCS office. The only way to get rid of it is grub it or spray it. You cant top kill mesquite by that I mean chop it/cut it down or with fire. You have to kill the bud zone with herbicide or by grubbing. The bud zone is the big lateral root you see when you grub them up if you don't get that it wont die. Root plowing is a good option but it is the most expensive mechanical option you can do. Rent a skidsteer with a grubbing blade and do it yourself or just spray it and clean it up after it dies. It will more than likely be a on going problem for many years.

http://texnat.tamu.edu/about/brush-busters/

[Porterhouse]

Root plow

[Mike Murphey]

Root plow is the only way.

[wow]

The root plow is the most exspensive but you have to spray year after year so that adds up. Root plow is the best method.

[JeffJ]

The root plow is the most exspensive but you have to spray year after year so that adds up. Root plow is the best method.

Seems like this and shredding it 3-4 times a year would be the bst idea. Then spot treat any stubborn areas?

[Junebug]

Remedy, dawn soap, water. That and a shredder are all you need.
Shred em down now. Then spray in March.

[jmangrem]

Remedy & Diesel wipes 'em out. I've sprayed hundreds and hundreds in the last 2 years with 99% kill

[Dusty Britches]

Seems like this and shredding it 3-4 times a year would be the bst idea. Then spot treat any stubborn areas?

DO NOT shred mesquite. The roots will continue to grow and in a wet year like this one you will not be able to keep up with it. And there won't be enough top growth to effectively spray for kill on the roots.

Use a root plow or Remedy and diesel. I'll bet if you dug around some of those re-sprouts you will see how big the roots have gotten. There is a new mesquite spray called Sendero that is very effective if you spray all of the leaves.