Young County mesquite control

[JeffJ]

I know how to attack cedar but I am clueless on mesquite. My MIL and her two sisters have about 1200 acres and the mesquite are getting bad. One field that was a hay field 20 years ago is now full of 4-8' mesquite. Whats the best way to clear it now and maintain it going forward?

[BigYoung]

Here ya go!

You got to spray them and kill the Mesquite first.

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

I used the A&M Huisache foliar control method on 200 acres of honey locust with a 85-90 % kill rate and sprayed from a 4 wheeler with a Northern Tool 15 gallon sprayer. I bought the brass nozzle the A&M PHDs recommend and it does the job. Northern Tool sprayers have top notch pumps and tanks.

Read how you have to get kill all the way to the root system or little ones will pop up from the underground nodes.

[bowhunterchris]

Grazon will kill them. They make a new Grazon called Grazon NEXT or something like that. If you run cattle it is supposed to run through the digestive system and still be deadly to the plants when they poop/pee. We sprayed that this year and every Huisache and Mesquite it touched is dead.

[Hawkins]

Grub it or spray it. I have a few contacts for grubbing mesquite if you need them.

[Chad74]

Bringing one up from the past.
When is the best time to spray mesquites?

[Ryan C]

Spring/summer. It depends on which product you want to use and plans for the property. You can use a cheaper chemical earlier in the spring to suppress the mesquites and kill weeds or spray a more expensive product for a one shot kill in July usually. If you’re talking about smaller areas and hand treating, there are more options there as well. The link posted above should have most of the info you’re looking for.

[DRSHUNTER]

With that much country contact NRCS and they will cost share aerial spraying with you at 1/2 cost.


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[Kossetx]

However you choose to treat them the key is upkeep. You can never slack off. I cleared my pasture 15 years ago and have killed tens of thousands since. Tens of thousands isn't a guess either. I used to carry a clicker and log the numbers down. It gets better every year but I have a book that states a mesquite bean can lie dormant for 50 years. I only have to spray 2-300 a year now. We havent had but .5" of rain in 8 weeks but the mesquite trees think it's **** fine weather to start growing in.

Your gonna need an regiment to attack a coupla square miles though.

[brokeno]

Skid steer with grub.

[Ryan C]

Actually, the NRCS contracts pay the large majority of the cost, if you can get approved and funded. Each county sets its priorities each year, so you’ll have to check and see what they’re paying on this year. And of course, there are strings attached to their money.

[Black Ice]

Young County mesquite control

I spray, mow, cut with pole saw, and pay for a couple of thousand in dozer work every year or every other year to keep the roads open. That’s on about 550 acres but I’m 9 hrs away so it’s only about 4 weekends a year where I’m spraying and cutting myself.


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[rtjh]

Foliar spray Sendero from July to September, as long as you get good coverage I've had good kill. Basal/cut stump spray using Garlon and diesel can be done any time. I made a quick trip to the ranch this weekend and spent the majority of the time spraying. One thing you might try is mowing it all down and spraying the stumps with Garlon.

[whitetailfanatic]

Guess no one would purchase/take the mesquite wood??

[camoclad]

If you cut and spray, this is a good time of year. Those root sprouting species are starting to take reserves down to their roots for the winter. Let them take a lil medicine down there instead.

[Chad74]

Guess no one would purchase/take the mesquite wood??

This brings up another point, is it safe to burn/cook with poisoned mesquite wood?