Forestry - Managing the family property

I put 12 oz triclopyr in 1 gallon of diesel, and enough dye to tint it. Use sparingly and don't spray on anything you want to live. Do not get it in your eyes, so overhead spraying is out of the question.

 

I got out for about 3 hours this morning. The new brush cutter added years to my life already.

 

Thank you. I would have assumed (incorrectly) that the triclopyr would need to be mixed with at least some water. I appreciate the information!

 

There's triclopyr 4 which is oil soluble, and triclopyr 3 which is water soluble. I like the oil soluble because it doesn't freeze in the winter and is suitable for basal bark applications. 3 would be better for foliar application, IMO. I haven't found the need for an emulsion for what I'm doing.

 

Count me as another noting info lukem I hate sumac

 

Thanks. I didn't know the difference between the two. I appreciate your patience.

I'm at war with multiflora rose on my place. I seem to be winning, but it's frustrating sometimes because they had gotten so widespread.

 

A lot of the multiflora I sprayed with glyphosate last year came back, but much, much weaker. The stuff I sprayed with triclopyr is dead dead. I figured I'd try both, and now I know.

 

Yep, I've been using the water-based triclopyr as a foliar spray on the roses in spring once they're good and green, because they leaf out early and stand out in the woods. It seems to be working well. I just have to find and spray them all, but there are fewer each year.

 

Spent a few hours early this morning spraying buckeye seedlings. They are leafed out enough that they are easy to see and the herbicide really puts the hurt on them.

Here's a picture down the property line. You can really see the difference of what I've worked on in the left side of the picture. The entire mid story and most of the understory is buckeye.



I'm probably going to have to put up the sprayer for a couple months until the honeysuckle and rose is fully leafed out before I do any more...probably just a waste of time and chemicals if I do it now.

 

My current house used to have several patches of multiflora rose scattered everywhere. I read that the seeds remain viable for 15-20 years! Since I didn't have acres of them to eradicate (maybe only 50 or so bushes) I went around in the early fall and clipped the plants a few inches above ground level. I got a huge bonfire raging and burned them, the rose hips and stems, over the course of a Saturday. The following spring when the bushes began to re-sprout, I clipped them again fresh and triclopyred the fresh cuts. So far none of the original bushes re-sprouted, but I do have to remain vigilant and yank up any new seedlings that randomly pop up. Now the battle has shifted to privet and burning bush. Luckily I don't have a ton of either of those, but I do have to get them before they get established.

 

The last round of spray seemed to be working well on the buckeye trees when I checked them yesterday, so this morning I went back out and spot treated the ones I missed. I keep thinking I've got them all just to find a 100+ more that appear out of nowhere.

The conditions were perfect for hand-pulling bush honeysuckle so I spent about an hour doing that...probably got close to an acre covered...just whittling away from the outside a little at a time. Anything finger sized or smaller just come right out...it's actually easier than spraying them.

 

Pulled up more honeysuckle this morning. I have the 6 acre honeysuckle hell hole divided into 4 sections now. I probably have 2 of the 6 acres cleared.

I have been taking a lap around the perimeter of each section clearing the next 6 feet. My forearms are cooked. It's a workout, but better than going to the gym.

 

I've pulled hundreds of ailanthus seedlings this way. Always happy to need less chemical$ to get the job done.

 

Pulled up more honeysuckle for about an hour this morning. Any more than that and my grip is gone. It needs to rain some more before I pull up anymore...they were a lot more stubborn today than just a couple days ago.

 

It's amazing how fast things change in regard to the "workability" of soil as it dries...including pulling up weeds/etc!

 

I took about a month off, but the time came to strap the backpack sprayer back on. I put out about 10 gallons of spray this morning.

I was surprised how much the multiflora rose recovered and pushed off new growth this spring. I think most of the regrowth was on plants I used glyphosate on instead of triclopyr. I won't bother with glyphosate anymore.

For now I'm just focusing on areas that I've already gone over and trying to get some areas as close to 100% controlled as I can, especially the areas where more/bigger trees are coming out.

 

I strapped the sprayer back on this morning and put out another 8 gallons....did the same 2 or 3 mornings last week. I think my body composition is now 0.5% multiflora rose thorns.

The good news I have at least the 3rd pass over all but 3 acres of the property now. Those 3 acres are literally impenetrable. I'm going to have to work around the edges, wait for that to die, then start in again on the new edge. Earlier this spring I made some paths and quartered it up, so there's a lot of edge but it's still going to take a while.

I took some of the logging money and "invested" it into some nice elevated box blinds. I'm going to try to get them put out in the next couple weeks so the deer can get acclimated to them...hard to believe but hunting season isn't that far away.

The clover on the new food plots is coming in nicely.