Mesquite Control: Mixing Used Motor Oil with Triclopyr (Remedy)?

[0o0]

I have several hundred mesquite (mostly under 2 inch diameter, but some larger) I want to remove from my pasture. After some research I am considering the "hack and squirt" method - hitting the trunk at a downward angle with a hatchet and then spraying poison into the wound with a portable pump sprayer.

Hoping to kill it all now and brush hog over it in about a year once it has dried up so it doesn't regrow.

I already purchased a gallon of 61.2% Triclopyr (generic Remedy). I read this should be mixed about 1 part triclopyr to 4 parts diesel to be sprayed. Would used motor oil work equally well as diesel?

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Probably not. It's too thick and won't penetrate the wood nearly as well. You're going got use, what, 2 or 3 gallons max and you are trying to save.... maybe 10 bucks? So that you can go back and do it all over again when your used motor oil doesn't get the job done?

Doesn't make any sense to me. I value my time.

 

[0o0]

Probably not. It's too thick and won't penetrate the wood nearly as well. You're going got use, what, 2 or 3 gallons max and you are trying to save.... maybe 10 bucks? So that you can go back and do it all over again when your used motor oil doesn't get the job done?

Doesn't make any sense to me. I value my time.

Thanks for the advice on wood penetration and viscosity. I thought it might be a convenient way to dispose of the oil and easier to see than diesel while spraying. The small savings are of no concern. I will stick to diesel if it is more effective.

 

[two_bit_score]

I have several hundred mesquite (mostly under 2 inch diameter, but some larger) I want to remove from my pasture. After some research I am considering the "hack and squirt" method - hitting the trunk at a downward angle with a hatchet and then spraying poison into the wound with a portable pump sprayer.

Hoping to kill it all now and brush hog over it in about a year once it has dried up so it doesn't regrow.

I already purchased a gallon of 61.2% Triclopyr (generic Remedy). I read this should be mixed about 1 part triclopyr to 4 parts diesel to be sprayed. Would used motor oil work equally well as diesel?

Let us know how that ratio works. I've always heard to use. 50/50 Remedy/diesel mix and spray it three feet from the ground all around the tree.

TBS

 

[0o0]

Let us know how that ratio works. I've always heard to use. 50/50 Remedy/diesel mix and spray it three feet from the ground all around the tree.

TBS

I will probably start next weekend, but won't know results for a few months at least. My thinking is direct application to the living part of the tree would be better in terms of using less poison and polluting less. 50/50 ground application would be less physical labor. I might try an unscientific comparison of a few different methods. For the smallest mesquite under 1.5in, I plan to spray the trunk without hacking.

For basal bark application method (no hacking) Texas A&M recommends 15% remedy for under 1.5in and 25% for 1.5-4in. diameter. Basal application is less effective if it the tree is large enough to have thick bark. In basal application the tree trunk is usually sprayed all around from the ground to about 1ft.
Stem Spray Method | Texas Natural Resources Server

I read anecdotally as little as 1 part remedy to 8 parts diesel can work with direct application with almost as high kill rate, but I don't want to take any chances.

Thanks for your input.

 

[two_bit_score]

It could take 6 months to a year for the trees to die with Remedy/diesel.

Sometimes if I want one gone I just cut it down and paint the stump with full strength 2,4D and let the stump rot out. After about a year most 4-6 in stumps are about gone. The smaller ones you are fighting should be easy to pick out in a year.

 

[Egon]

Maybe just cutting thru the bark around the circumference of the tree will work.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Maybe just cutting thru the bark around the circumference of the tree will work.

No need, and too much labor. The hack and squirt method gets the poison in where it will do its job, and doesn't take a ton of work for each tree. It's just on much bigger trees, too, where they sometimes make 2 or 3 hacks instead of just one. But it's still far less labor and time, and every bit as effective, if not more.

But I still think the best solution is to nuke it from orbit. Too bad some people didn't get the sarcasm and humor.

 

[coldsteelva]

You can hack or you can girdle and apply - they will die

 

[0o0]

Got about 5 acres or 100 trees poisoned (hopefully) in about 2 hrs on a 94 degree day. Only a bazillion more to go. I probably could have gone 8 hours if not for the heat. The ratio I used was somewhere between 1:4 and 1:6. Used about 3 gallons of diesel so far.

These mesquite were particularly hard to get to because they had been mowed over by the previous owner(s) and had formed multi trunk bushes of up to 8 trunks. It was hard to maneuver through the plant to the trunks without getting pricked. In multi trunk situations I tried to hack & squirt at least 2/3 the trunks of a plant.
I used a Fiskars X7 Hatchet which worked well. For the larger mesquite, I hacked in multiple spots to expose more of the phloem. Using a backpack sprayer, I hacked with one hand and sprayed with the other. I will try a machete next to see how it compares.

For this method a spray bottle would work too but would need to be refilled frequently.

At current fuel prices of about $2.45/gallon, I expect to spend about $70 on diesel and $300 on Triclopyr (Remedy) to kill everything. I was able to get the Remedy at about $60 delivered for 1 gallon with a coupon on eBay. Curious if there is a cheaper source.