Skid steer sprayer for prickly pear

[jyoutz]

I'm in middle Tennessee and don't know anything about cactus, but I've sprayed a lot of kudzu with a couple of different handheld wands and with a rear mount sprayer arm working from a PTO pump. In some respects, the rear sprayer arm is more efficient because it is a finer spray that covers all the leaves and tends to kill kudzu more effectively than the coarser spray from the handheld wands.

The wands themselves basically allow for a wider spray vs a more concentrated spray, but neither is as fine as the rear sprayer arm. This is similar to one of my wands. Valley Industries SuperJet Trigger Spray Gun 22in., 8 GPM, 800 PSI, Model# 1700-02-022 | Northern Tool

With the price of herbicide going up, I can see the point in trying to make the more efficient use of it even if it means paying more up front to fabricate a spraying rigs specific to your needs.

I've never used an electric sprayer. The issue I've read about is battery drain. I don't suppose there are other cost effective options with the skid steer not having a PTO for a spray pump like a tractor?

For my electric sprayer, I mounted it on a 3ph carryall on a pallet. Then strapped on a deep cycle battery. Worked great.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

You need a pesticide applicators license to buy that product. Mine expired, but I still have some that you can have.

I 'll let you know.... I am going to try some generic OTC stuff. Does the Surmount prevent regrowth?

 

[jyoutz]

I 'll let you know.... I am going to try some generic OTC stuff. Does the Surmount prevent regrowth?

It killed prickly pear down to the roots and they don’t resprout. I went around and picked up the dried cactus with a pitchfork, threw in loader and hauled off to a burn pile. I do get occasional seedlings establish each year due to animals scattering seeds from adjacent areas, but they are so minimal that I just drive around the property and dig them with a shovel now. My land has been largely cactus free for 10+ years and the grass has really responded well. You might be able to kill prickly pear with 2-4-D that doesn’t require a license, but if I tried that I would injure the cactus and apply herbicide incide.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

It killed prickly pear down to the roots and they don’t resprout. I went around and picked up the dried cactus with a pitchfork, threw in loader and hauled off to a burn pile. I do get occasional seedlings establish each year due to animals scattering seeds from adjacent areas, but they are so minimal that I just drive around the property and dig them with a shovel now. My land has been largely cactus free for 10+ years and the grass has really responded well. You might be able to kill prickly pear with 2-4-D that doesn’t require a license, but if I tried that I would injure the cactus and apply herbicide incide.

I might try to beat them up first, If I'm standing there to spray them, wouldn't be too hard to take out some frustration on them first! Thanks.

 

[jyoutz]

I might try to beat them up first, If I'm standing there to spray them, wouldn't be too hard to take out some frustration on them first! Thanks.

Try strong mix of 2-4-D with diesel. But nothing else will grow there for awhile. If you want grass, use water mix instead of diesel. For single plants a shovel works well, but herbicides are needed for big cactus mats. The Surmount absolutely destroyed the cactus but not the grass.

 

[Smokeydog]

I have a receiver hitch on top of the bucket to hold a trailer hitch platform to hold the sprayer tank. Electric pump, 15 gallon, 60psi, 2.2gal from Northern tool. Reach about 30’ from wand. Lot easier to wand from a open station tractor than a skid steer.

Have a 25 gallon also that the wand can clip on the tank, fan tip, and area spray behind a four wheeler. Might be able to run switched power and use the bucket and skid steer controls to move the wand?

Grow prickly pear on top of the stone wall. Keeps people from climbing over. The big thorns aren’t nearly as bad little fine ones that stay with you. Don’t have to worry about it spreading because of meaner plants will kill it.

2-4-D is about the only thing I spray sparingly.

 

[2manyrocks]

For very limited spot spraying of the isolated kudzu plant that crops up in the field, I have considered using an electric spot sprayer because I could spray the plants when I spot them while bush hogging. I hadn't thought of mounting an electric sprayer to the receiver hitch on my FEL until I saw Smokeydog's post. That's helpful to me. Thank you.

I'm curious about what the OP is considering because the OP mentions "Front bar that would push/damage the cactus before the spray hits them (this greatly improves the effectiveness of the spray)" and mentions using a
Kubota SVL-75-2 which to me sends the idea of a front push bar into some other very heavy duty realm? What kind of push bar is envisioned?

My experience has been that I get better coverage if I'm using my rear boom because the herbicide is reaching the plant from a couple of different direction, but the wand is easier to point from a tractor seat.

But I suspect the OP has a sort of hybrid approach in mind that isn't a boom sprayer, but isn't a wand either. He could braze mount spray tips on his push bar aimed at a couple of directions that would more completely cover the plant if that's the best way the herbicide should be applied. A momentary electric push button switch similar to those used on electric diverter hydraulic controls could be used on the joystick to spray the herbicide.

The spray tips themselves are available in a variety of spray patterns. There is also a specific conejet nozzle mentioned in the article already posted. brush-busters-how-to-control-pricklypear-and-other-cacti

 

[jyoutz]

For very limited spot spraying of the isolated kudzu plant that crops up in the field, I have considered using an electric spot sprayer because I could spray the plants when I spot them while bush hogging. I hadn't thought of mounting an electric sprayer to the receiver hitch on my FEL until I saw Smokeydog's post. That's helpful to me. Thank you.

I'm curious about what the OP is considering because the OP mentions "Front bar that would push/damage the cactus before the spray hits them (this greatly improves the effectiveness of the spray)" and mentions using a
Kubota SVL-75-2 which to me sends the idea of a front push bar into some other very heavy duty realm? What kind of push bar is envisioned?

My experience has been that I get better coverage if I'm using my rear boom because the herbicide is reaching the plant from a couple of different direction, but the wand is easier to point from a tractor seat.

But I suspect the OP has a sort of hybrid approach in mind that isn't a boom sprayer, but isn't a wand either. He could braze mount spray tips on his push bar aimed at a couple of directions that would more completely cover the plant if that's the best way the herbicide should be applied. A momentary electric push button switch similar to those used on electric diverter hydraulic controls could be used on the joystick to spray the herbicide.

The spray tips themselves are available in a variety of spray patterns. There is also a specific conejet nozzle mentioned in the article already posted. brush-busters-how-to-control-pricklypear-and-other-cacti

I have found that using a tackifier mixed with the surmount herbicide makes it stick to the cactus and there is no need to damage the cactus before spraying. I had near complete kill with one early summer application. A spray boom would be easy but is less controllable than a wand, so the boom will likely result in more non target plant kill. A dye added to the solution is necessary so you can track your completion and not miss cactus.

 

[2manyrocks]

Surfactant makes a huge improvement in the effectiveness of herbicide used on kudzu.

I wonder if the OP is going to be using a totally enclosed operator's station with AC? If it's open, I can see using a wand. If it's closed, I wouldn't want to give up my AC in order to use a wand.

 

[jyoutz]

Surfactant makes a huge improvement in the effectiveness of herbicide used on kudzu.

I wonder if the OP is going to be using a totally enclosed operator's station with AC? If it's open, I can see using a wand. If it's closed, I wouldn't want to give up my AC in order to use a wand.

Surfactant is the word I was looking for instead of tackifier. Thanks.