New Pasture Saplings

[nancyk]

to kill young callery pear, cut off at base. Remedy or Torton RTU put on small stump, just after lopping?

 

[Flogger]

On the stumps drill a hole and pour some powdered pool shock in them. I use that trick on elms that are close to my water well and it seems to stop them dead in their tracks.

 

[nancyk]

what is pool shock?
found out what Pool Shock is. Might be better to be around than some chemicals. Wonder if bleach would work on the small stump/base?

 

[JSanders10]

what is pool shock?

Amazon.com : pool shock

 

[MikeyCrews]

Hello all, Me and my wife bought our place about six years ago. There was about five acres that had been clear cut by the previous owner. He let it grow up and by the time we got it, it had grown up a lot. We hired a forestry mulcher to come in and clean it up. In the process of harrowing it and getting it ready to seed. My question is there are so many maple and gum saplings that just keep on coming back. I brushhog them as low as I can and just keep cutting them but they always come back and then some. What is the best way to take care of them?

On something that size, I would cut it and then burn it, and then plant it....Then keep it cut low as long as the rain holds out.... Keep it cut through the summer below 6 inches. Anything that sprouts will die when you cut it.... I had 15 ft tall privit hedge on some of my property, I cut it with my tractor, its set up to cut rough stuff, then kept it cut with the regular bushog for the first summer, then the next year I kept it cut with the riding lawnmower .I burn my stuff twice a year until its under control, spring and fall.

 

[Buzzard7]

I am also a chemical guy. Fortunately I have a good friend that is in charge of the chemical applications on a 25,000 acre row crop operation. He's my go-to guy.

He recommended "Remedy" to me for brush control. Last year I sprayed 15 acres of CRP that had some problems. It killed the woody plants with no damage to others.

Roundup is primarily a "grass" killer.

2-4-D is primarily a "broad leaf" killer.

Remedy is primarily a "brush" killer.

Combine all three and you leave the ground bare. I use that combination when spraying the influent/effluent ends of road culverts.

I agree. Remedy is a good product for brush. It also works well on fresh cut tree stumps when mixed with a little diesel to prevent any regrowth from the stump.

 

[coast40]

It can help to put your location in your profile...

 

[ovrszd]

I agree. Remedy is a good product for brush. It also works well on fresh cut tree stumps when mixed with a little diesel to prevent any regrowth from the stump.

Yep. Tordon RTU is my go-to for stumps. A quart bottle costs $12-14 and will treat a LOT of stumps. I keep a bottle in my chain box on the tractor.

 

[jaxs]

Bring in a stump grinder. Get all stumps below ground level by several inches. If you are not in a hurry, you could burn out the stumps, I have good luck using 1/2 of a barrel (55 gal. drum) to keep heat and fuel close to stump if barrel will fit around stump.

Saplings don't get that large anywhere except Texas and Texans jerk them out with their bare hands so that isn't going to work for op.

 

[Tinhack]

Yep. Tordon RTU is my go-to for stumps. A quart bottle costs $12-14 and will treat a LOT of stumps. I keep a bottle in my chain box on the tractor.

It's double that now.

 

[ovrszd]

It's double that now.

Bummer, great product. Still cheap though.

 

[Tinhack]

I'm sure you know who to blame for the 100% increase.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm sure you know who to blame for the 100% increase.

Yep.

 

[ranwin33]

Hello all, Me and my wife bought our place about six years ago. There was about five acres that had been clear cut by the previous owner. He let it grow up and by the time we got it, it had grown up a lot. We hired a forestry mulcher to come in and clean it up. In the process of harrowing it and getting it ready to seed. My question is there are so many maple and gum saplings that just keep on coming back. I brushhog them as low as I can and just keep cutting them but they always come back and then some. What is the best way to take care of them?

Remedy or Pasturgard will both work and leave your grass unaffected.

 

[joshperry3]

I took a Woodland Owners Short Course through University of KY after buying my 98 acres in central/eastern KY a couple years ago. I highly recommend finding something similar in your state. It was cheap and taught us a lot! UK actually has a weekly webinar that's free on Wednesdays at 11 am. They cover all kinds of information for your land and wildlife, not just forests.

From the Woods Today | Forestry and Natural Resources

forestry.ca.uky.edu

Their recommendation for undesired sapling trees and brush is to cut it low to the ground first. Then, within 20 minutes of cutting it, lightly spray the cut stump with a 50/50 mixture of roundup concentrate and water (they recommended a simple spray bottle like a windex bottle). This allows the plant to take it down into the roots and kill it totally. The plants will seal over quickly, so if it's been more than about 20 minutes you'll need to cut it again before spraying.

I've been cleaning up fields that were neglected for 6+ years on this farm. I use a chain wrapped around the tree trunk and try to pull the larger ones out, root and all, with my tractor loader bucket. The rest of them I just mow over. That kills alot of them off, but some do come back. I try to go back over the field once things green back up and cut them off close to the ground with loppers and spray them. It is time consuming, but this has worked wonderfully for me overall.

One thing to keep in mind is if the plant oozes out sap/water when you cut it then it won't absorb the herbicide. Just wait a few weeks or so and lop off the new growth and spray then.

 

[nancyk]

"I use a chain wrapped around the tree trunk and try to pull the larger ones out, root and all, with my tractor loader bucket." That is exactly what I have been doing this past week. Try to pull two trees at a time, saves getting on and off the tractor. Easier with a helper. And if the trees are too small, it can be frustrating when the chain slides up the young tree without pulling it out. I do not like the thought of using chemicals on my property and do not mind the work. But in certain areas I do not want to risk hurting myself, or the tractor, if the land is the least bit questionable. So the lop and stump paint will be to go-to.

 

[goeduck]

Ever tried one of these for small brush/trees?

 

[joshperry3]

Ever tried one of these for small brush/trees?
View attachment 783911

I've looked at those type of devices but they are pricey. Honestly it's surprised me how small of a trunk I've been able to get my chain to pull out. Wrap the chain around the trunk twice, and lap over itself, so that it grabs better. My wife is usually on the tractor while I'm manning the chain, so that definitely makes it easier.

 

[Hay Dude]

I took a Woodland Owners Short Course through University of KY after buying my 98 acres in central/eastern KY a couple years ago. I highly recommend finding something similar in your state. It was cheap and taught us a lot! UK actually has a weekly webinar that's free on Wednesdays at 11 am. They cover all kinds of information for your land and wildlife, not just forests.

From the Woods Today | Forestry and Natural Resources

forestry.ca.uky.edu

Their recommendation for undesired sapling trees and brush is to cut it low to the ground first. Then, within 20 minutes of cutting it, lightly spray the cut stump with a 50/50 mixture of roundup concentrate and water (they recommended a simple spray bottle like a windex bottle). This allows the plant to take it down into the roots and kill it totally. The plants will seal over quickly, so if it's been more than about 20 minutes you'll need to cut it again before spraying.

I've been cleaning up fields that were neglected for 6+ years on this farm. I use a chain wrapped around the tree trunk and try to pull the larger ones out, root and all, with my tractor loader bucket. The rest of them I just mow over. That kills alot of them off, but some do come back. I try to go back over the field once things green back up and cut them off close to the ground with loppers and spray them. It is time consuming, but this has worked wonderfully for me overall.

One thing to keep in mind is if the plant oozes out sap/water when you cut it then it won't absorb the herbicide. Just wait a few weeks or so and lop off the new growth and spray then.

This has also worked well for me. I also use the scalping method where my bush hog is pretty much chopping dirt. Tough on blades, but they can be sharpened or replaced.
Here is a picture from 2021 where I cut thousands of 6’ pear trees down. After 3 well-timed cuttings in ‘21 & ‘22, they were 90% wiped out. There was no way to spray each individual little tree truck, unless you have an extra year to walk around with a spray bottle.

Hit a nasty boulder and bent a blade. Made a heck of a noise!

Now it’s pretty much just goldenrod lol
If the customer wanted to mow even more, it would turn back into grass.
They are just happy the callery pear invasion is pretty well over with.

I tend to think they would come again back if left go for a few years, so regular mowing is the only answer. If they increased the mowing to 4-5 times for a year or 2, grass would come back, but one of the group of owners likes goldenrod and wildflowers, so 2 mowings will probably allow that sort of growth. Looks very nice in late summer.

 

[2manyrocks]

"I use a chain wrapped around the tree trunk and try to pull the larger ones out, root and all, with my tractor loader bucket." That is exactly what I have been doing this past week. Try to pull two trees at a time, saves getting on and off the tractor. Easier with a helper. And if the trees are too small, it can be frustrating when the chain slides up the young tree without pulling it out. I do not like the thought of using chemicals on my property and do not mind the work. But in certain areas I do not want to risk hurting myself, or the tractor, if the land is the least bit questionable. So the lop and stump paint will be to go-to.

Could try this pipe and chain method.

Front-End Loader - Danuser Intimdator

Used on Kubota B26 plucking trees and brush. Some trees removed along the wooded driveway 20’ tall. Privet and Russian olives clumps easily pulled up. Small tractor gives great maneuverability and sight near fences and buildings. Easily pulled trees growing in the blueberry patch with surgical...

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