Killing Sumac and locust

Hammer Head · Sep 7, 2015

I am planning to purchase a tank and sprayer. I will be making a platform to connect it to my loader bucket with quick connect for the power.
My big question is what is the best to kill sumac and locust? I have always user Round Up, my friend is telling me to use Cross bow. Might be good to know what type of pump and tip will cover the most distance also?
The area I want to kill is a steep hillside. I have cut it every other year and it is tough to get around on. I might be getting a little older also, hope this fall is the last!
I will spray it in the spring when everything is starting to shoot up.

Wooddust · Sep 7, 2015

You have a number of options.

Locust will be easy to kill if you do it at the correct time. A good rule of thumb is after July 1 on locust. You likely will do individual plant treatment so mixing Crossbow at 1 1/2 to 2 % in water will do fine. (1%=1.3 oz per gallon of water) CB will kill sumac at that same time frame. Just make sure you get coverage on the plants you want to kill

Cord · Sep 8, 2015

I use a "fence line" spray from my local ag store and it works great. RoundUp won't work as well and it'll kill the grass too. The fence line spray is basically 2-4d with some other chemical mixed in.

jack707 · Sep 8, 2015

If you use crossbow don't use what it tell you use alittle more I used 7oz. it killed what I wanted.

Jim Timber · Sep 9, 2015

Sumac is easy to burn the leaves off and not harm the tree at all. You have a tractor, yes? Get a section of nylon webbing, like 1" double walled, and make a loop out of it about 18" long (4' of webbing will work nicely) using this water knot: Water Knot | How to tie the Water Knot | Climbing Knots

Then you just loop the loop over on itself and pull the end through to make a strap hitch: Girth Hitch | How to tie the Girth Hitch | Climbing Knots

And then pull on that with your chain. Sometimes when they're still growing, you'll peel the bark off, but you just reposition the hitch and pull again and the whole thing will come out of the ground.

Roots on sumac are huge and tend to be very resilient. You might try "hack and squirt" during the growing season (any time now would be fine) with regular 2,4-D, but I've found yanking them is really the only way to make a dent in the population. You can cut them, and they'll stump sprout. Spray too hard and they just drop the leaves. But rip the SOB's out of the ground and they don't handle that too well.

Ed of all trades · Sep 9, 2015

Look at the monsanto thread. Ed

Hammer Head · Sep 9, 2015

I am dealing with a large steep bank, just trying to cut them is a task. I think if I try to pull them out 100+4'-8' trees it could loosen the soil and create an erosion problem.
At this point I think spraying them is the only option.
The local power lines are filled with sumac and the commercial spraying does a good job of killing them for several years.

Jim Timber · Sep 10, 2015

Our power company won't touch sumac because it doesn't grow tall enough to interfere with the lines.

Ford850 · Sep 10, 2015

Crossbow should do it. Or I use the generic brand of this, called Crossroads from Rural King. It will knock out all brush and trees, but leave the grass and grassy weeds to retain the hillside. As with any herbicide, be sure to mix at the recommended strength. Mixing it too strong or too weak results in partial kills and more problems.