Brush killing/What Grass to Plant?

[Jay]

See the brush in the background? How do I get rid of it--all I have is my own 2 hands, some brush cutters & a older 12 HP riding mower. (That is already used as a Redneck mini-shredder until I throw a rod or something)
What is the most economical grass to plant for my area? HOT summer/mild winter & drought prone. I have been reading the other posts about killing brush with a great deal of interest..you gave me some good ideas.
The area is about an acre or an acre & a half in this mini-pasture.
This photo was taken mid-Feb & the shed finished a week or so later! ;-) [/img]

 

[cherokeeruby]

geese

 

[Beefy]

geese?

 

[Jay]

Ha-OK smartypants!
I will clarify.....the brushy stuff behind the tarp (that was the 'temp roof' on the shed). This stuff is green now & getting taller & taller. I keep attempting to attack it as best I can, but sometimes it seems futile! I thought about trying this: tying a lasso/chain/rope/twine (anything really!) to some & pulling it out with the 1-ton truck. It'd be my luck the chain would snap & go thru the window.... :shock: LOL
My main concern is what to plant for grass for grazing. I have another 7 or so acres that isn't quite this bad that I need to seed or help somehow...it hasn't had much 'help' in at least 10 years or so...except for cattle grazing & fertilizing it!

 

[dun]

If it's woody type stuff you might try using Spike and then burning it off after it's dead. Goats may be an option, but you'll still have to kill it and burn it to get rid of it.
I don't know what kinds of grasses work in your area.

dun

 

[Beefy]

the best way ive found to handle stuff like that is to push it up with a blade and then burn it. can you look into renting or borrowing a tractor and blade? we have a lot of privet (Ligustrum sinense) taking over georgia and the only way to get rid of it is pushing it up. pulling it up just makes the roots break off and sprout up again. first i'd find out what kind of plant you are dealing with and if the geese that i mailed you yesterday dont work then i'd see about getting a tractor to push it up with. i'd dont konw whta kidn of grasses work there either but i'd look into coastal bermuda.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

It would help if you could tell us specifically what type of brush that is. I haven't a clue since it is so far off in the distance. And you might also try to contact Dr. Allan McGinty or one of the other folks at the A & M Brushbusters program. But I've had good results with Remedy mixed with diesel -- perhaps wait until the weather cools off a little and then get after it with a backpack sprayer loaded with Remedy/diesel. And with the right kind of brush you might be able to get by with just foliar spraying. In any event, seems like it should be quite "doable" for only a couple of acres.

If you don't want to go that route, its a long shot but maybe you can hire some local farmer that has one of those high J. Deere boom sprayer rigs -- acreage way too small to contract for spraying by plane. Also, depending on what size of operations your neighbors have (and their personalities and willingness to help) you might see what they have done about similar brush problems. May even find one of them that you can pay to go through your place with a really heavy duty shredder or even a roller chopper --- and then have them disc the hellll out of it for you with a big offset disc.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

As to grass, my recollection is that they raise a lot of buffel grass and Kleingrass down in your part of south Texas, don't they? Why not just give your local county extension agent a call and have him come out and look your place over and let him give you a couple of suggestions.

 

[Anonymous]

Me? I'm not into chemicals and don't have the equipment to spread it. Somehow, I'm thinking a little converted Windex sprayer just isn't going to "cut it" LOL!
The first thing I see is that this piece of land is on a shoreline. I'm wondering about exposing the cows to the elements once these bushes are gone, but then you have grass in Feb. which is wonderful! (I'm in Canada) So, just how bad are your elements at the worst time of year? What direction is the picture taken? I would consider fencing it and letting them in there anyway. Escape from bugs, shade etc, and if the bushes are non-toxic to them, they may just thin it out themselves and atleast make it more manageable for you. Cows are great for this, unlike horses. They're built low, have thick hides and wouldn't get all scratched up from being in there like horses would. I'd be considering giving the bushes some competition, Mother Nature's way. Takes time, but it works.

 

[Jay]

Give me some time--I will dig around in my photos & come up with a better brush picture...

 

[Jay]

Ok, the original photo was facing to the Northwest...this phto is facing Northeasterly. There is a 5-strand wire fence in this mess. 1 year ago I could use the push mower to mow under the fenceline. This stuff grows fast...too fast!
There is a highway that runs between our place & the (state owned/park) lake....
Some of this brush has big, long thorns in it...
I guess that's why it's called "Brush Country" where I live. I would like to keep the non-thorny stuff (Yes, the Mesquite for shade, Mountain Laurel & the Sagebrush...maybe *some* of the Mesquite-look-alike stuff-I forget what it's called). Some of the thorns on this other stuff goes through the bottom of hard-soled shoes. (I think you could use them as weapons!) I also noticed some non-thorny brush has a lemon/citrus smell when it's cut. I have no clue of what is is, either.[/img]