Fence Rows

[south0085]

My Dad and I bought a farm last fall and I've been cleaning out fence rows and putting up new fence in my upper lot.

Meanwhile, all the fence rows in my lower lot (approx. 6 acres) are growing like crazy.

Keep in mind, the previous owner NEVER cleaned out the fence rows so they were already grown up last fall. And now that stuff is starting to grow they are just getting worse and worse.

What is my best option for quickly cleaning out these fence rows? Should I spray? I've heard that spraying will cause the ground to wash away. But I don't even know if spraying would work. There's trees grown up in it that will need a chainsaw to cut them down. I'm not afraid of tackling it with manual labor. Just trying to figure out if there's a faster option.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[1982vett]

Use a brush killer that doesn't kill the grass. Remedy and diesel as a basal spray will get the larger trees.

 

[M.Magis]

Bushhog as close as possible, then spray. You would have to kill everything, and keep it dead for a long time, before erosion would become a problem.

 

[Jogeephus]

Use a brush killer that doesn't kill the grass. Remedy and diesel as a basal spray will get the larger trees.

I do the same. I don't want bare ground under my fences because this is just a seed bed for more stuff. Grass helps retard this.

 

[OldCrow]

My Dad and I bought a farm last fall and I've been cleaning out fence rows and putting up new fence in my upper lot.

Meanwhile, all the fence rows in my lower lot (approx. 6 acres) are growing like crazy.

Keep in mind, the previous owner NEVER cleaned out the fence rows so they were already grown up last fall. And now that stuff is starting to grow they are just getting worse and worse.

What is my best option for quickly cleaning out these fence rows? Should I spray? I've heard that spraying will cause the ground to wash away. But I don't even know if spraying would work. There's trees grown up in it that will need a chainsaw to cut them down. I'm not afraid of tackling it with manual labor. Just trying to figure out if there's a faster option.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

I kill everything once a year. Usually early to mid summer to make sure everything has come out. Mix surfactant, some version of Round Up, and your favorite brush killer. Works like a champ for me and I haven't had any erosion issues this way. I could see where multiple sprayings a year could cause a problem, but I only do it once a year.

 

[Son of Butch]

I do the same. I don't want bare ground under my fences because this is just a seed bed for more stuff.
Grass helps retard this.

Jogeephus you insensitive bxstrxd.
Political correctness requires you to modify your statement to... Grass differently enables the bare ground.
But to your credit at least you said bare ground and not black dirt.

 

[millstreaminn]

I do the same. I don't want bare ground under my fences because this is just a seed bed for more stuff.
Grass helps retard this.

Jogeephus you insensitive bxstrxd.
Political correctness requires you to modify your statement to... Grass differently enables the bare ground.
But to your credit at least you said bare ground and not black dirt.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[True Grit Farms]

Some folks needed some sensitivity training.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

I use crossbow on fence rows, but the dozer is my favorite! :banana:

 

[Jogeephus]

I do the same. I don't want bare ground under my fences because this is just a seed bed for more stuff.
Grass helps retard this.

Jogeephus you insensitive bxstrxd.
Political correctness requires you to modify your statement to... Grass differently enables the bare ground.
But to your credit at least you said bare ground and not black dirt.

:lol2: :lol2: Sorry, I forgot I'm in Merika and can no longer use the R word. My apologies. I'll go back to my safe place now.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I use crossbow on fence rows, but the dozer is my favorite! :banana:

Crossbow is good stuff.

 

[Ky hills]

Here the fence rows have multiflora rose bushes, and honeysuckle bushes. Crossbow will get the roses and smaller stuff, we have the honeysuckle cut out and Tordon put on the stumps. Around here the honeysuckle will take over if not dealt with. Have a bulldozer here now, cleaning some out.

 

[greybeard]

Wife has 2 bunches of honeysuckle growin on some wooden fence put up just for it to grow on. I got a little too close to it using my liquid weedeater and killed one bunch of it graveyard dead.
Barrier=glyco+imazpyr.
I don't know what else it will kill but it keeps me from having to weed eat for a year around the house, yard fences, and driveway.

 

[TexasBred]

Don't let the bushy stuff have a chance to gain a foothold. I'll see an occasional little hackberry trying to come up under a fence thanks to one of the local birds but cut it down real quick. Otherwise there is nothing but grass under the fence and the cows keep it cropped back nicely.

 

[pdubdo]

I'm right in the middle of the same thing. As a newbie, I tried everything, hand tools (way too slow), chainsaw (love it but do a lot of work completely alone and makes me nervous-911 doesn't work for me), attached a brush blade to my weedeater--had to jimmy it and it was under powered. Feel like this had potential, but I'd need to buy a dedicated brush cutter/weedeater. Bush-hogged--ground was sloped or uneven enough that I could only get within about 4 feet of the fence in some places. Hired a guy with a skid steer and forestry mulcher-Awesome!!!...but expensive. In one day he cleared over 3000 feet right up to the fence. Got rid of 6-8 inch thick cedars/oaks and no brush pile. Sprayed remedy on briars--still getting the concentration right but moderate success. Good luck!