Thorn Trees

[Stamps Farms]

We recently bought a farm that had not been taken care of. There are thorn trees 9 feet tall and bigger. How do we kill them? Please help!

 

[J7]

1. You could always cut them down, drill large, deep holes in the stump and pour salt down the holes.
2. Or if you'd like to get rid of the stumps but don't want to pull them out you could cut down the trees and rent a stump grinder. The stump will be turned into sawdust which will mulch over the years.
3. Or you could cut down the trees and dig out the stumps. A backhoe is always nice for this but it can be done by hand if you have a good back.

 

[TXCOWBOY]

My advice is to call someone in your area that does dozer work and remove them that way.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Assume you are talking about mesquite trees.

Tenacious. "Mesquite Grubbing" is usual way using a special implement on a tractor or with bulldozier. Pile trees up, let dry out, then burn. Unless size of mesquite is the size of a "pot plant" doubt any human would live long enough to dig out but a few.

Mesquite is very hard and pretty wood. Dulls chain saw chains easily.

 

[dun]

If you're talking about locust trees, kill them first before cutting or digging them. If you cut them or dig them and leave any root, they'll resprout from the nodes of the root. All that does is make them a more dense stand. Basal spray with diesel and Remedy (non-controlled) herbicide. After a couple of weeks or a month or so you can dig or cut them and grind them.

dun

 

[Chuckie]

I am not sure what is more painful; sticking a one of these thorns in your foot or being finned deep under the fingernail by a catfish. Both have poison and the throbbing is unbearable. And hour or so of this seems like days.

 

[jt]

My advice is to call someone in your area that does dozer work and remove them that way.

i agree. rubber tired backhoes and tractors = flats and aggravation. dont try to push them all up into 1 big pile if they are scattered out too far... just pile em without pushing too far. you will leave thorns everywhere trying to do too much with em.. ease em over and pile em up and burn em..

good luck

jt

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Don't know what sort of "thorn trees" you have, but down here people frequently bulldoze and root plow them. Unfortunately, it is pretty common for numerous additional target trees to pop up in the first few years following a dozing effort, due to broken off roots that eventually grow into a new tree and/or accumulated seed that can remain viable for a long time. Sometimes that seed has been lying for years in the shade of a large tree, just waiting for sunshine and soil disturbance to enable it to sprout. Its certainly more labor intensive than hiring the dozer guys, but I'm of the opinion that if you have the type of trees that are prone to the type of regeneration I referred to the best course of action is to chainsaw them down and then agressively "paint" the cut stump surface and all along the sides with a mixture of Remedy and diesel, so as to kill all the roots. You'll still have the potential problems associated with the accumulated viable seeds but can pretty easily kill the new seedlings each year when they are small. Velpar is also a good tree killer to consider, but only if you have isolated "bad trees" and where water drainage, etc. can't take the poison over to your "good" trees.

 

[Bret]

On a similar note. I have been spraying multiflora rose and a small thorny bush in the pasture with TSC Pasture Pro. It kills the roses but only makes the thorny crap mad. The thorn bush grow into a tree if you let it. I would like to know what the real name of the thorny bush is so I can target the right stuff on them. Any ideas from anyone?

I have lots of names for them when I mow them off and the thorns ride up and over the tractor tires. I pulled one from the inside of a tractor tire that I thought was a piece of wire.

 

[dun]

On a similar note. I have been spraying multiflora rose and a small thorny bush in the pasture with TSC Pasture Pro. It kills the roses but only makes the thorny crap mad. The thorn bush grow into a tree if you let it. I would like to know what the real name of the thorny bush is so I can target the right stuff on them. Any ideas from anyone?

I have lots of names for them when I mow them off and the thorns ride up and over the tractor tires. I pulled one from the inside of a tractor tire that I thought was a piece of wire.

I don;t know what pasture pro is, but remedy works on everything we've tried it on. MF roses are really pretty easy to kill, seems like even glyphos will kill them. Blackberrys are a whole nother story

dun

 

[stocky]

in kentucky, they are probably the same locust thorn trees we have in missouri. if they are only 9 feet tall, they probably arent big enough to take out with a dozer. if they are big enough, you could have a dozer do it and then be ready to spray the sprouts that come up. that would be the safest as far as getting flats or getting stuck with the thorns. if you are physically able and there arent too many of them, you can do like dun said and spray and kill the trees and then cut them off at the ground or do like another post and cut them off and then paint the stump. all depends on how many of them there are and if you are able to physically cut and pile them all to burn

 

[Bret]

On a similar note. I have been spraying multiflora rose and a small thorny bush in the pasture with TSC Pasture Pro. It kills the roses but only makes the thorny crap mad. The thorn bush grow into a tree if you let it. I would like to know what the real name of the thorny bush is so I can target the right stuff on them. Any ideas from anyone?

I have lots of names for them when I mow them off and the thorns ride up and over the tractor tires. I pulled one from the inside of a tractor tire that I thought was a piece of wire.

I don;t know what pasture pro is, but remedy works on everything we've tried it on. MF roses are really pretty easy to kill, seems like even glyphos will kill them. Blackberrys are a whole nother story

dun

Thanks Dun. I'll look into glyphos. I like the excercise, but I hate to spray anything twice.
Bret

 

[Bama]

Sounds to me like your talking about honey locust. Remedy and diesel will get it. If you cut them and don't sprayed the stumps remember you were warned. That thing will spread like rabbits on steriods.

 

[jerry27150]

you can spray them with remedy or crossbow & diesel fuel on the bottom 15-24 inches. next year they will be dead. you could also buy or hire some one with a brush shear to cut them. some have a sprayer to kill stump, if they don't, spray stump with crossbow & diesel & it will kill roots. how big around are they at the stump? how many acres we talking?

 

[Rookie]

I am not sure what is more painful; sticking a one of these thorns in your foot or being finned deep under the fingernail by a catfish.

I be takin the thorn over an ole flathead fin any day o the week meself :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[denoginnizer]

If you rub the slime of the catfish on the spot he stuck you it will take the pain away. I guarntee.

 

[Rookie]

If you rub the slime of the catfish on the spot he stuck you it will take the pain away. I guarntee

Thanks, I be givin that a try

 

[Medic24]

Could it be hawthorn type trees..... they have a heart shaped (or kinda like an apple leaf?)leaf, and a 2 inch spike thorn? And grow in a gray dense mess, the branches are very very supple, and hard to break by hand.


All over this area, and we are your neighbors after all.Maybe the same?


Crossbow or the like will kill them, or just girdle them and wait it out for several years for them to start to rot.

Unlike locust, which burns very well, these bloody darn trees are very hard to burn even after they are dead. We no longer try. we pile and let rot.

Best to get em young if you can... they have red berries in the fall, and are prolific breeders...........wish my cattle were that good at speading the seed.

That is , IF we are talking about the same tree.

Or, cut em, and rent or hire a REAL chipper for a day to rid you of the problem.

 

[icandoit]

Around here, a good dozier operator can clear 6 acres+ in a couple of hours. They go for about 70 dollars an hour and well worth it. Next year or when new sprouts come up, you can spot spray any new growth with Remedy and deisal.

Dick

 

[Crowderfarms]

Around here, a good dozier operator can clear 6 acres+ in a couple of hours. They go for about 70 dollars an hour and well worth it. Next year or when new sprouts come up, you can spot spray any new growth with Remedy and deisal.

Dick

We need some of your Dozer operators to move here.