Questions on acceptable goat browse

greybeard

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My own experience has been that 2,4d is ineffective on anything with a shiny or waxy leaf and Remedy Ultra (triclopyr) is far more cost effective and just as good if not better than TordonRTU as cut stump treatment.
It is extremely important in cut stump to treat it as soon as possible after cutting. Otherwise, the stump exudes sap and seals off the tissue ends of the cambium layer. You want to treat the locust stumps in late summer thru fall, when the nutrients are moving down into the root system to store during winter.
(In my state, Remedy Ultra is non restricted--no applicator's lic required for purchase or use)
 

rittert3

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Tordon is our only otc stump treatment but I interned with the county noxious weed department my sr. Year of high school so know a little bit about the chemicals. We are treating as we cut and actually are using a 2-4D copper sulfate mix on the stumps too. We are also gurdling some of the bigger trees and treating them as well. I might have to look into remedy for the doc and ragweed though. I sprayed some of the bindweed around the shop with diluted 24D and dishsoap. Im torching the goatheads and handcutting bagging the cockleburs and thistle as we find them.

On the milkweed- we dont have alot and are just going to be attentive that the goats dont have access.
 

rittert3

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I was reading on locust and it seems its most toxic to equine. We do have 4 horses (2 of the owners and 2 boarded) that don't get into it.they have run of half of the property and another neighbor grazes cattle in the winter so we need to be attentive of when and what we are spraying.
 

greybeard

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Tordon is our only otc stump treatment but I interned with the county noxious weed department my sr. Year of high school so know a little bit about the chemicals. We are treating as we cut and actually are using a 2-4D copper sulfate mix on the stumps too. We are also gurdling some of the bigger trees and treating them as well. I might have to look into remedy for the doc and ragweed though. I sprayed some of the bindweed around the shop with diluted 24D and dishsoap. Im torching the goatheads and handcutting bagging the cockleburs and thistle as we find them.

On the milkweed- we dont have alot and are just going to be attentive that the goats dont have access

Well, I'll be honest here--I use lots of herbicides here in East Texas on annuals and perennials, as I did when I lived out in the more arid area of west central Texas on mesquite, honey locust, and huisache.
For girdling trees or bigger saplings, I traded these:
7-32s.jpg


for 6 of these:
7-29s.jpg

HypoHatchets.
Best thing I ever did. They aren't cheap new (over $300), but I found a stack of them at a flea market for $25 ea and bought all they had. The guy didn't have a clue what they were or what they were worth. Just a medium swing 3-4 places around the trunk and it injects a metered amt of herbicide with each swing and you're on to the next tree in less than a minute.

Milkweed..you have to now which type you have to know how toxic it is--some are worse than others:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-we...s-plant-research/docs/milkweed-asclepias-spp/

I have used a little TordonRTU, but sparingly because of the picloram in it. One side of my property is bordered by a river and another by National Forest, and I have extensive water sources on my property--lots of restrictions on picloram in regards to waterways.

I am not a proponent of using dis detergent as a surfactant. Reason being, no manufacturer lists the % of nonionic or anionic ingredients on the label, and none have ever divulged the percent non-ionic surfactants per volume even if asked. IOW, you don't know how much surfactant you are adding or how much of non-ionic vs anionic surfactant. When Roundup Promax was being developed, M spent hundreds or millions of dollars in researc to find which surfactant worked best--as did the other chem companies when they started adding surfactant. If dish soap would have done it, they would have simply saved the $$ and contracted thru P&G to use a pre-existing product.
I'm pretty stingy with my $$, and at 66 yrs old, even more so with my time and I keep a sharp pencil so my livestock pay for themselves, pay all the property taxes, and hopefully end up in the black at the end of the year, and 2 of my big expenses are herbicide and diesel. When my 300 gal sprayer is empty, I want to know I've done the most I can to ensure it works as well as possible.

But, if dish detergent works for you, that's good too.
 

rittert3

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I just used it on 3 bind weed vines. Its been a few years since I was at the weed dept. But just remembered using it as a surfactant there. We have been using a speed ax or small chain saw and tordon to girdle. I saw the hypohatchets in a movie last year and was telling my boss about them. If we happen upon some Im sure they will be in our arsonal.
 

Mike CHS

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I had to do a little reading this morning after seeing the picture in the link to the Milkweed article. What is shown in the article doesn't resemble the Milkweed we have here at all. I had no idea there were that many different kinds of that plant species.
 

rittert3

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In doing some more research I dont have pokeweed, I have PIGweed and amaranth. Also the prominant weeds depend on the meadow/ clearing. I know the one across the creek is almost all ragweed right now and the wild daisys are very thick in 3 or 4 of our meadows. We also have another 2-4 meadows I havn't worked in yet.
 

greybeard

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In doing some more research I dont have pokeweed, I have PIGweed and amaranth.
Which kind of each?
Several different kinds of amaranth and of pigweed, and as far as I know, all pigweed is part of genus Amaranthus.
 

rittert3

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Which kind of each?
Several different kinds of amaranth and of pigweed, and as far as I know, all pigweed is part of genus Amaranthus.
There are several. Im not sure as I wasnt the one that looked them up. My boss did ask if you would want to sell one of you hypo hatchets at a bit of a profit today lol.
 

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