Mesquite or honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) is one of the toughest, most invasive species of brush in the world according to Texas A&M’s Brush Busters. http://www.cattlementocattlemen.org/uDocs/BrushBusters-Mesquite.pdf/
Biologically, mesquite is classified as a legume. Other legumes you may be more familiar with include clover, alfalfa, peas and beans. The legume family’s claim to fame is that these plants fix nitrogen in the soil. This ability to fix nitrogen is why clover or alfalfa are often used as cover crops to increase nitrogen in the soil for the food crop. I was surprised to learn that mesquite falls into the legume family but I should have known since trees produce long bean pods. Because mesquite is a legume, you may notice that grass growing under the mesquite is greener than the grass growing away from the tree. This is not because the tree shades the grass from the harsh sun but because the grass is benefiting from the nitrogen rich soil under the tree. Nonetheless, mesquite in invasive quantities is undesirable.
At Dogwood Ranch, we do not have a serious mesquite invasion such as many ranches in South Texas. We want to keep it that way through vigilance. Dogwood Ranch only has a few large mesquite trees. As we discovery small saplings in the pasture, we zap them with Remedy right away. Mesquite, like yaupon, cannot just be cut down or shred because it will come back and spread. The roots must be die to kill the tree.
The first large mesquite tree was tackled is chocked up to a live and learn experience. We cut the 9 inch diameter tree down with the chainsaw and then applied Remedy to the stump. So far, so good. From there, we chopped-up the branches and the trunk and drug them across the field to the usual burn area. That was the mistake. When we drug the thorny branches across the pasture, some of the thorns broke off and are now laying in wait on the ground to puncture tires or soles of boots. The next weekend after we chopped down the tree, the brand new UTV (utility terrain vehicle the “Ranger”) got three thorns in the tires requiring patches.
Even worse, we transported mesquite thorns to the burn area on the “old Dogwood” that never has had mesquite. As a result we ended up with thorns in our boots and and area we avoid on the ATV.
Because of this experience, a new plan on how to deal with the large mesquite trees has hatched. In July, we mixed a strong batch of Remedy and water. I sprayed the trunk of the two large mesquite tree all the way around from the ground to about 5 feet up the trunk. Major limbs at that level were sprayed also. At last check two weeks ago, the leaves were starting to turn yellow. According to our neighbor who more mesquite on his place, best practice is to spray the tree but do not cut it down for a year. The lore is that it takes about a year for the roots to completely die. He mixed his spray ½ Remedy, ½ diesel but I think that a little over kill. However, his trees certainly look deader and ours!
After we are sure the trees are dead, we will chop them down and burn them in place, rather than drag them across the property.
Here are a couple of links to sites about Mequite control. http://www.livestockweekly.com/papers/98/11/12/whlbrush.asp
http://coastalbend.tamu.edu/NLO/Resources/BB%20Mesquite%20L5416.pdf
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