Starting fresh

[howboutthemdawgs]

on my recently purchased property I have a lot of fescue from its years as a cattle farm. The former cattle pasture is 50 of my 250. And of that 50, a lot has grown up with random crap for lack of a better term. MFR, honeysuckle, winged sumac, poplar, etc. from its 30 plus years of laying fallow. The rest is just random fescue “roads” or clearings. What is the best method for eradicating this (the fescue) to begin putting in some plots in some of the areas and returning to natural vegetation in the others?

I will open the can of worms later on getting rid of the MFR, honeysuckle and sumac.

 

[SwampCat]

Bush hog the areas you want to kill the fescue right now. Let it grow back for a few weeks and spray with cleth if you want tp preserve native broadleaf vegetation or glyphosate if you dont. Gly where you are going to build plots

 

[Mennoniteman]

MFR and honeysuckle etc. is probably a jungle in there. It's ugly stuff, but I've seen places where, because of the amount of browse and cover, it was also about the best deer habitat you'll ever see. It seems almost heresy to say this, but you might want to consider leaving a block of these invasives for a bedding area.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Fescue in plots is easy to get rid of. Just hit it with glyphosate a few times.

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

MFR and honeysuckle etc. is probably a jungle in there. It's ugly stuff, but I've seen places where, because of the amount of browse and cover, it was also about the best deer habitat you'll ever see. It seems almost heresy to say this, but you might want to consider leaving a block of these invasives for a bedding area.

I agree some is acceptable and probably beneficial but I have other stands of it that you need a chainsaw just to make your way through! Same with cedar, I have some areas where the ground underneath looks manicured because nothing is penetrating.

Thanks for the advice on the fescue. I’m gonna burn it down with gly soon.

 

[Mennoniteman]

This thing will take care of MFR, thanks to DoubleL for the link;