Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[jinman]

It was 41 F here this morning. The Bowie airport reported 45 F at 7:30, but it seems I'm always a bit cooler than there. I got a frantic call from my new neighbor who built a house on my old property. He said it looking like a big brush fire was burning on the back part of my place. I stepped out on the deck and didn't see or smell smoke, so I walked through the dew-wet grass to the top of the hill and looked to the backside of my place. Sure enough, it looked like smoke as I laughed to myself. It was fog rising up off our lake.:laughing: The neighbor has a perfect view across the valley, but can't see the surface of the water for the trees. It just looked like smoke to him. As the weather cools, he'll get plenty of chances to see that. Some mornings the fog extends all in the valleys and gullies around here an gives an eerie, but beautiful view.

FG, why would you want a spring-tooth over a normal disk harrow? Are you hoping to pull the clumps of KR bluestem up by the roots? I have a couple of old horse-drawn spring-tooth sections that are pretty ragged, but work great to smooth fill soil. If I used them much, I'd probably want to put a spreader bar on the front and maybe make them more rugged in places. A horse-drawn style spring-tooth is really not going to hold up for long behind a tractor. My dad had three sections and gave one to my uncle to use behind his mule. When my dad passed, I inherited these two sections. The only mule I've used them behind is my Kawasaki Mule. I would think you'd want a spring-tooth designed for a 3PH. I can see where they would be very expensive if you were lucky enough to even find one. The disc-harrow has about completely replaced these.

 

[scott_vt]

Edit: I'd tell you how cool it got last night, but I slept in until 8 AM this morning and then got up and made sausage, biscuits, and gravy for breakfast.:licking:

Good Mornin Jim,
By the sounds of breakfeast you hit your target weight allready, that does sound real good !

Also congrats on your new status, Epic Contributor...

 

[Western]

Jim, that Harrow is pure beauty!! Love the "old" implements:thumbsup:

FG, I have killed allot of BS just by heavy discing or light plowing in the driest heat of summer, I never got it all, but sure knocked it back. Its tough, but doesn't like it when the roots dry out in the open air in my experience.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Y'all got any idea where a person could pick up a true Spring Tooth Harrow, worth the money? The doggone KR Bluestem is taking over, and the best means of trying to control it that I can find is to rip it 2" deep with a harrow, this next Spring. I'd be pulling it with the JD 1050, so won't have a lot of HP to spare, so can't go a lot of tines. Thanks for any help.

Just one more example of someone having introduced non-native species into our eco-system. I wish the "powers that be" would learn from the mistakes of the past, such as this invasive grass.

FG;

Would a landscape rake do what you want?



Rick

 

[jinman]

Good Mornin Jim,
By the sounds of breakfeast you hit your target weight allready, that does sound real good !

Also congrats on your new status, Epic Contributor...

Hi Scotty, I've not not quite hit my target weight, but sometimes you just have to splurge a bit. Thank goodness I don't have a big jug of dark amber maple syrup to tempt me all the time. I'm afraid I'd be splurging more often than I do now.

I noticed yesterday that I was approaching Epic Contributor status. I have no idea what post put me over the top. I try to not look at that much. It's like proof positive of my addiction.:ashamed:

 

[robbyr]

Would 2-4D not work on the grass y'all talking about? Not familiar with it.

 

[Western]

Would 2-4D not work on the grass y'all talking about? Not familiar with it.

That is best for broad-leaf plants. the Little Blue stem and the "larger" variety are a thin type grass , I would bet $5 you have some on your place

I think the King ranch set that stuff loose years ago.

 

[Lou66]

That is best for broad-leaf plants. the Little Blue stem and the "larger" variety are a thin type grass , I would bet $5 you have some on your place

I think the King ranch set that stuff loose years ago.

Dennis the county planted it along side the roads down here.. all of the county and state highway in Brazoria county has it.. I use Hondo with a wick to keep it out of my Jigg field.. I let it grow in the back pasture.. cows and horses eat it when it young..plus I mow about four times a year in the back.. Which I am doing now.. Lou

 

[farmgirl19]

That is best for broad-leaf plants. the Little Blue stem and the "larger" variety are a thin type grass , I would bet $5 you have some on your place

I think the King ranch set that stuff loose years ago.

I'd bet more than $5! This stuff got started because the Gov't (why am I not surprised?) thought it a great idea to seed the areas next to roadways with it! Now it is nothing more than an invasive grass, that nothing wants to eat.

I have tried to keep it mowed, with the brush hog high enough so as to not encourage spreading, just trying to keep the seed heads from "ripening". Saturday afternoon, I was driving in from work, and went by the pastures that I get my hay out of, and I could see the seed heads throughout those fields. I have a lot of burmuda grass still, but this stuff invades and pushes everything else out, so I want to try to limit its movement and spread in my pastures, and even rip the ROW to slow it down there, so it can't continue to spread into pastures from there.

I don't think a landscape rake will penetrate my soil enough, and yes, I want to rip this stuff up by the roots! I am not sure just a disc it will do the damage to the Bluestem, that I want to do. If we were ever in a good, rainy summer, I could do a summer burn. However, with the burn ban always in place, that wouldn't even be an option. According to what I have read, confirmed by what pacerron posted, chemicals are useless against it. If one rips, then uses chemicals for a year, they claim some success. I can't do that, as I can't leave all of the pastures dormant like that. Hate chemicals anyway!

So, I am looking for a reasonably priced Spring Tooth Harrow, or Ripper to hook to the 3 pt hitch, not the drawbar, of the 1050, to declare war on this invasive grass, come next Spring. Yep, a new, all consuming hobby/task, but since I haven't needed to mow much due to limited rain the past few years, maybe this will give me a really good reason to get some seat time!

 

[farmgirl19]

Dennis the county planted it along side the roads down here.. all of the county and state highway in Brazoria county has it.. I use Hondo with a wick to keep it out of my Jigg field.. I let it grow in the back pasture.. cows and horses eat it when it young..plus I mow about four times a year in the back.. Which I am doing now.. Lou

Lou; What are you using in your wick set up to control it, glyphosphate?

 

[Lou66]

I copy this off of the internet,, Bluestem grows a lot faster than jig.. plus it a tall grass.. also you need a user license for applying it.. Lou

HONCHO PLUS HERBICIDE Powerful and effective Honcho Plus controls and eliminates a wide array of tough grasses and weeds. With a more durable surfactant than regular Honcho Honcho Plus sticks better and lasts longer with rapid rainfast times. Honcho Plus is non-selective, broad-spectrum weed control for many agricultural systems and farmsteads. Honcho Plus is a postemergence, systemic herbicide with no soil residual activity. It is generally non-selective and gives broad-spectrum control of many annual weeds, perennial weeds, woody brush and trees. It is formulated as a water-soluble liquid. It may be applied through most standard industrial or field sprayers after dilution and thorough mixing with water or other carriers according to label instructions.

 

[pacerron]

What are you using in your wick set up to control it, glyphosphate?

A few years ago the chemical name "glyphosphate" with the same percentage as the concentrated "Roundup", about 41% as I recall w/o looking on a big jug in the barn, was about half the price of Roundup. Roundup lowered their price to below the generic stuff for a while, but it was higher again this spring. I think the generic stuff went up quite a bit as well.
Roundup/glyphosphate only works well when the plants/weeds are in the rapid growing stage, we have found. Once they start to go dormant/dry it doesn't work well regardless of what you call it by.
A lot of weeds are getting resistant to it. Used to use Roundup in the riding ring but have had to switch to Banvel to keep it clear. Banvel is great for woody plants, like the dreaded imported "multi-flora-rose"

Unless you want to kill everything in the field and start over, FG., Lou's wicking method is probably the most efficient and economical.

 

[Lou66]

Here is something I wrote last year for some old folks,, like us they were talking about killing weeds..

Lou been working,,, By Lou

Some people have been asking me what I have been up too lately,, not a lot but some,, I’ve been spraying my weed patch as I like to call it,, we had a bad drought last year and the good grass died,, but the native grasses flowered and grew and grew,,
So I decided this year I will become the herbicide broadleaf fighter,, mostly,, I was after the McCartney rose bush that has taken over my land,, this is an import from England (1830’s) that was used on and for fencing,, it will grow to ten or higher feet,, big thorns that no living thing could pass thru and tell about it.. If it stayed on the fence line I could live with that but it like the pasture and it is taken over.. I have lost maybe 50% grazing land from this bush in the last year.. Can’t blame George for this one,, Jr. or Sr..
So anyway I have been using an 25 gallon pull behind tank with a spray wand that will reach up to 25 feet away,, 12V. electric,, This way I can spray what I want to spray without killing a lot of good grasses,, everything has been going along fine till Monday of this week,, when I mixing up my fifth batch,, a tank a day,, when I noticed I had ran out of surfactant,, now surfactant is like a soap,, you mix it with the weed killer,, or herbicide,, and it helps the weed killer to stick to the leafs of the intended plant,, given it a better chance of doing it jobs.. But I was out of surfactant,, oh lordly what now? Go to the store and get some more?,, long drive,, or just spray,, but the weed killer may be wasted,, it’s not cheap,,
So think Lou,,
I was talking to myself,, you can do that when no one around for miles,, so I sat down to have a beer and think,,
When I noticed the tack room,, that’s where I keep stuff for the creatures of the ranch or farm,, Went inside and the first thing I saw was a full bottle of dog shampoo,, Awesome,, that was the name of it,, Awesome dog shampoo,, it was nice and thick,, the bubble had a hard time moving when I turned it upside down.. kills fleas and leaves a nice clean shiny coat.
Just what I needed.. Awesome,, I read the instruction and it didn’t say I couldn’t use it as a surfactant,, so I took it that I could,, I poured about half of it (32oz) into my 25 gallon tank that was mixed with water and herbicide weed killer,,
Hindsight now,, says a little too much,, I turned on the mixer which circulates the liquids for a good blend,, Did you ever over fill a washing machine with too much detergent? The lid to the tank has a hole in it so when you use the liquid the air can get in,, so you don’t get a vacuum which causes problem of itself..
As I head to the pasture in my John Deere Gator and pulling my tank of week killer with its rooster tail of bulbs shooting out the vent hole.. I was glad I was along,, no one around to see this sight,, I am consider a pleasant guy and all round rancher,, this could throw a shadow on my standing in the local straight lace ranching communities,, I made it to the back pasture and turned off the recirculation valve which turned off the flow of bubbles and a picture in my mind of Lawrence Welk and the Lennon Sisters..
Open the spray wand valve.. I was ready to go,,
I was spraying some of the larger rose bushes and notice a nice shine to the leaves,, hey this stuff is working and it’s got to be cheaper than the good stuff,, So I took my time and spray about half mile of fence line before running out.. As I headed back to the barn for a refill and cold beer,, it started to cloud up.. **** just my luck,, no rain for a month now it’s going to rain,, not good when you’re spraying a herbicide. I made it back to the barn before the rain started and it did start and start and kept on starting till it was too late to spray anymore.. so I call it a day,,
On Tuesday I went out to check on the bushes I sprayed on Monday,, Again I will ask have you ever over filled a washing machine?,, there was still suds 24 hours later out in the pasture along the fence line,, I imagine it was pretty sight with the lightening flashing and the rain coming down and the shampoo rising,, not sure that the weed killer with do it’s intended job but there is one thing I feel I know for sure,, that I have the cleanest McCartney rose bushes in the county plus they are flea free.. Lou

 

[farmgirl19]

I still think ripping that stuff sounds like the most fun. I will laugh as I tear through the roots! Of course, either way, ripping or wicking, I have to buy some more equipment.

Thanks for the info, y'all!

And Lou; I'm sure your rose bushes were the cleanest anyone could find ANYWHERE!

 

[lostcreekranch]

Starting to see that crap in my grazing pastures. Ohhhhh!

Seems to be all along I-10 from Houston to Columbus .

Rick

 

[lostcreekranch]

All good!

RICK

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Lou, you one funny rancher. Unblemished in my mind still. LOL!

Wonder if that stuff killed all the fleas on the coyotes and other varmints hanging in the bushes?

They probably felt so good, (not getting bit by fleas) that they howled all their cousins (primos in spanish) over for a spell.

 

[pacerron]

But FG, how do you rip the KR bluestem without ripping the native little bluestem. Won't it also rip the bermuda? Then again, ripping the bermuda might just stimulate it like a good aeration.:confused3:

Doesn't the rapid spread of KR Bluestem in a pasture also indicate that the soil is lacking in nutrients to properly support good grasses?