Healthy Seniors Series and Mesquites
Do not forget about the “Healthy Senior Series” on Thursdays starting on October 8th from 10:00 AM until approximately 11:30 AM at the Comanche Community Center. We will have some nice midmorning snacks, tastings, and a meal for everyone on the final day of the series, October 29th. There is no fee to come, and everyone is invited to attend the programs.
Here is a quick look at what we will be offering during the series: ■ October 8th- Texas Bank: “Banking and Fraud Prevention” Bingo
■ October 15th- Erath County FCH Agent Andrea Brooks: “Texas Meets Mediterranean” l ive cooking demonstration and tastings
■ October 22nd- Kameron Mazurek Law Office: “Preparing Wills and Estate Planning”
■ October 29th- Johnson County FCH Agent LeAnne Pollock: “Healthy Holiday Cooking Class”- live cooking demonstration and tastings To register, call us at (325)-356-2539 and follow our Facebook page “Comanche County Agriculture.”
Mesquites
This must be one of the worst years that I have seen for mesquite sprouts as they are coming up everywhere. I cannot really explain why they are so bad this year. My guess is that the abundant early summer rainfall sprouted a lot of dormant seeds and then the late summer drought diminished competing grasses. Whatever the reason, they are flourishing this year. It is late and currently too dry to attempt foliar treatments, but if you catch some rainfall in the next little while, and the mesquites leaves look healthy, I think individual foliar plant treatments should work well even this late in the year.
For all those thick and 8’ tall or less, a foliar leaf application is probably the best way to go. We have a couple of options for mesquite foliage treatments and one newer option. Leaf applications with the mesquite control product Sendero would include 1% concentration of Sendero, ¼% surfactant, and ¼% to ½ % Hi-Lite or blue dye. The good news for those that do not have an applicator license is that Sendero is not a restricted use herbicide so it can be purchased without the license. The older Remedy Reclaim treatment would include ½% Reclaim, ½ % Remedy, ¼ % surfactant, and ¼% to ½% Hi-Lite or blue dye. While Remedy is not a restricted use herbicide, Reclaim does require a private applicator license to purchase.
Invora is the newest herbicide technology we have available for mesquite control. It has shown to be very effective but does require a license and extra training for all applicators. It is also restricted to be used only on privately owned-range lands and cannot be used where hay production is a possibility. Regardless of which herbicide you choose to use you will wet all foliage of each plant until the leaves are almost to the point of dripping. You can achieve a 76%-100% root kill with these methods.
Another option is to spray the stems from ground level to a height of 12” to 18” all the way around the stem. For stems that are 1.5” in diameter or less, you would use a 15% remedy and 85% diesel mixture. For stems 1.5” to 4” in diameter, a 25% remedy and 75% diesel mixture works best. For larger rough bark trees, you would also want to use a 25% Remedy and 75% diesel mixture, but control will not be as good on the larger rough barked trees. Results may be a little better if the applications are applied during the growing season, but basal applications can be applied anytime of the year. This method is slower to apply, but I have seen 100% kill with this treatment- you just must be sure you spray every stem on multi-stem plants.
Whichever method you choose, be sure to follow all label directions and remember mesquite control is not a one-time control. You will need to be diligent in your scouting and control efforts to prevent sprouts from getting the upper hand. For more information and proper mixing rates, come by the office and pick up the Brush Busters publication “How to Beat Mesquite.”