Foxtail

[foggy]

I have about 20 acres of foxtail that is growing in my thinned Red Pine Plantation. It is out-competeing the other plant life.....as well as holding back the re-gen red pine, oaks, aspen and forbs.

It's kinda stump-haven as this land was logged about 6 years ago.....but I believe I need to kill the foxtail. I would either hit it with the back pack sprayer or I may be able to do some with my 4 wheeler and sprayer.

I have some Cleth (I think its select) and crop oil.....but wonder if I spray the foxtail if I will kill the pines or other trees and forbs??

Advice?

[Geo]

How long since the pines were thinned?

G

[foggy]

Originally Posted by Geo

How long since the pines were thinned?

G

I believe the land was logged about six years ago. I bought the property about 3 years ago. The loggers left some medium red pines that may be spaced about 10 to 15 yards apart.

The regen in this area seems slow to me.....and I wonder if killing the foxtail would help thicken it up with brushy plants and forbs. There are lots of small pines coming too.

[markfix]

Check out the princep4L lable.It can be used preemergant for foxtail.Red pine is one of the listed crops.As well as rasberries and blackberries.I dont know if it would promote the growth of rasberries and blackberries or kill the seeds at germination.Scince it is labled for use on these crops.Just a thought.Perhaps someone with more experience will chime in.

[letemgrow]

Foxtail will gradually disappear overtime and more perennials take over. I like to have a few areas in foxtrail, pheasants love them and I have seen deer browse the seed heads some and they bed in the foxtail readily if its a big enough stand.

[sandbur]

foggy-Do you have any areas where the red pines are spaced out more? What grows with more sunlight to the ground?

Also a question for the experienced forestry people. After a red pine plantation is thinned, and eventually the final harvest, what is usually the next plan for the ground? More Norway pine or give the ground a rest to eliminate disease?

What has the years of pine needles done to the ground as far as nutirents and pH? Is the correction for the soil any different than for ag ground?

Just suggestion, maybe a trial, foggy. What if you limed one area and see what would grow as far as natural vegetation?

[foggy]

This is fairly sunny area.....I doubt that hours of sunlight is a negative factor. I have limed my trails through this area.....and have made some food plots last year in new-unlimed ground. My clover grows real nicely here on limed trails. The dang stumps prevent me from doing too much lime and "feild" work.

Despite the lack of rainfall, lack of lime and low fertilizer application, I got a fairly nice stand of brassica in this area last year. Actually, partial shade helps my crops during drought conditions like late last year. Some of my partial shade crops were significantly better than the direct sunlight crops - which withered in the sandy dry soils.

I was at my land about 2 weeks ago....inspecting my plots and such....and the deer were actively scraping away the light snow for turnip bulbs and radishes.....especially in the area discussed above.

I sure would like thicker cover in this area....it just doesn't feel secure enough for deer during the daylight.

I may try what you suggest sandbur......lime and / or fertilize selected areas to see what happens. Also may select spray for the foxtail.

[sandbur]

I've got to say that you sure do grow nice clover.

I have noticed on my land north of you that a bit of shade or planting on the west edge of a field where there is shade can help keep a foodplot going.

I've got a 50 year old Norway pine stand and was wondering what the next step is after a final harvest, if I am around that long!

[sandbur]

foggy-Have you seen any different species grow in an area where you had burned a pile of brush? More jack pine? fireweed and not foxtail?

[foggy]

Originally Posted by sandbur

foggy-Have you seen any different species grow in an area where you had burned a pile of brush? More jack pine? fireweed and not foxtail?

I have not burned anything. I am afraid I would start a forest fire. Instead I stack brush piles and piles of old logs. I do not get any jack pine to regen - thankfully. I hate jack pine.

The loggers before me burned....but that was over 5 years ago on the logging decks. I do get lots of thistle and other non-undesirables (velvet leaf, milkweed, ragweed, etc) in the old log decks. I did get one deck cleaned up a year or so ago.....and now its producing nice crops.

The other deck has a variety of undesireables....including a heavy stand of Canadian thistles - as well as a nasty tangle of brush, stumps, and logs. I plan to work on this landing this next summer....and get it into a cropland soon.

My root grapple and a landscape rake has made this kind of work go much smoother.