What's the best way to rid a pasture of cactus?

My grandfather mounted a 16penny nail on the shank of a hoe an I cleared mile after mile of road on the place we hunt growing up.

You hack the leaves with the hoe then use the nail to stabbed and sling them away from the road.

It's a good work out.

If there's a lot, spray it. You can dig it out, but if you leave pieces on the ground, it will sprout back.

Any spray with the ingredient picloram - Tordon, P+D, Surmount, etc. Use per label instructions.

Unless you buy in pre-diluted form, picloram is a restricted use chemical and you will have to have a private applicator license. If it is open country have a custom applicator spray it if you don't have a license.

ETA: picloram has residual in the soil to prevent future growth of broadleaf weeds. If you have heavy soils and want to grow legumes in the winter, you might find something else. You can always spot spray.

[This message has been edited by SWCBonfire (edited 10/13/2013 7:57a).]

the "leaves" on a cactus are the glochids (thorns). The pads are photosynthetic stems.

you have to spray or burn it. Any mechanical removal will leave pieces behind. ANY glochid that comes into contact with soil WILL sprout roots and create a whole new plant.

We used Surmount and had great results. Brushbusters has never failed us.

http://texnat.tamu.edu/about/brush-busters/

Actually we had a grass fire out there a couple of weeks ago and it burned about 80 of the place. I'm not an expert on cactus, and I didn't know if the cactus would survive, or if the fire would kill it.

A herd of hungry javelina

Fire followed by chemicals is supposed to be 90-95% effective. If the cactus were fairly thick, I would spray this spring.

Surmount

1) Remove livestock from pasture
2) Pour soured corn ontop of cactus.
3) Wait for hogs to eat everything
4) ???
5) Profit

Tagguy you forgot shoot all the hogs once they eat the cactus

Burn the thorns with a propane burner....cows will eat. Cactus with a protein supplement is as good a ration as you can get.

Mechanically, the best way is hiring a Mulcher/Wood Gator. It will resprout some, but a drag during hot, dry weather will get most of it.

Chemically, as SWC Bonfire and others mentioned, Picloram. Have not tried Surmount yet, but good reviews so far.

Pear burner...done that..the two aformentioned ways are much easier and probably about as cheap !

We had success with Remedy. It wasn't our target, but we sprayed a few to see how it did. Killed it dead.

You can spot spray with diesel:remedy 3:1 or 4:1 and it does great - it's just expensive. Haven't looked at the label for Remedy for broadcast/foliar spray, but you don't have to have a restricted license for it.

Thanks for the tips guys.

Picloram is made in Freeport at your friendly neighborhood chemical plant

For an entire pasture Picloram...but need applicator license.

For less...if you are already spraying mesquites....Reclaim or Remedy. Check it a month after first spray and hit it again if it looks like it is not drying up. BTW...Alligare claims that their Triclopyr (Remedy copy) with Picloram is a darn good mix for mesquite and cactus.

For even less, like just a road or short fenceline..... a pitchfork.

Pasture guard in water with dish soap. 5oz to a gallon of water. Cover the surface completely. It will take a while.