We've been clearing out the creek behind our house to make it accessible for the kids and to improve the look of the back yard. It's typical brush for Brazos Valley. Yaupon, pepper vine, and those thorny climbing vines that look like rose stems. Dealt w them all my life but don't know their name. Small amount of poison ivy as well.

Is roundup the way to go or is there something better to use since it's more woody stem / vine? I have a sprayer so i can mix from concentrate. Would prefer something I could pick up this weekend from one of the big box stores. Thanks I'll hang up and listen!

I'd mix roundup with triplet or trimec, Plus a little diesel.

Thanks fellas. Used a ton of remedy and diesel on mesquite in my day. Never mixed roundup w diesel.

Need to edit the OP to mention that I do have a large grove of post oak and hickory along the bank of this creek and I want to be sure I don't risk damaging the fickle post oaks.

No need for the glyphosate on brush. I like Grazon p+d tank mixed with Remedy and a good surfactant.

rwv2055 said:

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No need for the glyphosate on brush. I like Grazon p+d tank mixed with Remedy and a good surfactant.

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Agreed. Glyphosate won't do much on brush.

dr_boogs said:

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Thanks fellas. Used a ton of remedy and diesel on mesquite in my day. Never mixed roundup w diesel.

Need to edit the OP to mention that I do have a large grove of post oak and hickory along the bank of this creek and I want to be sure I don't risk damaging the fickle post oaks.

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Remedy and diesel is still your friend, related to your original post. On cut stumps, some basal applications, and also works on the thorny vines (with their glossy/slick leaves).

Not sure what the mix ratio would be for glyphosate, to even make a good dent on brush and vines. Might work.

dr_boogs said:

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those thorny climbing vines that look like rose stems. Dealt w them all my life but don't know their name.

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Yeah, don't you just love those mofos? We've been clearing along some fence lines with tall overgrown trees in Central Texas (so the tractor can pass) and find them to be giant pains. I've torn up some decent shirts as well as my face along the way.

I understand your desire to protect your post oaks, so I'd stay away from anything with residual soil activity within about twice the drip line of those trees. (e.g. Picloram and Imazapyr).

You're already familiar with Remedy (Triclopyr) and diesel, and that would be my tool of choice here too, provided you spot spray it basally, keeping it off your desired vegetation.

About the only thing I've found around here that a basal spray of Remedy + diesel won't kill is eastern red cedar. For that, I get out the Picloram.

There's no use in mixing Remedy with diesel for foliar spraying. Excellent for basal, but wasting product if foliar. Its sounds like your thorny vine is Macartney rose or multiflora rose. As previously mentioned, Grazon plus Remedy works pretty well. Here are two more options: 1-1.5% solution of Pasturgard HL plus MSO. MSO is a must on yaupon. Have to penetrate wax curticle. Another thing I've had surprisingly good success with is mixing Weedmaster & Escort. This mix does a pretty good job on Macartney Rose, greenbrier, etc. Again, add the MSO. You won't find the brush products you need at a big box store though.

He's talking about greenbriar. Good luck, they have massive rhizomes/tumorous roots underground and waxy stems, with few leaves. Best luck I've had is burning them back with weed master if under trees, p+d/tordon22k if no trees. Frequent mowing helps control some, if nothing else it encourages new growth you can burn off with brush killer.



They're bare thorny vines in fall and winter because deer eat the leaves off... evidently they love them.

Being in east Texas and in the woods I'd imagine the thorny vine is devils walking stick or a smilax.

We took out a few devils walking sticks. But those were more like trees than climbing vines - at least that's what I always called walking sticks. Sure could be wrong.

I think the photo of greenbrier is the closest to what I'm dealing with on the thorny vine side. To our knowledge our property hasn't ever been lived on (in modern times) and some of the climbing vines go up into our mature post oak canopy and the base of the vines are as big around as your thumb.

Been working the kids dragging yaupon and vines out of the creek all winter.

Thanks for the great advice fellas. I have gallons of remedy. Where can I pick up the other products in BCS? I can call the county Ag Ext Office next week. Producers Co-Op is the only other place I can think of.

Either way, if its smilax or one of the rosa species, those mixes I mentioned will do well on either. Root system on smilax can be huge and takes years of fighting with this stuff to get it under control. I just mulched about an acre of privet, greenbrier, and other brush, so getting my sprayer ready to go do battle as stuff re-sprouts.

If you have Remedy, go ahead and use what you have and it will work fine. Still need a good oily surfactant on the greenbrier; I recommend MSO. Like Remedy, Pasturegard contains triclopyr ester, but has another active ingredient to broaden the control spectrum. Should be able to find what you need at the co-op. If not, PM me.

Basal treat greenbrier or bois d'arc with diesel and remedy mix. It only takes a couple of drops per stem. If the are big clumps of it, just increase the pressure on the sprayer and spray a stream into it back and forth. Kill what you can, and spray it again next year.

Foliar spray really doesn't work very well because of the very small leaf area and waxy leaves. But the remedy and diesel basal treatment is deadly to them because of their soft green stems. Good luck.