# Trail Maintenance/ weed killer



## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

Wondering what everyone's go to is for maintaining trails on private property...?


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## RMK (Feb 21, 2017)

crossbow


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## aquaholic2 (Feb 17, 2010)

RMK said:


> crossbow


cute....


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Crossbow is an herbicide. I use glyphosate and 2-4D.


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## InlandKid (Aug 29, 2006)

I use glysophate for light stuff like grass and weeds with mix results, for heavy brush and thorns Bayers Brush Killer.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Got this product off amazon and it works really good. Glysophate is 41% which is really good. 2 oz. per gallon and only 20.00.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

aquaholic2 said:


> cute....


Was gonna say what's so cute, he answered your question...


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

Crossbow kills everything but grass


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

I use a cobbled up push mower. Usually a trash day find. I take the wheels off and add those larger wheels that are on the rear of some mowers. Gives me about an 8 inch cut. Its hard on them, tho'. I call it "Toe gitter" Only lasts a year or so... No spray for me as my prime spot is a crick bottom.


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## MagicMarker (Mar 19, 2017)

chadwimc said:


> I use a cobbled up push mower. Usually a trash day find. I take the wheels off and add those larger wheels that are on the rear of some mowers. Gives me about an 8 inch cut. Its hard on them, tho'. I call it "Toe gitter" Only lasts a year or so... No spray for me as my prime spot is a crick bottom.
> View attachment 313711


Found an old pull type swisher mower on Craig's list. Pull it behind four wheeler works great


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

s.a.m said:


> Crossbow kills everything but grass


Yes sir...and some fairly decent size saplings as well.
Had a 5 acre field crammed full of nothing but chest high sumac and treated it with Crossbow. Went in about a week later and resprayed. In about three more weeks, all dead standing sumac which I then plowed out, stacked and burned. Have used it on large multiflora rose as well with good result.
Crossbow is some good stuff for the bigger foilage.
Use Eliminator on unwanted weeds,grass and smaller multiflora rose. Also use it on the wild grape vine ends after they are cut to ground level.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I have never bought Crossbow because of the high price. I can buy 2-4D for $10 a gallon. What does advantage does Crossbow have over 2-4D? I use 2-4D to spot spray thistle in CRP. For general weed/brush burn down I mix generic glyphosate($29.99 for 2.5 gallons of concentrate) and 2-4D together, nothing survives that combo and it's cheap.


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## s.a.m (Feb 22, 2016)

Muddy said:


> I have never bought Crossbow because of the high price. I can buy 2-4D for $10 a gallon. What does advantage does Crossbow have over 2-4D? I use 2-4D to spot spray thistle in CRP. For general weed/brush burn down I mix generic glyphosate($29.99 for 2.5 gallons of concentrate) and 2-4D together, nothing survives that combo and it's cheap.


Rural King farm stores sells a generic called crossroad, yes crossbow is pricey


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## RMK (Feb 21, 2017)

Muddy said:


> I have never bought Crossbow because of the high price. I can buy 2-4D for $10 a gallon. What does advantage does Crossbow have over 2-4D? I use 2-4D to spot spray thistle in CRP. For general weed/brush burn down I mix generic glyphosate($29.99 for 2.5 gallons of concentrate) and 2-4D together, nothing survives that combo and it's cheap.


the ingredient Triclopyr in crossbow. seems to work better on the unwanted woody brush for me than straight 24d. and i dont want to kill the grass in applications when i m using crossbow therefore no gly in this mix. for a cheaper thistle spray 24d would probably work just fine. there is an even more species specific spray (less collateral damage) for thistles i would recommend but it is real pricey. i think its called tri star. cant remember for sure


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Muddy said:


> I have never bought Crossbow because of the high price. I can buy 2-4D for $10 a gallon. What does advantage does Crossbow have over 2-4D? I use 2-4D to spot spray thistle in CRP. For general weed/brush burn down I mix generic glyphosate($29.99 for 2.5 gallons of concentrate) and 2-4D together, nothing survives that combo and it's cheap.


I can't tell ya any advantages...if any. But I can tell ya like RMK stated, Crossbow plain works on the more 'woody' brush. A great unwanted sapling killer as well as killing anything with thicker, more beefier stems.


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## SJB (Mar 22, 2017)

Going to derail a bit, but have clover on some of my trails for the game in the area, but thistles have taken over in a few spots and they are getting to be 2-3' high. What would one spray to kill the thistle and not harm the clover?


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

SJB said:


> Going to derail a bit, but have clover on some of my trails for the game in the area, but thistles have taken over in a few spots and they are getting to be 2-3' high. What would one spray to kill the thistle and not harm the clover?


Read here about 2,4-*DB* as a broadleaf killer and not killing clover. Not to be confused with regular 2,4-*D*:
https://www.qdma.com/5-herbicides-every-deer-steward-know/


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## SJB (Mar 22, 2017)

fastwater said:


> Read here about 2,4-*DB* as a broadleaf killer and not killing clover. Not to be confused with regular 2,4-*D*:
> https://www.qdma.com/5-herbicides-every-deer-steward-know/


Thanks for sending the link, and I have read it before. What I don't know, will 2,4-DB kill thistles? Are they considered a broadleaf? As you can see, I only pretend to be a farmer on the weekends.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

SJB said:


> Thanks for sending the link, and I have read it before. *What I don't know, will 2,4-DB kill thistles? Are they considered a broadleaf?* As you can see, I only pretend to be a farmer on the weekends.


Yes...thistles are considered a broadleaf


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## Shaun69007 (Sep 2, 2009)

I have put in a small kill plot and have all the area killed off like DEAD!!! does anybody know where i can rent an ATV disc or something that i can thatch up the area so i can get a good seed bed. I'm in the Newark Area. I have a disc on my big tractor just can't really maneuver real well in a 20 yard by 25 yard area


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## Daego Doug (May 31, 2009)

hey guys what about poison ivy any effective sprays? thanks doug


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Any product with glysophate will kill poison ivy. Add a surfactant to the mix for best results.


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## SJB (Mar 22, 2017)

Shaun69007 said:


> I have put in a small kill plot and have all the area killed off like DEAD!!! does anybody know where i can rent an ATV disc or something that i can thatch up the area so i can get a good seed bed. I'm in the Newark Area. I have a disc on my big tractor just can't really maneuver real well in a 20 yard by 25 yard area


Right now between me and a few buddies we have 12 food plots or kills plots. I have one that is very similar in size to what you are talking about. My goal with that plot is just to get them to stop on their way through the funnel to offer an easy shot (my 14 yo son is the one who usually hunts this stand). It is too big for my tractor to work, but small enough for my ATV. I don't get crazy on the seed. I simply spray with roundup. Let it sit and die. Come back 2 weeks and drag with the below drag until most of the weeds are ripped out. For this plot, I keep it simple with just oat and rye. broadcast seed, drag again. Try to do this right before a rain for best results. We have all sorts of tools for our plots, and this drag gets used a lot.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...MItJzSqJ7d4wIVhSCtBh2oowqCEAQYASABEgK2J_D_BwE


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

Will the crossbow spray kill larger honey suckles? Or at least the root systems. I have a bunch I chopped down but the stumps are still trying to grow.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

stonen12 said:


> Will the crossbow spray kill larger honey suckles? Or at least the root systems. I have a bunch I chopped down but the stumps are still trying to grow.


Yes...it will kill large honeysuckle with no problem.
As stated earlier, I killed out a whole field of solid, chest high sumac that had stems about 2-3" around. Have also killed out small saplings with bases up to 3-4" as well.
But as with most weeds/foilage killer, its normally best to not cut the weed down before spraying to insure the killer is absorbed through the leaves/vines and carried to the entire root system for a total plant kill. You just have to be careful of the overspray cause crossbow is gonna kill just about anything it gets on. 

The only thing I've ever cut before applying killer to was wild grape vines. And those are cut at their base and the ends heavily coated with the killer.


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

SJB said:


> Going to derail a bit, but have clover on some of my trails for the game in the area, but thistles have taken over in a few spots and they are getting to be 2-3' high. What would one spray to kill the thistle and not harm the clover?


That is a tough one. Try spot spraying the thistles, it may be time consumeing, but at least you will not kill all the clover.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

> Going to derail a bit, but have clover on some of my trails for the game in the area, but thistles have taken over in a few spots and they are getting to be 2-3' high. What would one spray to kill the thistle and not harm the clover?


You can use this on the thistle. I have a patent pending on this product.


https://www.amazon.com/RoundUp-Prec...ocphy=9015340&hvtargid=pla-391021088566&psc=1


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## Bluewalleye (Jun 1, 2009)

Man I must be behind the times. I just use pruning snips and cut everything that will make noise or I can get caught on. Cut it once in the middle of October and never have to cut it again that season.


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