Landscape clearing

11 years ago

I'm not sure if this is the best forum for this question since I am new here but... My Lot is just under two acres in size. About 2/3 of it is grass with the remainder comprised of a (usually) dry creek bed lined by trees and what I call scrub. The scrub is primarily poison ivy, honeysuckle and various sticker bushes and broad leaf weeds interspersed with some stunted tree growth as well as established trees. I had a portion of the scrub cleared out this weekend (mainly trees cleared and bushes cut down) which really opened up the area to sunlight. My concern based on past experience is that the poison ivy, sticker bushes, vines, etc... will come back with a vengeance if I don't do something to stop them. My apologies for being long winded but wanted you to have some background (and I'm a frustrated writer.) What can/should I use to treat the area to prevent all the scrub from coming back? I am considering dumping/spreading dirt over the area to facilitate some grass growing but I know I need to do something else first. Thanks for your patience while reading my long winded rambling.

Terry

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Comments (5)

kimmq
11 years ago
Where in the world are you?

Is that "dry creek" a protected waterway or not?

Before you do anything near and around that "dry creek" you will need to know if you legally can or if you do without the proper approvals and with permits will you be required to restore that area.

kimmq is kimmsr
Terry
Original Author
11 years ago
Good questions. I am in SE PA (specifically near Quakertown PA.) The creek is listed as Federally protected waters which I'm sure limits what types of chemical solutions might be used as treatment. Based on your questions I am currently googling regulations pertaining to federally protected waters to ensure I don't inadvertently get myself in trouble.
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UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
"My concern based on past experience is that the poison ivy, sticker
bushes, vines, etc... will come back with a vengeance if I don't do
something to stop them."
Well, you obviously have to keep yourself from getting the poison ivy, somehow. What I did with a similar area was: push all the weeds out of the way with a front end loader, and spray the residual growth with roundup (high concentration for a job like this) after they'd regrow for a couple months. If you do it correctly, ONE application of roundup with COMPLETELY kill any brush growth this way. (assuming it is applied correctly) Then I mowed the brush and planted grass seed. That area is now pretty standard lawn.
You can always get someone with a brush hog but if you have a place to push the brush (I pushed it into some woods) you don't need one.

I'm surprised a 2 acre residential lot contains federally protected waters, but obviously you should do whatever you do in compliance with the law. When I moved to Maryland I specifically didn't buy a house right along the Bay because there's a state law - almost certainly seldom observed or enforced - requiring permission to cut down trees. Probably sensible to stop a farmer from clearing 30 acres to plant corn right along the bay, destroying a bunch of riparian woodlands, not so for the homeowner who just wanted a 50X100' foot space to grow sun loving perennials! Still I didn't want to run afoul of it. It did cause me to strike one house from my search: Cecil County is such a small world I later ran into to someone, told him the story, and he told me he knew of the house and that I missed a real gem. Oh well! I'm happy with what I ended up with regardless, I have more land for one thing. That was only 1 acre...closer to the water the lots get smaller and smaller.
kimmq
11 years ago
David, keep in mind that the World Health Organization lists all glyphosate produ7cts as potential carcinogens.

kimmq is kimmsr
UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Yes, and the so-called "physicians committee for responsible medicine"
says that meat is a carcinogen. The science on what makes a carcinogen
is actually far more complex than a simple cause-and-effect
relationship. There are already various preservatives and other chemicals permitted to be added our
food that certainly more carcinogenic than glyphosate. The World Health Organization has surely been wrong about something in the past and could be again.

If someone wants to reduce their exposure to carcinogens, they should certainly wear a respirator and body suit when spraying glyphosate, as well as never refueling an internal combustion vehicle since petrochemical fumes are also carcinogenic.