Cedars are a very aggressive and destructive woody plant here in Texas. They are known to take over a pasture quickly. Along with taking forage space they are a very thirsty plant. A large infestation of cedars will completely suck dry a spring or other pasture water source.
Getting control of any cedars in your pasture is achievable. Much like with mesquite it is not something that will occur after just one application. Here are some things to consider if you are looking to take back your grazing pastures from cedars.
Identify the cedar in question
There are 2 major types of cedar that you will find here in Texas west of I-35. They are Redberry and blueberry cedar. It is important to identify which one you have because they could require different methods for controlling.
Redberry
courtesy of texasbeyondhistory.net
More accurately known as the Red berry juniper produces a red or copper colored berry. Along with the berries redberry cedars will have small specks of white wax on their yellowish green leaves.
It is classified as a basal-sprouting plant. It can be identified by having several stems coming from the ground to form a dense clump. This particular plant is also a re-sprouter which means that just cutting the stems will not kill it on it’s own.
These types are often found in West, West-Central, and North-West Texas. Course they have been known to grow right along blueberry cedar in other parts.
Blueberry
Courtesy of Texas A&M Horticulture department
This plant is more accurately known as the blue berry juniper or Ahse juniper. It produces a blue colored berry making it identifiable over the red berry variety. Like the red berry it is a basal-sprouting plant so it will have many stems growing from a base.
Unlike the red berry variety this type is not a re-sprouting plant so removing the “trunk” will be enough to kill it.
This particular species is generally found in Central and South-Texas regions though it can be found in other areas further west.
Methods for controlling cedar
Now that you have identified which type you are trying to control you can now plan how you will control them. There are generally 3 methods that can be used for this end: Spraying (leaf and soil spot), mechanical, and controlled burning methods.
Spraying
Spraying can be effective against both red berry and blue berry types of plants. These 2 methods work best on cedars that are less than 3 feet tall. They can work on ones taller than that but it will require more chemicals making it a less than ideal economical choice.
Depending on which type you go with will determine what brand of chemical that you will need to use.
Tordon 22K is the recommended product for the Leaf Spray Method. As the name implies you will want to wet all the leaves of each plant to the point of runoff to be the most effective.
Follow the mixing directions on the container. To ensure a thorough coating you should add a surfactant or dishwashing liquid to the spray mix. You might also want to add a dye so you can know what plants you have already sprayed.
One thing to keep in mind is that the purchase of Tordon 22K will require a Pesticide Applicator License from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Velpar L is recommended for the soil spot spray method in controlling cedar. This chemical does not require mixing and can be used by attaching a delivery handgun or syringe to the container.
You will apply the chemical to the soil surface midway between the cedar stem and the canopy edge. The directions say to apply 2ml of the product for every 3 feet of plant height. If it requires more than a single 2 ml application then space them evenly around the plant.
If you are wanting more information on how to properly set your sprayer I talk about that in a previous post here.
Drawback: if you have a large area that needs application it can get pretty expensive. Also with using a chemical you run the risk of killing any plants that you want to keep or contaminating the water supply if not applied correctly.
Mechanical
This method is pretty self explanatory. One method that you can use to get rid of cedars is to do some land clearing with a dozer. Another way is to use a chainsaw and cut the trucks flush with the ground.
Drawback: As we all know paying for dozer work is expensive. Using a chainsaw or other tool is the cheaper option but it can get really time consuming. Also as mentioned above just removing the trunk will kill the blue berry cedar unless you remove what is under the ground you will still have to apply a chemical in order to kill red berry.
Controlled burning
Fire is what originally controlled cedars from overpopulating. With adequate fuel and under the right conditions fire will control most cedars that are less than 6 feet tall.
Drawback: many cedars have grown so large that prescribed burning is not really an effective management tool against them. In order to be the most effective you will have to not graze the particular pasture for at least a year so an adequate amount of fuel can be built up. Also it is a good idea, as well as required by law, that you will need to contract with a licensed professional to do a prescribed burn.
The Texas AgriLife extension service offers a program, Brush Busters, that provides more information on how to properly control different species of plants and can be found by clicking here.
Review
Cedars have become a highly invasive species that can take up forage space as well as consume a lot of water. They are controlled by 3 different methods:
- Spraying
- Mechanical
- Prescribed burning
