[rmichael63]

My first thought would be a propane tank w a weed burner wand, but it sounds like this would only work in cooler times of the year w damp windless conditions to keep down the potential for brush fires, so that won't work.

I like the tarp idea. Can the tarp(s) lay in an area where you don't train for a period then you move it / them systematically.

No grandkids to help out? 🤩

Now great minds think alike! I thought a controlled burn would be ideal, but thought better of mentioning it.
I would love to see a current situation picture to see extent of his issues.

 

[JohnnyDollar]

Nice range setup you have there. Looks like you are out in West Texas/El Paso?
I'm in South Texas, between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
I'm also retired and getting grumpier everyday.

I have a really small range set up where we hunt and have more grass and scrub brush than you, so I feel your pain.
I feel your pain a lot because everything growing out here is not only trying to survive, it's also trying to kill me.

I collect up the brass I can find, but still lose some. I go out every once in a while and sweep the area with a metal detector and find the hidden brass. That is the beauty of having my own range area.

Fighting that desert vegetation is probably a losing proposition, it's tough and used to adverse conditions.

Being a cheap-ass myself, a couple of solutions come to my mind:

You can use some heavy duty ground cover weed cloth.
I've seen this used to cover large areas at nursery's and it works well.
Something like this: Ground cover fabric

Another idea would be to go to Harbor Freight and buy a large tarp and simply move it around to wherever you happen to be shooting from, no need to permanently install it.

 

[Jack Ruger]

Now great minds think alike! I thought a controlled burn would be ideal, but thought better of mentioning it.
I would love to see a current situation picture to see extent of his issues.

Does this mean that we split costs and road trip to see it first hand?

 

[hlg]

Add another one for the tarp idea. It'll work ...and you won't have to use harsh chemicals.

 

[FireEscape]

Some years ago a friend wanted a weed free,solid area to park his boat/trailer but didn't want to deal with actual paving. He just kept buying bags of concrete mix and spreading it around the area and increasing coverage. No mixing or watering, I don't remember how long it took but didn't seem like too long before he had a clear, solid area. Maybe too dry in your part of the country?

Bruce

 

[Jack Ruger]

Some years ago a friend wanted a weed free,solid area to park his boat/trailer but didn't want to deal with actual paving. He just kept buying bags of concrete mix and spreading it around the area and increasing coverage. No mixing or watering, I don't remember how long it took but didn't seem like too long before he had a clear, solid area. Maybe too dry in your part of the country?

Bruce

I would agree w that to the point of depending on the climate. The mix should pick up moisture from the surrounding area. Back in the day I've seen guys put posts in the ground for fence or decks and just pour in the dry bag rather than mix it. The dry mix picks up the moisture from the surrounding ground (at least up north).

I wonder if he did small areas at a time like a 10'x10' a couple inches deep. Water the ground prior to placing then mist the top afterward?? Definitely a trial and error thing for your area, but man that's a lot of bags of material as well.

I also like the rock salt idea given above, but how much can one find in Texas?

 

[rmichael63]

Does this mean that we split costs and road trip to see it first hand?

Absolutely ... but you know, we would need a good size vehicle to haul our chootin' stuff JUST IN CASE his range meets our high level 😏 of expectations ...

 

[Spitdog]

I would think the barter system would be the best option. One kid and and weed wacker = one day shooten.

 

[terry_p]

Gallon of white vinegar, 1/2 cup salt and a squirt of dish detergent in a sprayer and spray like a herbicide. Most white vinegar is 6%. I found some 45% on Amazon and that with the other stuff kills poison ivy. If you can get some stronger than 6% that should work with a single application.

 

[GONRA]

GONRA suggests zapping vegetation with generic Roundup
( label sez "GLYPHOSATE" ) available everywhere.
Harbor Freight tarps are great.....

 

[blackmesa96]

A ground sterilizer would likely be your best chemical solution. Pramitol or Sahara both keep stuff down for a while. You need to take care that it doesn't get into the root zone of trees you wish to keep. Also, it's kind of pricey.

Being in Texas, you probably don't have the option of 2,4-D (or so I've heard).
Farmers in our part of the world burn down with a ratio of 4 parts Roundup or equivalent, 2 parts 2, 4-D (amine) during hot months and 1 part dicamba if bindweed is an issue. If daytime temps go above 90, omit the dicamba. I apply at 5 oz Roundup, 3 oz 2,4-D and 1 1/2 oz dicamba to a gallon of water to clean up our driveway, fence lines and walkways. You can mix this to apply in one pass if you get your Roundup in suspension with at least half your water before you add the rest of the stuff.

This needs to go down while the plants are active (daytime) for best results. Dew on the plants can also inhibit intake.

You have a fait amount of square footage. Another option could be a pre-emergent herbicide like Finesse but that won't give you a total kill (plus it's also pricey).

I know it sounds trite, but try to contact a Co-Op or extension department to get their recommendations. They probably won't tell you what you want to hear, but it's worth a shot.

Good luck. Weeds are harder to get rid of than a bad reputation.

 

[maddmatter1970]

Controlled burn every other year?

 

[rmichael63]

as @Jack Ruger said ...

 

[scubadad]

I'm with maddhatter. A gallon of gas and a match can do wonders.

 

[bdhawk]

Now great minds think alike! I thought a controlled burn would be ideal, but thought better of mentioning it.
I would love to see a current situation picture to see extent of his issues.

we are under an almost perpetual burn ban alert, or red flag alert. it would probably result in a fine if i tried the burning method if not for the burn ban, burning would be a great solution. in fact, oi bought a weed burner, have not taken it out of the box, yet. there is a half section of farmland, just west of my range, that would be a prime area for a potential fire.

 

[bdhawk]

A ground sterilizer would likely be your best chemical solution. Pramitol or Sahara both keep stuff down for a while. You need to take care that it doesn't get into the root zone of trees you wish to keep. Also, it's kind of pricey.

Being in Texas, you probably don't have the option of 2,4-D (or so I've heard).
Farmers in our part of the world burn down with a ratio of 4 parts Roundup or equivalent, 2 parts 2, 4-D (amine) during hot months and 1 part dicamba if bindweed is an issue. If daytime temps go above 90, omit the dicamba. I apply at 5 oz Roundup, 3 oz 2,4-D and 1 1/2 oz dicamba to a gallon of water to clean up our driveway, fence lines and walkways. You can mix this to apply in one pass if you get your Roundup in suspension with at least half your water before you add the rest of the stuff.

This needs to go down while the plants are active (daytime) for best results. Dew on the plants can also inhibit intake.

You have a fait amount of square footage. Another option could be a pre-emergent herbicide like Finesse but that won't give you a total kill (plus it's also pricey).

I know it sounds trite, but try to contact a Co-Op or extension department to get their recommendations. They probably won't tell you what you want to hear, but it's worth a shot.

Good luck. Weeds are harder to get rid of than a bad reputation.

i mentioned earlier, i use RM43 which is texas legal, and recommended by my farmer neighbor. i generally buy it 2 1/2 gallons at a time. if i have the proper weather conditions, it works real well as a weed killer. it is far more cost effective than round up. i have had mediocre results with it as a ground kill. i also tried krovar [if memory serves] it worked well, but it was gifted to me. i would have to have a special license to buy it, i have been told. not so sure about that. it is very spendy, i did not pursue that in detail.

 

[bdhawk]

Absolutely ... but you know, we would need a good size vehicle to haul our chootin' stuff JUST IN CASE his range meets our high level 😏 of expectations ...

pack up and come on! i challenge you to a dueling tree contest, or maybe show off our el prez shooting skills.

 

[bdhawk]

I would agree w that to the point of depending on the climate. The mix should pick up moisture from the surrounding area. Back in the day I've seen guys put posts in the ground for fence or decks and just pour in the dry bag rather than mix it. The dry mix picks up the moisture from the surrounding ground (at least up north).

I wonder if he did small areas at a time like a 10'x10' a couple inches deep. Water the ground prior to placing then mist the top afterward?? Definitely a trial and error thing for your area, but man that's a lot of bags of material as well.

I also like the rock salt idea given above, but how much can one find in Texas?

i have seen videos of folks using portland for that task. looks promising, but i was unclear on the coverage ratio per bag. these days portland runs about $13.00+ per 94 pound bag. if i got 10X10 out of a bag, it sounds like a plan, if i do it incrementally.
i spread 400 pounds of softner salt [kinda like the old ice cream making salt] over about 1000 sq feet. i modified a fertilizer spreader for the task. i may have been to sparce with it, i had little to no positive results.

 

[bdhawk]

Add another one for the tarp idea. It'll work ...and you won't have to use harsh chemicals.

i am leaning toward the tarp idea. i could get a couple of say 20X30 or so tarps to cover the area where i do the most shooting. they come weather and UV resistant. i could spike [think BIG NAILS] them down using the gromets. it just may hold up to the winds. me being the glass half full type, i fear the seams may be a trip hazard when i do my shootin' on the move dirlls. my focus is on the targets, not my big ole size 13 clumsy feet. not too awfully spendy, wort a try. i would still have to spray and/or weed whack the area around my target area.

 

[bdhawk]

A ground sterilizer would likely be your best chemical solution. Pramitol or Sahara both keep stuff down for a while. You need to take care that it doesn't get into the root zone of trees you wish to keep. Also, it's kind of pricey.

Being in Texas, you probably don't have the option of 2,4-D (or so I've heard).
Farmers in our part of the world burn down with a ratio of 4 parts Roundup or equivalent, 2 parts 2, 4-D (amine) during hot months and 1 part dicamba if bindweed is an issue. If daytime temps go above 90, omit the dicamba. I apply at 5 oz Roundup, 3 oz 2,4-D and 1 1/2 oz dicamba to a gallon of water to clean up our driveway, fence lines and walkways. You can mix this to apply in one pass if you get your Roundup in suspension with at least half your water before you add the rest of the stuff.

This needs to go down while the plants are active (daytime) for best results. Dew on the plants can also inhibit intake.

You have a fait amount of square footage. Another option could be a pre-emergent herbicide like Finesse but that won't give you a total kill (plus it's also pricey).

I know it sounds trite, but try to contact a Co-Op or extension department to get their recommendations. They probably won't tell you what you want to hear, but it's worth a shot.

Good luck. Weeds are harder to get rid of than a bad reputation.

i know i have the weeds, and prolly the bad reputation, as well. my momma did not raise any saints.