Box blade for ripping Wisteria Roots?

[dalepres]

I had a wisteria plant get out of control and have been spraying for a couple years to get it mostly killed. Even so, I still can't till the bit of land where it was; the vine just wraps around the tiller until it stops and then I spend an hour cutting it out of the tiller - and then do it again 5 or 10 feet later.

I was thinking of a box blade to put on my BX25, hoping it would just pull the roots out or break through them. I looked at the Land Pride box blade at my dealer and it didn't look like the cutters would extend more than an inch or two below the box.

Anyone use a box blade for digging deeper? Or any other thoughts on a better tool to rip this mess out?

 

[helomech]

You are not going to do any digging down with a box blade.

 

[skeets]

Go rent a BH and dig it all up that would be your best bet,,just MHO

 

[In Utopia]

You are not going to do any digging down with a box blade.

You will if the box blade has scarfirers / rippers.

 

[highcountrybarry]

A good subsoiler would be a relatively inexpensive and very effective tool for it, if the scarifiers on the box blade don't do it deep enough for you. Also, once you drop the scarifiers, tighten up that top link all you can and it will pull the back of the box blade up and out of the way. You will get more penetration with the scarifiers.


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[D2Cat]

Highcountrybarry has it right, a sub soiler first if you don't have a hoe to grub the whole thing out.

 

[anthonyv]

FWIW. I have used a ratchet rake to pull roots, vines, & small trees. i have a plot where wisteria has taken over & the rake will pull vines, but they usually break off at ground level leaving the roots. Once vines are cleared use the BH to dig out the roots.

 

[helomech]

You will if the box blade has scarfirers / rippers.

It will rip, but not dig. And if the ground has any roots or anything you will break them. I don't have any left on my box blade all of them broke. Box blades are for moving dirt and tearing the top of the ground.

 

[nickelplated5s]

It will rip, but not dig. And if the ground has any roots or anything you will break them. I don't have any left on my box blade all of them broke. Box blades are for moving dirt and tearing the top of the ground.

Shorten up that top link and it will rip them. If you want to get fancy only drop the 1 or 2 teeth for what you're trying to do.

 

[jnldr]

Ratchet rake will pull it all out and it is a VERY useful tool....


huntfishquest.com

 

[Creature Meadow]

I too have the problem but I could use fire.

I had some so big running up trees had to use chain saw to cut them.

What I did was burn the block last Spring and it killed everything running up the trees.

I chose to do a control burn that was burning into the breeze so it would not get to hot low and slow. This burn however only burned down a few inches into the fire load on the floor.

This Spring will do it over and build a hotter fire to rid of the Wisteria that was under the litter on the ground.

Round one huge success had it growing 70' up in my trees all is dead that went vertical.

Can you burn it may be easier?

Controlled burns are our friends and make our forest more healthy when done properly.

A drip torch, the right weather, some friends, and at the right time you can do a lot with fire.

I am fireman and annually we have the Forestry Service come in and teach a class just finished mine for this year. They have a wealth of knowledge on how to manage our forests to be more healthy and beneficial to wildlife and for the land owner to profit from their land.

 

[jnldr]

I too have the problem but I could use fire.



I had some so big running up trees had to use chain saw to cut them.



What I did was burn the block last Spring and it killed everything running up the trees.



I chose to do a control burn that was burning into the breeze so it would not get to hot low and slow. This burn however only burned down a few inches into the fire load on the floor.



This Spring will do it over and build a hotter fire to rid of the Wisteria that was under the litter on the ground.



Round one huge success had it growing 70' up in my trees all is dead that went vertical.



Can you burn it may be easier?



Controlled burns are our friends and make our forest more healthy when done properly.



A drip torch, the right weather, some friends, and at the right time you can do a lot with fire.



I am fireman and annually we have the Forestry Service come in and teach a class just finished mine for this year. They have a wealth of knowledge on how to manage our forests to be more healthy and beneficial to wildlife and for the land owner to profit from their land.

That's awesome you can do that but I live 20 minutes fro Gatlinburg TN and after the devastation they experienced I would be scared to death to do a burn in the trees....


huntfishquest.com

 

[scdeerslayer]

I tried digging wisteria roots with the backhoe last winter and it was a never ending job. I finally got out what I could get easily and left the rest, I'll continue to spray it as it sprouts. This was in an area where you couldn't use a 3 pt implement.

I'd vote for a subsoiler also, but it won't get them all. I should pull out enough to allow tilling though, and if you're tilling for a garden, it's a good idea to run the subsoiler through there before doing anything else and then again every few years.