{"id":2675,"date":"2025-10-15T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrilife.org\/westtexasrangelands\/?p=2675"},"modified":"2025-10-14T16:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T16:57:14","slug":"ten-years-of-mesquite-application-timingspray-a-healthy-tree-or-wait-until-75f-soil-temperature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrilife.org\/westtexasrangelands\/ten-years-of-mesquite-application-timingspray-a-healthy-tree-or-wait-until-75f-soil-temperature\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Years of Mesquite Application Timing\u2026Spray a Healthy Tree or Wait Until 75F Soil Temperature?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mesquite (<\/span>Prosopis<\/span><\/i> spp.) is a tough, invasive shrub that plagues rangelands across Texas and beyond, outcompeting native grasses, reducing forage for livestock, and altering wildlife habitats. For ranchers aiming to boost grazing productivity, conservationists focused on restoring biodiversity, and wildlife managers enhancing quail or deer cover, effective mesquite management is key. But timing your herbicide applications, especially foliar sprays, can make all the difference. Drawing from a ten-year dataset spanning counties like Hamilton, Jack, Hood, Eastland, Comanche, Tom Green, and Schleicher, let’s explore how environmental factors like soil temperature influence mesquite mortality rates one and two years after treatment (YAT).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Insights from the Field Trials<\/b><\/p>\n

This dataset compiled over 500 observations across 10 years from individual plant treatment (IPT), from 5 Texas counties, tracking percent mortality alongside variables such as soil temperature (12-inch depth), air temperature, and relative humidity. While individual results varied by site and conditions, clear patterns emerge when we aggregate the data.<\/span><\/p>\n