thistle

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Do any of yall have problems with thistle in your pasture? Thistle has invaded my back pasture this past month and I am wondering how to get rid of it. Daddy said to just dig it up and haul it off (only 10 or 15 plants).
 
There's different kinds of thistle. How good that works depends on what kind you've got. If your thistle has got a fleshy taproot, that will probably work. I like Grazon better than shovel handles, personally. But if its only 10 or 15 plants, I'd just have the old lady dig 'em.
 
Dig them out. And if you miss some of it and it starts growing again spray with RoundUp
 
Definitely dig them up NOW! and dont leave any buds behind because if they have already budded out the seeds WILL germinate once the bud dries up and opens. ACT NOW. Well, what are you waiting for? go on..
 
We have a bad thistle problem. Have tried several things but the best for our pastures are a mix of remedy and banville. Put them both on at full dose with amber in mid spring for two years and burn in the middle. Everything but the grass will die.
 
Something to remember is that most thistles are a two year plant. They have a rosette stage the first year, that's the flat low growing part. The second year they send up the seed stalk. I've heard of just throwing a handfull of salt on the plant and it will kill it completely and supposedly not harm the grass. Never tried it. If it's the rosette stage, roundup or 2,4-d will get it. If in the flower stage, cut at the ground and spray with roundup or 2,4-d. If you dig and leave any little piece of the root the plant will just come back.

dun
 
If you choose to spot spray thistles, I highly recommend the Grazon over 2,4-D or glyphosate. Those will work equally as well on the thistle that you spray. The difference is that the picloram in the Grazon will have residual soil activity that will kill any that germinate around the mature plant that you spray, until that picloram moves on out of the soil. Not good to kill one thistle and have two germinate right beside it.

Whatever you use, do like others have suggested and get rid of the seed heads. A thistle has a lot of energy in the stalk and will continue to mature a seed head long after you cut it or dig it.

At any rate, plan on doing it for two or three years to get complete control.
 
We have almost eliminated thistle from our pastures - almost. :clap: It has taken several years and persistance.

Find them before they seed out. Take off the seed head and put into a plastic bag - burn later Spray with Grazon - around 1/3 cup to 2 gallons of water. If you just spray, leaving the seed head on - the lazy mans way- darn things will eventually open and release the seeds. :mad:

When ever we are out and see one we attack! :cboy:
 
Texan":10mq0jaw said:
If you choose to spot spray thistles, I highly recommend the Grazon over 2,4-D or glyphosate. Those will work equally as well on the thistle that you spray. The difference is that the picloram in the Grazon will have residual soil activity that will kill any that germinate around the mature plant that you spray, until that picloram moves on out of the soil. Not good to kill one thistle and have two germinate right beside it.

Whatever you use, do like others have suggested and get rid of the seed heads. A thistle has a lot of energy in the stalk and will continue to mature a seed head long after you cut it or dig it.

At any rate, plan on doing it for two or three years to get complete control.

Only problem is that picloram is a restricted use herbicide and you have to have a license to get it and supposedly legally apply it. But it isn't all that hard to get a license.

dun
 
dun":nov3v9gt said:
Texan":nov3v9gt said:
If you choose to spot spray thistles, I highly recommend the Grazon over 2,4-D or glyphosate. Those will work equally as well on the thistle that you spray. The difference is that the picloram in the Grazon will have residual soil activity that will kill any that germinate around the mature plant that you spray, until that picloram moves on out of the soil. Not good to kill one thistle and have two germinate right beside it.

Whatever you use, do like others have suggested and get rid of the seed heads. A thistle has a lot of energy in the stalk and will continue to mature a seed head long after you cut it or dig it.

At any rate, plan on doing it for two or three years to get complete control.

Only problem is that picloram is a restricted use herbicide and you have to have a license to get it and supposedly legally apply it. But it isn't all that hard to get a license.

dun

you can add p+d to liquid fertilizer & kill two birds w/one stone.
 
If its only 10-15 then just dig them up. Try to get as much of the root as possible.
 
We get 20 or 30 a year over 200 acres we run cows on. For everyone you see from a distance, when you get there you find 3-5 you couldn't see. It seems you always miss some or else some of the things float over from the neighbors :mad: pasture. Like some of the other posters we keep a sharpshooter & and bags in the truck and get after them when we see them.
;-)
 

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