Thistle help

[entropyfx]

So I had sprayed a few months ago, had a few thistles in the plot where I broadcasted turnips, brassica, and winter wheat, but not terrible. Came back today like 3 weeks after and it a giant thistle patch, UT so.e seeds are germinating and doing ok. Is there so etching I can spray to kill the thistles and not kill what I have coming up?

Can't believe how quickly they took over

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[SD51555]

You hit the glyphosate lottery. I have experience with this. See the pic below.

This is not a popular opinion, but here's what I'd do. Let them run wild until about 30 days before frost. Broadcast rye, white clover, vetch, and chicory into them, and mow them down. Do not spray. They will come back next year, but some of what you plant will get through too. Let the whole plot grow undisturbed until the rye heads are pointed south next summer. Let the thistle go to seed, and enjoy the gold finch visitors.

Broadcast rye in again and mow it all down. After a couple seasons, they should go back into dormancy. Thistle is auto-toxic. If they carpet that plot, they'll peter back out after they've fixed your soil. I had half considered planting some thistle seed where i moved a bunch of clay to speed up the fiber-izing of my soil. I didn't think of it in time, and instead just opted for ragweed seed as my invasive instead.

 

[Catscratch]

I'm with sd 100%. Nature will take care of itself if you let it. If you want to spray and till you'll have to approach it differently.

 

[Angus 1895]

I wouldn’t tolerate it going to seed.

strim the flowers off. Let us know how she goes.

I am lucky in that I only get 11 inches of moisture so the non irrigated edges of the property were easy to eliminate thistle spot spraying over several years.

 

[Wild Thing]

Yeah - I can't handle all those fussy seeds blowing all over the place either. There have been years when I never got to it and it spread like wildfire. I try to go out and spray it all with Gly every time I see one and have kept it somewhat in check but it can be persistent for sure.

 

[Foggy47]

I have spot sprayed with Gly and have gotten them under control while enjoying my plots. Bull thistles are easy to control. Canadian thistle is another matter. Make sure you know which your dealing with.

 

[Barndog56]

Thistle is one way Mother Nature has of telling you the soil is low in calcium.

You can spray and spray and spray and you will eventually kill the thistle. But your soil will still be low in calcium. And Mother Nature will grow some other weed to try and remind you.

Or you can work with her and add calcium to your soil. Let the thistle grow until it's in full bloom, then mow it. Repeat a couple of times and your soil will be greatly improved, and thistle will stop growing. And the things you plant will grow much better.

 

[Wild Thing]

Thistle is one way Mother Nature has of telling you the soil is low in calcium.

You can spray and spray and spray and you will eventually kill the thistle. But your soil will still be low in calcium. And Mother Nature will grow some other weed to try and remind you.

Or you can work with her and add calcium to your soil. Let the thistle grow until it's in full bloom, then mow it. Repeat a couple of times and your soil will be greatly improved, and thistle will stop growing. And the things you plant will grow much better.

That isn‘t going to happen in my situation Barndog. My thistle popped up after a timber harvest where the soil had been scarified by logging equipment. There is no way I am going to be able to add calcium or do any mowing where this stuff has popped up. I have to go through the woods searching it out and spray it before it flowers.

 

[Angus 1895]

My soil is a ph of 7.3-7.4 maybe that’s why thistle ain’t as big a deal as it was orn my last property.

I always thought thistle was a sign of open , broken ground where the fluttering seed can land and germinate.

obviously mowing is hard on thistle. That’s why they have thistles….they don’t want to be grazed.

in the state of Idaho both Canadian and bull thistle are reportable noxious weeds. I am surprised promoting the growth and propagation of noxious weeds is allowed in your state.

And why ain’t you in internet jail?