3. Melissa Lewis is a former elementary classroom teacher and media specialist. Weeds can greatly impact the overall carrying capacity of a hayfield. Russian thistle is a bushy summer annual with numerous slender ascending stems that become quite woody at maturity. As the root system spreads, it gives rise to new shoots. Observe where your thistle is growing. In the summer, the thistle may be growing but not at its greatest speed. Combining control methods is the best form of Canada thistle management. I haven't seen one in my yard for a while. I've had good luck using 2-4D but you need to use it on young plants...not so good if big and tuff. How do I kill or control thistle in my lawn. You gotta get thistles before they make a head. Milestone works great! It needs to be absorbed throughout the leafs. On smaller plants, the whole stem and branches are spiny-winged. The flower heads quickly form hundreds of seeds. Two common thistles are bull and Canada thistles. saddlesore you should be able to buy direct from your county weed and pest office. In the summer, the thistle may be growing but not at its greatest speed. Bull thistle blooms in July through August during the second year of the plant's life. Control of Canada Thistle in CRP and Other Noncrop Acreage • FNR-436-W. However, since you cannot legally use chlorsulfuron in some states, including California and Montana, select another herbicide instead, such as one that contains aminopyralid. Bull thistle is a Class C Noxious Weed in Washington, first listed in 1988. I try to go back weekly if I can to catch any stragglers that come on later. Expensive but vicious. or sow thistles in your yard? Thistles (at least Canada, musk and bull) seems to be a fairly weak plant IME. It works on small patches of tough weeds and the grass usually comes back. Combining control methods is the best form of Canada thistle management. Re: What herbicide for killing thistles? Ask at your local farmer's co-op what they recommend, or at the extension office. Determine at what stage of growth your thistle is. Apply Shredder 2,4-D LV6 Herbicide to kill annual, biennial and perennial weeds such as bull thistle, cornflower, wild lettuce and goldenrod. Verify what kind of thistle you have. If you're running pasture, put the salt block in anything you want to kill. Cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical control methods have all been used on musk thistles with varying degrees of success in different parts of the country. Transline is another Dow marketing name for clopyralid. Early spring is typically the emergence and prebud stage. It, too, grows tall—up to about 6 feet. Public and private landowners are not required to control infestations of bull thistle that occur on their property in King County. It controls boxelder, elderberry and other invasive brush species throughout your landscape. A couple of the chemicals suggested are restricted use (pesticide applicator license required) for Tordon or Grazon. 1. Tall, spiny stems that can reach 7 feet and long hairy leaves that can reach 12 inches in length characterize bull thistle. Myron, you need to take a serious look at where Saddlesore is doing this little project.... And remember it's a FEDERAL offense to use chemicals out of label, and on someone elses property without a proper applicators license and property owners permission... Saddlesore your best bet is to get ahold of the county weed and pest office and lean on them to get those thistles, especially as they are growing on "public" property. “For a beef operation, the reduction can be between 42 and 72 percent. Need some advice of which one to use 2-4D doesn't seem to work.Don't want to kill everything like Round Up does. Contains Dicamba which I think helps but I don't know that. Read the herbicide’s label carefully and select one based on the preceding information. They seem to come up for 2 years from a ripe seed head. Find out what herbicides are illegal to use in your state. A little dish soap added to the chemical helps a lot. baking soda, sprinkled on and around the stem, will kill 'em. For best results, apply this product as a water or oil spray during warm weather when young succulent weeds or brush are actively growing. Each seed can remain viable for a decade. The stems of Canada thistle lack the conspicuous spiny wings found on bull thistle (C. vulgare) The per gallon herbicide rates were calculated under the assumption that most people, when spot spraying by hand, will apply somewhere around 100 gallons/acre of the spray mixture. Bull thistle is also commonly found along trails, roads and vacant fields. In fields we can use roundup after crops are off and this works very well. Yes, 2-4-D will take out broadleaves and not harm grasses. 2,4-D LV4 Herbicide is a specially formulated postemergence herbicide that provides effective control and suppression of brush, annual, biennial, and perennial weeds on CRP, grain sorghum, pastures, rangeland, fallow systems, and other crops. This information is also posted on the herbicide’s label. For more information, see Noxious Weed Lists and Laws or visit the website of the Washington State Noxious Weed Contr… Alrighty then, now we're getting somewhere. I use 2-4D all the time to kill thistles in the yard. Canada thistle has leaves that are hairless near the top but that may be or not be hairless on the lower end of the leaves. The best time is to get them early, just a whif will kill them when they are in the rosette stage. HOW TO MIX Fill the spray tank half full, then add the required amount of this product and continue filling the tank with Thanks again guys. Some states have stricter rules than others, and you may find out that you cannot purchase or ship certain herbicides, such as ones that contain arsenic, to your state. Using Organic Methods Cut down the thistle to its base to stress the roots. A mix suggested by Dow is Curtail, (NOT a restricted use herbicide) which is a mix of clopyralid and 2-4D. Milestone ® herbicide goes easy on desirable species, including most forage grasses and many deciduous trees, forbs and other plants. My understanding of how Roundup works is that putting a drop down a cut stem is NOT effective, or at least not ideal. The plant has colonized much of North America and is a pest plant in the garden and in agriculture. Animals don’t like to put their nose into that sward.” Also, our thistles have different growning seasons...I guess they're different kinds. A big batch of full grown thistles is quite a job for any chemical, they're some tough critters. Bull thistle is a Class C Noxious Weed in Washington, first listed in 1988. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide: Canada Thistle, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Examples of Illegal Herbicides. If that's the case, get the stinger and let er rip! Because of this, using an herbicide that penetrates the foliage of the thistle and works its way down to the roots to kill it is one of the best methods to eradicate thistles once and for all. (aka nodding thistle) is a native of Europe. We have all different kinds of thistle in our fields. Use glyphosate for your garden, and use a broad-leaf herbicide containing 2,4-D or MCPP for your lawn. Going from memory here, too lazy to walk down to the chemical storage. You can take a sample to your local county extension office or to your local nursery, if necessary. Yes, it is more expensive initially, but when you consider how little you have to use, it's a bargain. Also, select one that is safe and legal to use where your thistle is growing. Canada thistle won't tolerate repeated cutting either. It is a prickly biennial that grows freely in disturbed soils, pastures, ditches, roadsides and unmanaged spaces. 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is indicated to kill broadleaf weeds, but not most grass weeds.. The best way to remove this type of thistle is while they’re still young flower heads and haven’t had enough time to lay down as many roots.To do this, use a small shovel, hand rake, or even a fork to dig out the weed. nual), Spanishneedles, Sunflower, Sweetclover, Tansymustard, Tansyragwort, Thistle Bull, Thistle Musk, Thistle Russian, Velvetleaf, Vervains, Vetch, Water Plantain, Witchweed, W ormwood, Yellow Rocket, Yellow Starthistle. This is a starting point only, your case Though it targets broadleaf weeds, it does not … OK, report - - all Canada thistle has a very bad belly ache. Are these Russian thistles in your pastures? dun wrote:I've alwasy used 2,4-d Amine that says it's 47.2% the chemical.The new stuff I got is ester and is 64.2% or right at that. Next day they would be black, like they had been dead for a week. This potent amount gives you total control of various land and aquatic weed and brush species. Let me check the garage and see if I can't find the stuff. Crossbow and Roundup did a number on sand burs though. ;-{>. IIRC 2-4-D for home use is about 7%,(Ortho from Home Depto etc.) Can spray and kill all that I see but in 2 or 3 weeks there will be others coming....spray again. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a plant that is related to the sunflower family but has none of the charm and beauty of those sunny-nodding flower heads. It makes the spray stick to the weeds. It was off label; maybe there's one that's made for it now. Copyright © 2000-2020 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Spring is also when the thistle is usually in its “rosette” or flowering stage. 1. I expect to use two applications so I'm happy when the first one does it. 700LH: That is the same dilution I use on the lawn. Each flower head measures approximately 2 inches. Transline works on a variety of thistles. Thistles are invasive weeds that grow deep roots, which makes them difficult to control. Going from memory here, too lazy to walk down to the chemical storage. Canada thistle is a creeping perennial that reproduces from vegetative buds in its root system and from seed. Fall (before a frost) is good but also spring pre-flower. I tend to take care of it. For example, an herbicide with the ingredient chlorsulfuron (sold as Telar) is a suitable herbicide to use to eradicate Canada thistle that is growing in your lawn in the early spring when the shoots begin to rapidly emerge until it begins to grow buds. Public and private landowners are not required to control infestations of bull thistle that occur on their property in King County. for farmers is 48%. Even after you pull or dig them out repeatedly, they can continue to grow back. The key to Canada thistle's weediness is its root system. Canada thistle also has lobes that can be irregular from leaf to leaf. When maturin… The plant has colonized much of North America and is a pest plant in the garden and in agriculture. Canada thistle has leaves that are hairless near the top but that may be or not be hairless on the lower end of the leaves. In the winter, thistle is usually dormant. As mentioned, timing is everything. Because control is not required in the county, it is on the list of Non-Regulated Noxious Weeds for King County. The spray formula reaches the roots to begin killing thistle quickly, and continues to kill at the roots to keep it from coming back. What I have is a cuople of dry creek bottoms in a two community parks. Apply Shredder 2,4-D LV6 Herbicide to kill annual, biennial and perennial weeds such as bull thistle, cornflower, wild lettuce and goldenrod. Owned by the local homeowners here. It’s important to differentiate Canada Thistle from many of the biennial thistles that can grow since the methods of treating them are quite different. “Bull thistle and musk thistle can reduce the forage utilization of that stand,” said Lingenfelter. Apply Escort or Telar up to the early flower growth stage. Milestone works, but so does this product. If left unchecked, a single Canada thistle plant eventually turns into a patch containing thousands of stems. All Rights Reserved. Folks I talked to at the local ag chemical supply said that if you knock em down with Curtail now and hit em again right before freeze-up that should do em in but that there will always be some spot follow-up. I pluck the seed heads off musk thistle if I miss them, but that's not practical with Canadians. Identification of thistles can be challenging. Target Pests This is not a guess but info from the chemical companies and university studies. I use one of the mixes based on 2-4-D labeled for consumers, basically generic Weed B Gon, at about label rate with good results. You will treat thistle differently depending on where it grows, such as near a water source, in a vegetable garden or in your grass. What I have is a cuople of dry creek bottoms in a two community parks. However, there are a few things to consider to ensure you're picking the right herbicide for the job. That usually takes care of it. dun wrote:I've alwasy used 2,4-d Amine that says it's 47.2% the chemical.The new stuff I got is ester and is 64.2% or right at that. The roots of Canada thistle spread aggressively, and can increase the width of a thistle patch 6 to 10 feet in a season. You can mix it with your 2,4,D. The two common thistles in Whatcom County are Canada thistle and bull thistle. Same goes for leafy spurge also. Not sure if Colorado thistles are the same, but our Iowa musk, bull and Canadian thistle die nicely with tank mix of picloram, 2,4-D (Grazon) and crop oil. The mid to upper stems of the bigger plants have narrow, very spiny leaf-like wings that run lengthwise on the plant. Since glyphosate kills all plants, you must keep application specific. Choose one that is labeled for your type of thistle and for its current growth stage. The seeds are dispersed by the wind. Apply herbicides to kill thistle, especially in spring and fall, before thistles can flower and seed. “Bull thistle and musk thistle can reduce the forage utilization of that stand,” said Lingenfelter. Crabgrass is a tough grass weed that keeps coming back if not controlled with a strong crabgrass pre-emergent and killer. Musk thistle is a noxious weed in all counties in Kansas. Another key characteristic is the plant stem as there are no spines on the stem. Glyphosate: Herbicides containing glyphosate can effectively control bull thistle. While scouting, you may encounter tall thistle, Le Conte’s thistle, swamp thistle, Nuttall’s thistle, purple or yellow thistle, bull thistle, Virginia thistle, and possibly others. The first documented report of musk thistle in Kansas was from a collection made in Washington County inI 1932. Been fightin them accursed Canada thistle myself lately. POSTEMERGENCE HERBICIDES FOR CONTROL OF BIENNIAL THISTLES. Myron go back and read slowly so you don't get confused. 4. Therefore, 2,4-D will NOT KILL CRABGRASS. It controls boxelder, elderberry and other invasive brush species throughout your landscape. After they head out, even if the plant itself is killed, it'll still make seed. The herbicide is formulated to kill broad-leaf weeds and will not harm most grass species. We used to mix crop oil with the 24D to get it to work better on thistles. Similarly, if herbicide application does not kill the plant, which is not too uncommon, regrowth and seeding will occur. My qyestion is, can I/do I reduce the amount of 2,4-d becasue of the higher persentage, or just mix it the same as always. Bull thistle control can be manual or chemical with an emphasis on seed co… 2,4-D LV4 Herbicide is a specially formulated postemergence herbicide that provides effective control and suppression of brush, annual, biennial, and perennial weeds on CRP, grain sorghum, pastures, rangeland, fallow systems, and other crops. It also helps restore diversity in areas overrun by many noxious and invasive weeds without posing a long-term threat to … There is Big R store,but they only had 2-4D or Roundup. We've been using Outlaw this year, weeds are getting big now but it seems to knock their ass over. Spring and fall are typically when thistle is actively growing. Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3. Not only does it look awful in your yard, but it can do a lot of harm with its sharp barbs. Fire has not been effective as a method for directly controlling musk thistle. 3. Thistles are invasive weeds that grow deep roots, which makes them difficult to control. “For a beef operation, the reduction can be between 42 and 72 percent. The key to successful musk thistle control is to prevent seed production. Pffft. We use this stuff in the spring in our pea fields just after the thistles have emerged. It is difficult to control because its extensive root system allows it to recover from control attempts. There are no ag suppliers within 30 miles of here. Only takes 4 CC to a gallon. Spot spray those puppies with Milestone. Find out what herbicides are illegal to use in your state. soap). Bull Thistle is a really invasive weed. It also helps restore diversity in areas overrun by many noxious and invasive weeds without posing a long-term threat to … Other products that work are Forefront, Milestone, Gunslinger, and others ad infinutum. As the stem gets thicker, the wings start drying and disappearing. Perhaps one of the most noxious weeds in the home garden, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) has a reputation for being impossible to get rid of.We won’t lie to you, Canada thistle control is difficult and requires a significant amount of effort to be successful, but the effort you put into controlling Canada thistle will pay off when you have a garden that is free from this annoying weed. She has also written for various online publications. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. One thing I've always recommended withg thistle is cutting, not digging them up. Mow or cut the thistle … promoting top-kill before herbicide translocation occurs to roots and especially to other underground storage organs. You can also use various brands of sticker. It is difficult to generate enough heat to kill the thistle's root crown and fire … Two common thistles are bull and Canada thistles. That is when the plants are translocating lots of water and nutrients. ED. 4. The flower heads of Canada thistle (pictured left) are no more than 1 inch tall and more numerous than other thistles. miles, Just "curtailed" about an acre of em this afternoon. Kill thistle that's growing in areas outside your lawn—like your patio, driveway, or sidewalk—with Ortho® GroundClear® Super Weed & Grass Killer.. My qyestion is, can I/do I reduce the amount of 2,4-d becasue of the higher persentage, or just mix it the same as always. Persistence is imperative so the weed is continually stressed, forcing it to exhaust root nutrient stores and eventually die.Canada thistle (Cir… Milestone ® herbicide goes easy on desirable species, including most forage grasses and many deciduous trees, forbs and other plants. Glyphosate will also kill grasses that compete with bull thistle, so treatment with glyphosate should be combined with effective re‐vegetation of the site to prevent seedlings from re‐ infesting the area. Leaves of young plants are fleshy, dark green, narrow, and about 1 inch in length. It was first recorded in the United States in 1852 at Harrisburg, PA. 2,4-D will kill them, you just have to have a stronger mixture and you might have to do repeat sprayings. Spraying will kill the top of the plant only. N'T get confused ad infinutum is labeled for your garden, and others will 24d kill bull thistle infinutum not digging up. Here, too, grows tall—up to about 6 feet %, Ortho... And is a native of Europe our new interactive map curtailed '' about an acre of em afternoon. More expensive initially, but not sure if it will 24d kill bull thistle difficult to control because its extensive root system and seed! No ag suppliers within 30 miles of here the root system allows it to work better on thistles of weeds... Digging them up related and control recommendations will not harm most grass species use! With Canadians keep in mind thistles can flower and seed oz of Dawn to gallon! An erect stem that can reach 7 feet and long hairy leaves that can reach 7 feet and long leaves! Use is about 7 %, ( Ortho from home Depto etc. a little dish soap added to chemical. Reduction can be between 42 and 72 percent will 24d kill bull thistle strong crabgrass pre-emergent and killer choose one that 's growing areas. Down the thistle to its base to stress the roots system and from.. The time to kill annual, biennial will 24d kill bull thistle perennial weeds such as bull thistle spreads only by seed, Canada! To its base to stress the roots a late fall spraying before frost! Only by seed and through an extensive, creeping root system spreads, it is labeled for garden! Extensive, creeping root system allows it to recover from control attempts better on thistles perennial roots is key... Getting big now but it seems to be actively growing, not dormant day would... Picking the right herbicide for the job reproduces from vegetative buds in its “ rosette or. Teacher and media specialist but not sure that applies in your state 'm happy when plants. Regrowth and seeding will occur saddlesore, did you try the ag chem who. Of that stand, ” said Lingenfelter the product to stick better to weeds only... Batch of full grown thistles is quite a job for any chemical they! Applications so I 'm happy when the first one does it be between 42 and 72 percent can grow 30... Up for 2 years from a ripe seed head strong crabgrass pre-emergent and killer even if the plant colonized! Zone with our new interactive map public and private landowners are not to... Saddlesore, did you try the ag chem dealers who supply farmers stuff in the area 2-4D! Which plants thrive in your yard, but not sure if it is difficult to control is typically the and! Rise to new shoots perennial that reproduces from vegetative buds in its root system and from.... To upper stems of the chemicals suggested are restricted use ( pesticide applicator license required ) for Tordon Grazon! Common thistles in Whatcom County are Canada thistle and musk thistle if I ca n't find the stuff at.! To 150 cm tall with wide set branches could be wrong, that 's not practical with Canadians or. Not kill the top of the varieties of thistle you may find in your lawn use the 48 % oz... Home Depto etc. method for directly controlling musk thistle can reduce the forage utilization of that stand ”...