The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: in the hills on September 30, 2014, 04:46:00 pm
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We have a lot of huge rosette shaped thistles appearing in one of our fields.
The tall thistles we try to control by strimming or pulling and it does seem to work but we can't do the same with these as they hug the ground and are impossible to pull out.
How should we get rid of these? Is there a non-chemical method? If not what should we use?
Thank you
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Rosette shaped?
Do you mean a spear/scotch thistle before it starts to stem extend?
Very spikey?
I would just cut them or spot spray the rosettes with glyphosate.
Alternatively, get someone to spray Thislex or Pastor next spring when they start to grow again.
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If you don't want to use chemicals you can lift them using a ragwort fork or similar. Slow work but it can be done. They sound like spear thistle.
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Yes, spear thistle. The most effective way to get rid of them is to wait until they put up their flower stalks, but just before the flowers come out, dig them up then burn them. Obviously though these are not going to flower until next June, so you'll want to get them out now. If you pull them and break off the root, then you'll get a multi-headed version coming up next.
To dig them out at the flower stage or as rosettes, use a sharp spade, make a cut straight down into the ground, at right angles to the rosette, then a second cut across the further away end of the spade cut (so a 'T' shape). Lever this second cut as deeply as the spade will go, and the grass will open up, pushing the rosette, root and all, up out of the ground.
They'll keep popping up from now til eternity, so it's a never ending job, but you can win.
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I have got rid of thistles on 40 acres with my goats... they also love docking so they have helped hugely to keep my chemical usage to a minimum
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Thistles...... cut them in May, they'll be up next day. Cut them in June, they'll be up again soon. Cut in July, they'll be sure to die.
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Thistles...... cut them in May, they'll be up next day. Cut them in June, they'll be up again soon. Cut in July, they'll be sure to die.
This quote is good but doesn't take a bit of global warming into account .... by July ours had seeded!
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Thistles...... cut them in May, they'll be up next day. Cut them in June, they'll be up again soon. Cut in July, they'll be sure to die.
This quote is good but doesn't take a bit of global warming into account .... by July ours had seeded!
Ours too. Also cutting, even at the flower stalk stage, isn't foolproof, whereas taking out the whole root is.
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Thanks for the replies.
Will do a bit of research to find out exactly which thistle I'm moaning about. ;D We seem to have 2 types. One type has lighter green, less prickly leaves and seems to grow in a more upright way. These we strim down according to the little 'saying' mentioned above and we seem to have less of these than when we moved in. Our sheep nibble at these even when they have plenty of grass to eat. The other type has darker green, fiercely prickly leaves and grows in a low, ground hugging rosette. The sheep don't seem to munch on these! They seem to have really multiplied this year and some are huge but have no flower stalks and are too low to the ground to strim off.
Mmmmmm ..... would my 16 year old dig them out for a price. :thinking: He likes strimming or anything involving a petrol engine but isn't so keen on a spade! ;D
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Our eldest grandson cleared 4 acres for us over 4 days - it cost us mind :o
Spear thistles won't have flower spikes at this time of year if they are new - they are biennial, or perennial, not sure which. The flower they produce is the traditional fat purple Scots thistle. Creeping thistle, which responds to regular mowing, has smaller flowers, several to a stem, and they are light blue/mauve.
The saying applies to Scots thistles, not creeping, which can be mown at every season.
The Scots thistles in particular bring lots of nutrients and trace elements up from the depths, as well as being good and crunchy, so sheep will eat those at certain times of year, as well as the creeping thistles. It's scary watching them negotiating the large spikes.
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My sheep will only eat them once I have dug them up. They follow me around with the bucket and pull them all out again. Wish I could train them to eat them in the ground. It would be much less effort.