I have a 4 acre field that is slowly being overtaken by thistles?

Question

i have a four acre field that is split 2/2, 2 acres winter grazing and 2 acre summer grazing, the winter grazing is slowly being overtaken by thistles. The winter grazing is cut twice throughout the year for hay, and each time there is more thistle. I have tried roundup on the thistle but it kills the grass and now there is so much it will be costly and it will leave it dead. Any solutions would be grateful appreciated.

Answer 1

you need a broad leaf spray this only kills thistles docks ragwort etc a good brand is graze on, the best thing to do is contact a local farmer and get him to spray in spring when they are about a foot high then carry on with a spot sprayer throughout the year. I did it this year and it worked for me  

Answer 2

Thisle will kill a horse immediatly. Call a professional weed killer. It will be worth it when your horses are alive.

Answer 3

purple thistle  or canadian thistle is a pest that is hard to get rid of.  You can poison it.  it will go away for a while.  Or you can find someone with a goat or two.  They will eat the purple flowers off the thistles and then it wont seed anymore.  otherwise.. you canwalk thru the field and either hand cut and remove it.  Or get 24D from you farm store to spot spray on it

Answer 4

I would check your local gardening store and ask them if they have anything that will kill the thistles and not your grass

Answer 5

You need to use round up before they seed.  Once they seed you will have problems again. They are hard. Ask your local feed store or county agent.

http://www.saferhorseracing.com/gpage14....

Answer 6

The only way to get rid of them for good is to dig them up while the ground is soft, it's hard work but cutting or spraying them will only limit them - they'll keep coming back.

You'll need to pull/dig them up by the roots; doing a little at a time makes it more manageable.

Not only are thistles bad for your pasture, but they're also one of the plants listed on the Weeds Act 1959, so if you're in the UK then you or the landowner (if that's not you) are legally obliged to control it. It's not enforced very thoroughly (or at all) unless someone complains, but just to give you the heads up.

If you can get sheep or cattle to graze the field, they will help to control it.

Otherwise, any that you can't uproot you should cut in June to prevent seeding. This will be more effective if you also follow by spraying, but any herbicide will damage the grass and prevent grazing/haymaking for a while after. The most important thing is to prevent it spreading by cutting before it flowers and digging up what you can, when you can.

Answer 7

I had this problem with a section of my field and what I did was to sweet talk the neighbouring farmer into weed spraying it when he was spraying his fields. ( they can get a better quality of weedkiller than general public) However even with this it has to be done regularly - like every spring but it is well worth it as the quality of the hay you get will be so much better too ( I hate having to pick thistle spines out of my fingers during the winter months) you have to keep the horses off the sprayed area for about 6 weeks after it has been done.

It cost me £30 to have 5 acres sprayed this spring and it kills everything except the grass - it got the chickweed, docks, nettles etc too.

Edit > I'm very interested to know how advising someone to have their field weed sprayed should qualify for a thumbs down - some people here are total morons

Answer 8

We had the same problem you need to mow the thistles off before they come in to seed (before the purple flowers bloom) usually in early spring and mid summer you should mow   Hope this helps .  The THISTLE WILL NOT KILL A HORSE!!!!

Answer 9

You need to cut the thistles as soon as you can and make sure that they never set seed.if you have access to a topper that will do it or you can spend an hour or so a day cutting them down with a sickle or small scythe.It is important to cut them as soon as you can to give the grass a chance to establish itself.I know it sounds like hard work but you will be amazed how quickly you can make real progress.it will be helpful if you could gather the cut thistles in a wheelbarrow and remove them completely  

Answer 10

I have the same problem.

Every time I pass the field I try to pull up a few by the roots and add them to the burn pile.

After a rainstorm when the ground is soft, I've been able to pull entire sections.

One thing that will help is keeping it mowed so they can't go to seed. Don't let the purple flowers bud. Mow as soon as you see them. This doesn't eliminate them, but will cut back on numbers.

Good luck, it's a pain.

Answer 11

call the master gardner at a local university but probably the best thing to do is pull them or at least cut off the blossoms before they open.