2. Product Drawbacks: May require the use of a surfactant for the product to stick better to weeds. Target Pests On smaller plants, the whole stem and branches are spiny-winged. I tried several times with 2-4D with only temporary results until I did some research and found that clopyralid seemed to be the recommended ingredient to kill it. Apply herbicides to kill thistle, especially in spring and fall, before thistles can flower and seed. Let me check the garage and see if I can't find the stuff. HOW TO MIX Fill the spray tank half full, then add the required amount of this product and continue filling the tank with Bull thistle spreads only by seed, while Canada thistle spreads both by seed and through an extensive, creeping root system. 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. Thistles are invasive weeds that grow deep roots, which makes them difficult to control. 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. It is important to accurately identify the species of thistle you are trying to control, as control methods differ between the two species. For more information, see Noxious Weed Lists and Laws or visit the website of the Washington State Noxious Weed Contr… Ask at your local farmer's co-op what they recommend, or at the extension office. Canada thistle also has lobes that can be irregular from leaf to leaf. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! 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. I pluck the seed heads off musk thistle if I miss them, but that's not practical with Canadians. Each seed can remain viable for a decade. "Dicamba Plus 2,4-D Herbicide is a combination of two great active ingredients, meaning that it will kill a broad range of weeds so you don't have to use or mix a bunch of different products if a weed is being particularly stubborn." However, there are a few things to consider to ensure you're picking the right herbicide for the job. We used to mix crop oil with the 24D to get it to work better on thistles. Bull Thistle is a really invasive weed. Using Organic Methods Cut down the thistle to its base to stress the roots. Find out what herbicides are illegal to use in your state. The plant has colonized much of North America and is a pest plant in the garden and in agriculture. Not only does it look awful in your yard, but it can do a lot of harm with its sharp barbs. The key to successful musk thistle control is to prevent seed production. 3. Canada Thistle's creeping perennial roots is one key way to identify it. 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. Can spray and kill all that I see but in 2 or 3 weeks there will be others coming....spray again. Mow or cut the thistle … 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 is a prickly biennial that grows freely in disturbed soils, pastures, ditches, roadsides and unmanaged spaces. Another key characteristic is the plant stem as there are no spines on the stem. Russian thistle is a bushy summer annual with numerous slender ascending stems that become quite woody at maturity. As the stem gets thicker, the wings start drying and disappearing. 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. If you're running pasture, put the salt block in anything you want to kill. It is difficult to control because its extensive root system allows it to recover from control attempts. It does the trick but may be hard to get your hands on without an applicators license. “Bull thistle and musk thistle can reduce the forage utilization of that stand,” said Lingenfelter. The stems of Canada thistle lack the conspicuous spiny wings found on bull thistle (C. vulgare) For best results, apply this product as a water or oil spray during warm weather when young succulent weeds or brush are actively growing. Yes, it is more expensive initially, but when you consider how little you have to use, it's a bargain. Identification of thistles can be challenging. 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. Young plants are suitable for livestock forage and are sometimes grazed. Find out what herbicides are illegal to use in your state. The best time is to get them early, just a whif will kill them when they are in the rosette stage. 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. Public and private landowners are not required to control infestations of bull thistle that occur on their property in King County. They seem to come up for 2 years from a ripe seed head. The seeds are dispersed by the wind. Glyphosate: Herbicides containing glyphosate can effectively control bull thistle. 3. Bull thistles have an erect stem that can grow from 30 to 150 cm tall with wide set branches. Therefore, 2,4-D will NOT KILL CRABGRASS. Copyright © 2000-2020 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. She has also written for various online publications. 2,4-D will kill them, you just have to have a stronger mixture and you might have to do repeat sprayings. Transline is another Dow marketing name for clopyralid. Going from memory here, too lazy to walk down to the chemical storage. I've had good luck using 2-4D but you need to use it on young plants...not so good if big and tuff. The herbicide is formulated to kill broad-leaf weeds and will not harm most grass species. Animals don’t like to put their nose into that sward.” 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 best time to treat biennial thistles with herbicides is in late fall or early spring when the rosettes are present but before flowering stalks are initiated.Musk thistle and bull thistle plants with seed stalks are more difficult to kill than the rosettes. It was first recorded in the United States in 1852 at Harrisburg, PA. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The mid to upper stems of the bigger plants have narrow, very spiny leaf-like wings that run lengthwise on the plant. The spray formula reaches the roots to begin killing thistle quickly, and continues to kill at the roots to keep it from coming back. I can't speak to the thistles, since I have never had any. Seedlings have very finely dissected leaves that almost look like pine needles. Fire has not been effective as a method for directly controlling musk thistle. Spraying will kill the top of the plant only. OK, report - - all Canada thistle has a very bad belly ache. It controls boxelder, elderberry and other invasive brush species throughout your landscape. IIRC 2-4-D for home use is about 7%,(Ortho from Home Depto etc.) Two common thistles are bull and Canada thistles. As the root system spreads, it gives rise to new shoots. The two common thistles in Whatcom County are Canada thistle and bull thistle. Canada thistle is a creeping perennial that reproduces from vegetative buds in its root system and from seed. 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. The plant has colonized much of North America and is a pest plant in the garden and in agriculture. The roots of Canada thistle spread aggressively, and can increase the width of a thistle patch 6 to 10 feet in a season. 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. 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. Nearly any herbicide will kill them. Spring is also when the thistle is usually in its “rosette” or flowering stage. ED. Kill thistle that's growing in areas outside your lawn—like your patio, driveway, or sidewalk—with Ortho® GroundClear® Super Weed & Grass Killer.. Thanks for all the advice guys. 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. soap). How do I kill or control thistle in my lawn. Canada and bull thistle are some of the varieties of thistle you may find in your lawn. If left unchecked, a single Canada thistle plant eventually turns into a patch containing thousands of stems. It also helps restore diversity in areas overrun by many noxious and invasive weeds without posing a long-term threat to … 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.