Update on Thistle spraying

[Keith Molden]

A few days ago I posted that I was going to spray some thistles. I went over and checked them and most were brown with a few yellow so I guess I got them some. Now in July after they (if any, and I figure there will be some) grow back after the first cutting of hay in that field, I'll spray again and hopefully kill the rest of them. Just wanted to give an update on it.

 

[Janicholson]

They are tough. Good plan. My neighbor has canada thistles (just 6 or so caused bt a different neighbor that thought they were good for bees. We extracted their roots. Jim

 

[stevieb49829]

Keith, I missed your post on the spraying. What did you use? I have a few remainders after digging out the roots in the garden and need to apply on individuals now, without digging up and killing flowers. Steve

 

[Texasmark]

Read the application charts on the bottles of 2-4-D. If they have the round cell structure, you probably have a winner with it. I am continually impressed how that with a surfectant will turn a pasture full of weeds and a little grass, into 100% grass in a year or two.

 

[Keith Molden]

Keith, I missed your post on the spraying. What did you use? I have a few remainders after digging out the roots in the garden and need to apply on individuals now, without digging up and killing flowers. Steve

I used 2 4 D

 

[GermantownGreen]

I used 2 4 D

That's the problem, 24d just pisses them off

Tordon 22k, little bit of crossbow added in will only help. Not cheap, but it does the job.

Make sure and use a surfactant, or a little dish soap, will help it bond.
GG Wes

 

[WNYBill]

I am having trouble killing them, seem to come back with vengeance the next spring. Can't use Tordon in NYS. Is 24d the best alternative? What mix rate for spot application?

 

[GermantownGreen]

I am having trouble killing them, seem to come back with vengeance the next spring. Can't use Tordon in NYS. Is 24d the best alternative? What mix rate for spot application?

What about crossbow or pasture guard,
Newer product is Duracor, from Corteva , used to be Dow.
It has a label for both thistles..
GG Wes

 

[Fixingfarmer]

3 oz milestone per acre. You were grass only right? No clover? Read the label but if I remember correctly that should help alot.

Stinger is the other thing we would use on stuff that just would not die. Used in a lot of crp Corteva product

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I am having trouble killing them, seem to come back with vengeance the next spring. Can't use Tordon in NYS. Is 24d the best alternative? What mix rate for spot application?

24 d is rated as poor control for Canadian thistles by the university of KY. DuraCor, GrazoNext, and Chaparrel are rated good, although the Chaparrel may stunt any fescue. Crossbow is rated fair. PastureGard is rated poor/fair. Timing is also important- spray prebud in the early spring, or Oct-Nov. Always read the label on the container for when, and what, the spray controls. Mark.

 

[jddrawbar]

A few days ago I posted that I was going to spray some thistles. I went over and checked them and most were brown with a few yellow so I guess I got them some. Now in July after they (if any, and I figure there will be some) grow back after the first cutting of hay in that field, I'll spray again and hopefully kill the rest of them. Just wanted to give an update on it.

Just a light touch of Grazon Next will kill thistle graveyard dead!

 

[T in NE]

I stopped a patch once, rode around it and sprayed it every couple weeks all summer. It's hard to see new shoots in tall grass. We used hired hand p&d or grazon.
The hired hand with a quart of surfactant in a 15 gallon tank will turn 4 foot cedars brown in 2 weeks. It eats up pumps with that much surfactant, though.

 

[SHALER]

Milestone has worked out very well for me on canada thistles

 

[Texasmark]

I am having trouble killing them, seem to come back with vengeance the next spring. Can't use Tordon in NYS. Is 24d the best alternative? What mix rate for spot application?

I use 2% of the amount of water then 80/20 ratio of the amount of 24d to surfectant to determine the amount of surfectant.

 

[TomA in CA]

What I have learned from these forums and tried successfully is thistles should be sprayed in full bloom. Only then will it kill the root system. You don't get rid of the plants this year but they don't come back next year.

 

[stevieb49829]

What I have learned from these forums and tried successfully is thistles should be sprayed in full bloom. Only then will it kill the root system. You don't get rid of the plants this year but they don't come back next year.

Tom, doing it that way, do they still throw seed? In my case I could pluck seed heads once I spot spray to stop that. It's just individuals coming up from a common deep root system in the garden and flower beds. I've dug the root system for 2 years now. I am making headway, but I want them GONE! steve

 

[TomA in CA]

Try spraying in full bloom. Don't worry about seeds. They are coming up from the roots. Be sure to get all the ones around the edge.
I refuse to use Roundup any more. I am going to try Triclore it is supposed to be safer.

 

[T in NE]

Try spraying in full bloom. Don't worry about seeds. They are coming up from the roots. Be sure to get all the ones around the edge.
I refuse to use Roundup any more. I am going to try Triclore it is supposed to be safer.

I know they say once a musk thistle has bloomed, it's too late.
I've seen them sprayed by a plane, about 4 feet tall, the top bent over, then it turned back upward and kept growing.
I spent a week on 40 acres, and had two helpers the last day. Had to go back and spray some of it again.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Generally it’s better to spray most things when small getting ahead of them even if it takes a second pass. Grazon stinger and things of that nature with strong residual it seems to work better when sprayed at bloom because the next generation is within its residual window. What you would really want to do is put something with or what I’d rather do is in addition to with a second pass with the grazon to help kill now which most don’t do it’s plenty expensive and nobody wants the extra expense of something else in there. Yes the grazon works now but you don’t want a resistance built up so if you add something else could even be cheap generic 24d anything for burndown hit them with the grazon or stinger a week later after they are already under stress from the burndown. Even if they doesn’t get taken care of by the 24d the next round will do it. And your residual being second it will last longer. This actually is the unintended effect of people trying 24d and being impatient hit it again they aren’t dying after a week. The patient person is going to wait and see another 2 weeks see what actually dies. In this case that isn’t always the best. Yes he saved money now but it will continually get more difficult. In this case I’ve seen the impatient person actually come out better killing weeds wise if you take the $$$ out of the equation that’s the only real argument the patient person has.

Roundup you certainly wouldn’t want to wait that long but spot spraying with roundup or even liberty with ams certainly would be an option if you have the time to individually hit weeds. Dad seems to think he does I don’t think it saves a lot of money.

stinger is what we used when nothing else worked for burndown of 6 foot tall weeds it wasn’t cheap either it’s also the only thing I’ve seen not harm grass and deal with weeds that were up to the lights of my machine in crp. Most other stuff you had to be ahead of it.

Re evaluate next year.