Elitebowhunter
New Member
yup, remember doing this every weekend during the summer out in our pastures when I was a kid. Gotta make sure you get deep enough to get the crown though or else it will come right back.
Thistles in switchgrass
- Thread starter LoessHillsArcher
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yup, remember doing this every weekend during the summer out in our pastures when I was a kid. Gotta make sure you get deep enough to get the crown though or else it will come right back.
Windwalker
Life Member
Remedy and Grazeon , those are not musk look like canada thistles.
ironwood
Active Member
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
Wow. I over spent big time.Burned down Multiflora Rose pretty well also.
Sounds like it worked for ya any way Mike, we don't have multiflora rose but if you got rid of that stuff that sounds like you did good!
rehashing this thread 5 years after it started..... What is best for spot spraying thistle with backpack sprayer? I noticed I have a thistle here or there in my CRP.
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
Depends a little on what species of thistle you're dealing with. Milestone + a little extra 2,4-d has done well for me for Canada Thistle and they're the toughest I've run into. Others maybe just some 2,4-d will do...
Booner
Well-Known Member
32 oz/acre Tordon + 16oz/acre 24-D
That's per/15gal applied rate/acre, so you'd have to know how many gals of water your backpack holds.
32 oz/ 15 gal = 2.13oz/1 gal=Tordon
16 oz/ 15 gal = 1.06oz/1 gal= 24-D
It's going to take a few applications and your shooting to get it on before thistle flowers fully. If not mow it down in the fall and wait for regrowth and spray it then, and then follow up again in the spring earlier before growth has gotten to bud/flower stage.
DannyBoy
Well-Known Member
I like Booners concoction in general, but not for CRP if there are any forbs. Transline is the most selective broadleaf killer that I use and it does very well on thistle, crown vetch, birdsfoot trefoil and even red clover if applied at the right time. Generally switch to milestone around this time of year.
Booner
Well-Known Member
Yep not to be used as a complete field apply if you have any forbes or any grazing potential you're worried about. This mixture is something someone above asked for as a "spot" apply mixture.
hillrunner
PMA Member
I use forefront , works great. Kills them dead. It does burn the grass a little but doesn't kill it. I think it is renamed grazonnext.
Only option at the Co-op was Milestone. $90/qt but spot mix rate is .3/oz/gallon. So it will go a looooonnnng way and last me years.
...guy said thistles seem to be particularly bad this year. I don't know if that is drought related or what. All I know is I have not seen them on my farm until this year.
...guy said thistles seem to be particularly bad this year. I don't know if that is drought related or what. All I know is I have not seen them on my farm until this year.
Daver
PMA Member
Just a couple FWIW observations on thistles...
1. I too see them more in some years than in others. Why, I don't know. For me, I saw them much more last year than this year.
2. I have sprayed to kill them in years past, but last year I mainly spot mowed them when I saw them...BEFORE they flowered out I might add. This year, I am definitely seeing fewer of them and noticeably fewer in the areas that I was most diligent in cutting them down prior to going to seed.
So in addition to spraying, consider taking them out via mowing or cutting.
1. I too see them more in some years than in others. Why, I don't know. For me, I saw them much more last year than this year.
2. I have sprayed to kill them in years past, but last year I mainly spot mowed them when I saw them...BEFORE they flowered out I might add. This year, I am definitely seeing fewer of them and noticeably fewer in the areas that I was most diligent in cutting them down prior to going to seed.
So in addition to spraying, consider taking them out via mowing or cutting.
gundog870
Premium Platinum Member
I am in the exact same boat this year. yr two of hacking them all down.
Boonervilleusa
Well-Known Member
Cutting them down will do little good. Thistle taproots are usually half as deep as the plant is tall. They will come back. Spot spraying 2-4-D, slay, etc is much more effective.
Daver
PMA Member
Not trying to be argumentative, but what would explain me cutting them down as much as I did last year and then not seeing hardly any in those areas this year? FWIW, in addition to just mowing them, I also used pruners and just cut the plant down in various areas too.
I am curious to know more about keeping them under control and if possible, would prefer not to have to spray them.
Oct-Lull
Well-Known Member
We have thistle issues in our pasture every year. We don't spray but we do mow. The areas we get mowed before seeding will get better every year. Takes a couple years of timely mowing to get it cleaned up. If you miss one year it comes right back. We have 80 acres so it's tough to keep it all mowed up.
Ya- that's obvious here.... Killing obviously is better but if, at minimum u mowed before flower- of course that's just logic that at least there's less seed now.
My grandpa runs organic farms & he said the only way he can deal with thistles effectively is putting his fields in a rotation of alfalfa. He says "this problem gone". I don't know if it's because the alfalfa smothers thistles to kill em or because he additionally bales the areas reasonably short a few times a year and the alfalfa jumps back up to 2-3' again fairly soon, bales, repeat. Dunno. But- if it were in my switchgrass, solid switch that's established, I'd pry spray. If it were in general food plots, I'd run clover or alfalfa. I got one farm with a mess of these things this year. I'm fighting the battle too.
Side note for fun.... Many years ago I hunted an all Crp farm with no food. Had permission. Farmer mowed thistles every year- short. But they were 6-8" tall thistles all over, everywhere. No flowers- just mats of cut thistles every where. I swear - nov to January- I had treestands on every thick patch of thistles he mowed and it filled up like a standing bean field. They ate the living daylights out of them. Maybe lack of other food, sure. But they loved them. Most bizarre food source I've targeted while hunting by far. Only way I found this out is pure years of observation.... "Why are their 30 deer in this mowed patch every night?!??" And found out what they were eating. Far prefer plots & wouldn't want thistles but sure was interesting.
My grandpa runs organic farms & he said the only way he can deal with thistles effectively is putting his fields in a rotation of alfalfa. He says "this problem gone". I don't know if it's because the alfalfa smothers thistles to kill em or because he additionally bales the areas reasonably short a few times a year and the alfalfa jumps back up to 2-3' again fairly soon, bales, repeat. Dunno. But- if it were in my switchgrass, solid switch that's established, I'd pry spray. If it were in general food plots, I'd run clover or alfalfa. I got one farm with a mess of these things this year. I'm fighting the battle too.
Side note for fun.... Many years ago I hunted an all Crp farm with no food. Had permission. Farmer mowed thistles every year- short. But they were 6-8" tall thistles all over, everywhere. No flowers- just mats of cut thistles every where. I swear - nov to January- I had treestands on every thick patch of thistles he mowed and it filled up like a standing bean field. They ate the living daylights out of them. Maybe lack of other food, sure. But they loved them. Most bizarre food source I've targeted while hunting by far. Only way I found this out is pure years of observation.... "Why are their 30 deer in this mowed patch every night?!??" And found out what they were eating. Far prefer plots & wouldn't want thistles but sure was interesting.
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