I just came in for a glass of cold water and a bit of a break from battling the thistle. My ammo? A long-handled spade for digging up the "bull" thistle (that's what I call the particularly spiny, tough, nasty character pictured above) and full-sized "Canadian" thistle (what I call the smaller, more-sticker-less-spine variety we have) and rubber-coated gloves for pulling up the smaller Canadian thistle. Although I've been tackling it on a regular basis, there is still a lot to do. I was waiting on the promised rain last week to soften the soil and make the job easier, but we got no more than a few sprinkles.
This seems to be a particularly "good" year for tansy ragwort, too. We've never had much of it on our place, but this year I'm having to eradicate quite a lot. There are acreages near us that are positively yellow with the poisonous stuff, preparing to send millions of seeds blowing in the wind throughout the county. Thanks a lot, Adam and Eve. If it weren't for your fatal choices, we wouldn't have to deal with this stuff!Back to the battle at . . .
3 comments:
I think having tansy in a field is illegal in our county - land owners are legaly bound to erradicate it - then you wouldn't have the problem you're having -
Good luck - T.
Hi Michelle,
The battle rages here as well. No tansy, but lots of thistles of several types. I just call them all 'stinking' thistles as I chop them up. It is a bit disinheartning that the neighbors thistle ridden pasture will just reseed my land as well. But the fight goes on anyway! Have a great day!
Tammy
I have a suggestion that works well and is easier than pulling them up. Try chopping them off even with the ground, and pour a little rock salt on the stump. When i was a kid, we had thousands of them, I spent many an hour with a hoe and a sack of salt, but they were eventually eradicated. Hope it helps.
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