Canada Thistle in Pasture

[poto]

We have never had any Canada Thistle in our pastures until last year. I don't know if it was because of the excess rain or what but we started noticing a few plants here and there. Any ideas of getting rid of it or at least keeping it under control before it gets out of hand.

[cakadu]

One sure fire way that I know of that is environmentally friendly is to use goats. They love broad leaf weeds and eat the thistle just at the right time. They like it at a certain stage and it is just before it blooms, which is great. Not everyone wants to have a couple of goats around, but they do clean up an awful lot of it. We had one pasture that was quite full of it and now it has been eaten back to nothing.

[paladin]

If your pasture doesn't have any alfalfa in it, 2-4D is effective. Spot spray in May/June for best results. You may have to keep on it for a couple of years to be sure you get them all.

[cowman]

Lontrel works very well on Canada thistle. It's not cheap though!

[avanderwell]

What we do is go and mow down the thistles just before it rains as they have hollow stems and the rain goes in it and rots the plant. After several years the problem can be eliminated.

[crazeeakerz]

I know I am late in getting into this discussion, but I feel I can contribute. We have a terrible problem with Canada Thistle in pasture. Although we havn't tried spraying yet this year I am going to use the advice I received from Shaffeek Ali from Alberta Agriculture. His E-mail address is shaffeek.ali@agri.gov.ab.ca.

[lorne]

I don't know what you did or plan to do, but here is on thing that works. Use electric fenceing to make small size paddocks and put the cows out there is sufficient numbers to eat everything to the ground, then move them to the next paddock. It will not hurt the pasture to be eaten down, just do not leave the cows our there so that it is continnually down, it needs enough regrowth time. This works but takes a little more time. After a few years they should be gone.

[cowman]

Dow-Elanco has a new product out this year called "Graze On". It is really just Tordon 101 which is an industrial spray for roadsides. It contains 24D and picloram and is a very good spray for lasting thistle control. Way more effective than lontrel.