Paddock management - thistles?

[filly190]

Each year a get a few crops of thistles. Would it stop them, if I went round the field and got them with my rag fork, they are tiny at the moment and manageable.

Is this what you do? or is there a better way of getting rid of them. Advice appreciated.

 

[claire1976]

God I have the same problem with my field. When we took it on there were thistle higher than me!! I chopped them down and dug up with fork and so far they've not reared their ugly head yet. But I suspect some seeds will have spread and when the field dries up a bit they'll be back with a vengance!

 

[fairhill]

My horses love to eat the thistles

So far it's not caused them any problems...

 

[filly190]

Mine do seem to eat them and other people tend to leave them. However the areas around the high thistles seem to become a horse toilet and this year I am hoping to keep my paddocks looking like Newmarkets!

Each year I seem to get more and when they are big the roots go down forever. Last year I got fed up and just chopped them down before they could spread. This year I want to try and get on top of it as it just seems to encourage a rough patch which gets bigger and bigger each year.

I have 7 acres for 3 horses which I rotate and to be honest there is too much grass during the summer and I have to have the paddocks topped. I would like to use one paddock for hay this year and I dont want thistles in my hay.

Any more suggestions folks?

 

[SSM]

I'll send the donkey over - she LOVES thistles

 

[filly190]

I would'nt mind taking you up on that!!! I could perhaps offer a summer camp to people that need to rest their paddocks to get mine munched down. Last year I had to sit on our ride on mower for hours to keep the grass down and that was on top of the local farmer topping it. In a few weeks, I will be getting problems with the grass growing too quickly and fear my bad back will not appreciate the bumpy mower again.

At the moment poor mower has died, my husband blames incorrect useage, which I am inclinded to agree with.

 

[cazza]

can you speak to a local farmer nicely and get them to put a few sheep in your fields for a couple of weeks, they eat it down nicely and if you don't let the sheep overgraze it, it saves on having to top/mow the fields. We have just had some sheep put on our haylage fields and they have done a great job, so haven't had to top the field.

 

[Pidge]

Pidge loves eating them but Sunny won't touch them so fortunately they are not a problem in out field, however as for dock leaves GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[Theresa_F]

I had a lovely huge one - beautiful purple flowers and several feet tall - the next day it was a little stump and Cairo and Chancer looked very pleased with themselves.

Fleur used to love to nibble the tops off so I used to leave them but we never had a huge amount - they never spread as they never got the chance for the flowers to go to seed.

You can pull them out or spray and fence off to get rid of them.

 

[custard]

Try strimming them and leaving them to wilt, my horse loves them and they they don't contain anything harmful the reverse I think. If it's like nettles a lot won't eat them 'til they are dead/wilted

 

[passie]

My farmer boyfriend says to spray with MCPA (found at all good farm supply shops) later in the year when they are in flower. When they are in flower they take the chemical down to the root, and kill the entire plant - so they won't come back next year.

 

[Tia]

I would agree with Passie - have them sprayed; we used to use Broadsword. I wouldn't leave them till they are in flower though as they can very quickly go to seed and even if you have sprayed there is still time for them to throw their thistle-down which will end up in your fields again next year. You want to wait until the heads are there but before they have flowered.

 

[filly190]

Many thanks folks for your help and advice. I am currently spending 30 mins every night searching for baby ragwort and thistles and digging them up. I dont seem to have very many at the moment, as you know all of a sudden they sprout!

If this does not cure it, I will then take the action advised and spray them.

 

[Faithkat]

I pulled up what I could last year and then sprayed the area with something I can't remember the name of but it's £18.99 for 5 litres (you dilute it massively) and comes in a bright green plastic container (I got it from SCATS/Mole Valley Farmers)! It's brilliant. The leaves had wilted completely within 24 hours and the whole thing was dead within 3 days but it doesn't kill grass. It works on all noxious weeds like nettles, docks etc. Graze-on also works but is a lot more expensive.

 

[SpruceRI]

We used to get the big scottish thistles growing in one of our fields. Used to chop them down to ground level with a hoe. Invariably there'd be a snake curled up round the bottom of them....yuk!

 

[BaileyBoots]

thistlex is fantastic !!!! we have masses of thistles and that has been the only that wipes them out. It says that it has a 80% success rate but to us it was like napalm for thistles !! you don't even need to dig them up . spray = let them die and then in a little while the just vanish. out paddocks have never looked so good

we got it from mole valley.