3 ms·

There are alternatives. Vinegar works pretty well.

• stickfigure 7y ago
  From https://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2009/06/13/Carefully-apply-vinegar-to-eliminate-thistles/stories/200906130126 https://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2009/06/13/Carefull... [Vinegar] works as a contact or burn-down herbicide, which means that it only kills the portion of the plant it contacts. The thistle will re-grow from the roots, and you will have to make repeated applications until you exhaust the carbohydrate reserves in the roots. There is probably a lot of seed present in the soil, and new thistle plants will sprout that you will have to treat in future years. Just picture yourself doing this on 90ac of hills!
  • whenchamenia 7y ago
    Its not that bad for anything under 5-10 acres. Just mix in a dash of soap and a lil salt, and fill a backpack sprayer. Soak the plant, specifically the leaves, and you have a very selective, very benign herbicide. Full grown plants take more than 1 treatment many times, but with thistles, you can just carefully remove the heads.