From: gurley@spectra.com (Jim Gurley)
Subject: Re: Thistles
Organization: Spectragraphics Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 14:49:53 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.193335.12874@cbfsb.cb.att.com> eroth@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (elizabeth.s.roth) writes:
>In article <BvnMvF.DxM@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> mdchaney@fractal.ucs.indiana.edu (M Darrin Chaney) writes:
>>eroth@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (elizabeth.s.roth) writes:
>>>sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes:
>>>>eroth@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (elizabeth.s.roth) writes:
>>>>>tinsethg@ucs.orst.edu (Glenn Tinseth) writes:
>>>>>>[I want to get rid of some thistles]
>>>>> You will find it difficult to do by hand.  The best method, IMHO, is
>>>>> to build, borrow or rent a field sprayer.  Go out and mow the pasture
>>>>> and then go back and spray the entire pasture with whatever weed spray
>>>>> is recommended for thistles (I forget what we used :-).  You will probably
>>>>> have to do this 2-3 times but it will be effective.  We did it to 15 acres
>>>>> that had turned almost entirely to thistles and had nice grass before
>>>>> summer's end.  The next year it just took some spot spraying with a hand
>>>>> sprayer to keep everything in order.
>>>>> 
>>>>> BTW, get the horses and livestock off the pasture for 3-7 days after you
>>>>> spray, depending on the product.  
>>>>> 
>>>>> Susan
>>>>>
>>>>NO!!  Give your animals and your environment a break and mow the thistles.
>>>>As long as you mow before they go to seed you will not have a problem.
>>>>Just mow them down a couple times a year and you will have nice grass
>>>>just about as soon as if you had used weed killer and it is much safer!
>>>>
>>>>I don't weed spray ANYTHING around my horses.  I used a weed whacker instead.
>>>>
>>>>Sue
>>>
>>>
>>>I believe you should have used IYO (in YOUR opinion).
>>>
>>>Susan
>>
>>Susan, I think if we took a poll here, you'd find that you are _far_
>>outnumbered in your "opinion."  Apparently it hasn't sunk into you yet, but
>>if you need to keep your horses off the field for a week after using a
>>chemical, there's a problem.  When you have neighbors, well water, livestock,
>>etc. it's simply not worth the risk.
>>
>>It's so inanely silly to go over an entire field spraying herbicide when all
>>you have to do is go over the entire field mowing.  Think about it.  You
>>obviously haven't yet.
>>
>>	Darrin
>>-- 
>>
>>mdchaney@iubacs mdchaney@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu mdchaney@rose.ucs.indiana.edu
>>
>>"This is a .signature."
>
>
>Per the AG specialist at our local Extension Service, mowing thistles will
>_NOT_ kill the root.  The root will simply send up a shorter stalk for the
>next batch of flowers and the leaf base (at ground level) will spread.  
>To eliminate thistles (which are a BIG problem here in Missouri), you will 
>have to kill them with some type of herbicide.

I've come to realize that the advice given by the 'experts' seem to
uniformly include chemical use, whether herbicides for thistle or
pesticides for pine beetle.  Those 'experts' are generally part of the same
generation, all educated on chemical assisted exsistence, and heavily
inundated by fertilizer advertisements/samples.  Agriculture/forestry
survived for generations before DOW and Dupont blessed our existence with
labor saving poisons.  I won't use any of them.  When I'm confronted with
the use of chemotherapy on myself, I hope to feel the same way about it...we'll
see.
Newsgroups: misc.rural