As many as 11,000 seeds per plant may be produced. Most seeds fall near the parent plant and can remain viable for as long as ten years. Musk thistle infestations are economically important in agricultural systems because they compete with crops for light, space, nutrients, and water. The plants spiny tissue renders it unsuitable for livestock. As such, all landowners are required to control the plant if it is growing on their property.
Control is considered to be prevention of seed production.
County prosecuting attorneys are required to notify offending landowners in a prescribed manner before leveeing penalties. Control Recommendations Recommended Practices in Natural Communities of High Quality -Cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical control methods have all been used on musk thistles with varying degrees of success in different parts of the country. Musk thistle favors abandoned fields and overgrazed pastures. Rotationally grazed or deferred pasture is less susceptible to infestation than heavily grazed pastures. Although some investigators report thistle populations declined rapidly as natural succession proceeded, others report populations that persisted for twelve years in an unmanaged area.