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Starthistles--Weeding by Removing the Flower Head
I'm no botanist, but I have what might be an elementary question about weeding.
I've got about 1200 sq. ft. of star thistles growing on my property in California. It's in the flowering stage. It would seem to me that cutting the plant before it can seed would stop it from propogating, and then applying a healthy dose of round up would kill the remaining plant. Perhaps gathering up the cut pieces and disposing of them would be necessary to assure no seeds get propogated. I'm assuming that seeds begin pretty quickly once a plant has been pollenated by bees. If it takes a week or two to develop seeds, then I would think the cutting idea would be pretty successful and minimze the need to dipose of the cut plants. Comments? -- Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA) (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time) Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet "Maybe this world is another planet's Hell." - Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) Web Page: home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews |
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In article ,
W. Watson wrote: I'm no botanist, but I have what might be an elementary question about weeding. I've got about 1200 sq. ft. of star thistles growing on my property in California. It's in the flowering stage. It would seem to me that cutting the plant before it can seed would stop it from propogating, and then applying a healthy dose of round up would kill the remaining plant. Perhaps gathering up the cut pieces and disposing of them would be necessary to assure no seeds get propogated. I'm assuming that seeds begin pretty quickly once a plant has been pollenated by bees. If it takes a week or two to develop seeds, then I would think the cutting idea would be pretty successful and minimze the need to dipose of the cut plants. Comments? You usually have to cut before full bloom to prevent seeding, but it depends on the plant, and the conditions. If the cut material stays moist due to rain or being piled up, seeds may continue to form. Also, seeds of many plants can remain dormant in the soil for many years before sprouting, so while your proposed method will be helpful, it won't eradicate the weeds. There's an old proverb: "One year's seeding means seven years' weeding". And seeds may continue to blow in from other areas. Mowing at different times in the season will favor different plants. I'm not familiar with your climate or flora, but perhaps your local agriculture or range management people can advise you. One tactic is to use methods (timed mowing, liming, fertilizing) which favor the plants you want instead of the ones you don't. If you want to clobber everything with herbicide and start over, there's probably a best time of year and effective combinations of plants to seed into the dead sod. Note that well established perennial weeds can often regrow from the root despite heavy application of herbicide. In a small area like yours, you may be able to control a single species by hand digging or repeated spot applications of herbicide. I don't know star thistles, so I don't know if these methods would be feasible for controlling them. Another source of information would be people interested in the native plants of your area, who work to reestablish areas of the original vegetation. If star thistle is an invasive non-native, they'll probably have experience in controlling it. They can also advise you on how to develop your patch into a low maintenance naturalized area which doesn't include plants you dislike. I hope this helps! |
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