Fudd

Member
I need to spray for thistles in a grass pasture where I make hay but the owner has horses on it. I was researching Grazon PD and was wondering if anyone has used it and how good it worked. These are canadian thistles. I have been using Weedmaster in other fields which are not used for grazing. Thanks.
 
Grazon PD will work well on thistles. It is getting a little late for the best control. The younger the weed the easier to control. As far as grazing animals. Horses or cattle will be fine Grazing after you have sprayed it.

I spray my pastures every year with it to control thistles and rose bushes.
 
We have had excellent success with Grazon regardless of when we sprayed. We have found Grazon to be highly effective on thistles and nettles.

We sprayed an area for goat weed yesterday. Before the afternoon was done, the goat weed had started to wilt.

Grazon will not harm livestock, but you don"t want to get it on the livestock anymore than you want to get it on you, so I would advise removing the livestock until you are finished spraying.

Keep in mind that the chemical passes through the animal and is in the manure. That means do not use the manure on a garden or flower bed.

A couple of years ago, I had been spraying an area with Grazon and still had some in the tank. Decided to just let it spray on the way back to the shop. On a whim, drove through the middle of some berry vines that were at least 3 ft tall. This was in July. Went back a month later and you could tell exactly where I went through the berry patch. Everything that got sprayed was dead as a doornail.

Obviously, it is easier to kill weeds when they are small. Since we don"t have an infestation of thistles, I usually spot spray them. Have killed them completely even when they were 3 ft. tall and more.

If thistles are your target weed and the area is just a few acres, you could do a spot spraying.
 
Another thing to consider, in some states you cannot sell forage treated with Grazon until 18 months after harvesting the forage.

These states are exempted from the 18 month restriction: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MO. MS, NM, OK, TN & TX.
 
I was just reading that Grazon is a restricted use product. I can't even use it as I don't have a liscense.
 
That's correct- Roundup is not toxic to animals- but it IS toxic to cow pastures. I assume he's just spot spraying with it, but he'll still get a brown spot wherever it touches the grass. He'd be ahead to use a broadleaf spray, like Weedmaster, Grazon, or Milestone.
 
Fudd, You did not mention where your located but Nancy's results are true for warmer longer season locations. Here in Iowa the thistles are just about fully out in bloom or have already gone to seed. Controlling them now is not as easy and an often is not worth the cost/effort if they are at full seed stage. The main plant is already about through its life cycle and the sprays talked about here will not effect the seeds.

It is usually best to spray pastures in mid spring. When every thing is mostly sprouted but actively growing. I usually only fall spray in I have second generation Thistles get large. Then I try to spray them later before any frost. The plants will be sending nutrients back to the roots at the late stages and it carries the chemicals back an you get a better complete control.
 
I am around 45 miles SW of Denver at 8500 feet. There are 2 big patches of thistle where I cut hay and I think I will only spray those patches this fall where I have mowed and then do everything next spring when the new growth has a couple of leaves on them. Does that sound OK? I think I will switch to Milestone.
 
Research Forefront R&P. It controls every thing and can be used when livestock are on the pasture. Grazon can't be it has to be sprayed 2 weeks before livestock are put on pasture.
 
Spray them this fall and then hit them again in the spring. You will have to work on them for years. They reproduce from seeds and roots.

IF the spot is totally thistles then just spray them with Round up this fall and then Milestone of something else in the spring. You can also use a high rate of round up in a hand wand. Just wipe the plants you want to kill.
 
Yeah, I'm learning about the years thing:( This fall will be the 3rd spraying. I'll hit them next spring too. Thanks.
 
I rented a farm 30 years ago that had several spots of Canadian Thistles that where maybe 100 feet in diameter. I farmed that farm for 10 years an the spot where just about as large when I left as when I started.

I sprayed them, plowed them, burnt them, mowed them often and still some would come back every year. I think the soil was just polluted with seed.

So good luck with trying to get them under control. The new chemicals DO work better. You can at least keep grass growing under them.
 
You need to spray them with a chemical called Stinger and it kills the roots .I sprayed a big patch once and they never showed up again. I sprayed in Mid May.
 
I'll second the Forefront advice. I use a lot of it. I spray pastures in the spring but keep a spot sprayer full of Forefront on hand for thistles. To spot spray I mix it pretty strong. I spray in the morning and I can go back through in the evening and see which ones I missed. It has 24D in it but that isn't the only chemical - there are a couple others in there that give it some holding power.
 
Milestone has the same grazing situation as Grazon- goes right through critters, and the manure can't be used on gardens.
 
It's getting a little late to do this here in in NWIA but I mow the thistles and spray the tender re-growth after the first frost. I had to do this two years in a row as the first application didn't get them all. This was in CRP seeded to Brome grass. The thistles were beginning to choke the grass out in spots and this cleaned them up. Jim
 
I find simply mowing the darn things off just as they're setting seed is as effective as anything... just get it done before they set VIABLE seed.

Rod
 
I have sprayed thistles with Grazon when they were blooming and seeding. They keeled over in 24 hrs.

On those where the seeds were falling, I would remove the seed head and it went to a burn pile.
 
To my knowledge, you do not have to wait 2 weeks to put livestock on a pasture sprayed with Grazon. I will check the label and make sure.
 
That is correct and probably correct for most of the products listed here.

In Tx, it costs about $100 for the class, book and license fee. The class takes one day. The license is good for 5 yrs, but you have to take 15 hrs of CEUs during that time to be able to renew your license. That's basically one day a year.

It is well worth the money and time to get your license. It allows you to buy a wide range of products at the agricultural level which are generally cheaper.
 

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