Pasture Management
for
Horses

Growth Habit

Perennial, creeping rhizomes, tall but will grow as rosette at ground level if grazed. Thistle plants are capable of producing a very large number of seeds which are effectively spread by the wind.

Encouraged by

Low soil fertility, Under utilised pasture in summer.

Physical Control

Cut before flowering - this will at least stop seed production and reduce the plants vigour. Attempting to dig out creeping thisles is unlikely to effective due to their creeping nature..

Chemical Control

MCPA and 24D can be effective on thisltes at the rosette stage.

In some situations, weed wiping with glyphosate around the time of flowering gives some suppression, but not full control.

If numbers are low, spot aplication of glyphosate at the rosette stage may be a practical option.

Toxicity

None