How do I control thistles and nettles in neglected pasture?

[AgentJenkins]

How do I control thistles and nettles in neglected pasture and stay on top of it?
Ideally I would like to do this without harmful to wildlife chemicals - are there any other kind that will do the job?
Or do I use chemicals once to bring the pasture back without the weeds?
Pasture is currently used for grazing, leaving only the thistles and nettles. Both have flowered and are on the point of dropping seeds.

 

[ladycrofter]

Cut now, Grazon next spring. Two years should do it.

 

[bobk]

Destroy the lot , then start again

 

[suffolksmallholder]

A bit late! Thistles are seeding as I write.
Make thistle & nettle hay.
Not up on burning but if allowed, burn the bales.
I’m having a battle with bristly ox-tongue
SS

 

[onesiedale]

electric fencing, cattle and animal impact.
This time of year though you are already on the back foot, especially if you have already been grazing it through the season.

 

[Timbo]

How do I control thistles and nettles in neglected pasture and stay on top of it?
Ideally I would like to do this without harmful to wildlife chemicals - are there any other kind that will do the job?
Or do I use chemicals once to bring the pasture back without the weeds?
Pasture is currently used for grazing, leaving only the thistles and nettles. Both have flowered and are on the point of dropping seeds.

Plough.

 

[DrDunc]

Plough.

How dare you suggest such filth

Haven't you been made to accept the glorious truth that direct drilling into chemically sterilised soil is more far more enviromentally "friendly" than that heathen instrument?

 

[ladycrofter]

Only plough if you want a good, even crop of both. Light activated seed. Will also make a lovely job of breaking up and spreading creeping thistle rhizome. Carry on

 

[choochter]

Only plough if you want a good, even crop of both. Light activated seed. Will also make a lovely job of breaking up and spreading creeping thistle rhizome. Carry on

You forgot to mention the dock seedlings

 

[collie]

we get good results cutting now then spraying in the autumn

 

[Dancingbrave]

Cut now thistlex +galgon in late September and again in April job sorted

 

[choochter]

Arpil would be too early up here

 

[ladycrofter]

You forgot to mention the dock seedlings

Two things that will survive the apocalypse, cockroaches and dock seeds

Best to spray at rosette stage, after that the thistles fight back. I've often wondered about Grazon, it's good as a multi-purpose. I find it kills the nettles on the first go but the thistles come back and take another year to get for sure.

 

[choochter]

Doxstar for docks, but I am refering to spot spraying only

 

[L P]

You're a bit late for this year. Seed will already be viable. Docks are most vulnerable in March/April when they are using lots of reserves to get growing, thistles in July for topping. You've got to get a grass crop to out compete them. I did read an interesting bit, maybe on here a while back of a chap spraying salt on his docks, it only checked them, but the sheep got attracted to the salt on them and ate them out as they got a taste for both the salt and docks. Got to be worth a try if its on a small scale. You won't kill either in a years spraying, more like 7 years by the time the seed bank burden is gone.

 

[devonbeef]

Cut now thistlex +galgon in late September and again in April job sorted

and say good bye to any clover, and take two years and effort getting it back again, that is the downside

 

[Glomulinman]

You're a bit late for this year. Seed will already be viable. Docks are most vulnerable in March/April when they are using lots of reserves to get growing, thistles in July for topping. You've got to get a grass crop to out compete them. I did read an interesting bit, maybe on here a while back of a chap spraying salt on his docks, it only checked them, but the sheep got attracted to the salt on them and ate them out as they got a taste for both the salt and docks. Got to be worth a try if its on a small scale. You won't kill either in a years spraying, more like 7 years by the time the seed bank burden is gone.

Heard of an organic farmer sprayed mollases on docks and the cows ate them.

 

[L P]

Heard of an organic farmer sprayed mollases on docks and the cows ate them.

Funny this has just come back up today, chap delivered a couple of rams here at lunchtime and we had exactly the same conversation.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

and say good bye to any clover, and take two years and effort getting it back again, that is the downside

On grazed pasture wiping is my go to for thistle and nettle control.