Thistles.., again

[Wood field]

Sprayed off earlier in the year , nothing but rain since ( or windy , or both)
Lots of speltchy rocks so it’s a toppers graveyard.
Choice of A. Leave it and spray next year
B. Top what I can get to
C. Use an old two drum mower

You thought’s ladies and gentlemen

 

[deleted user 837354]

You won't control some of those very well given the size and stage of them in the photos. Some also look half asleep or quite pished off.

You can try spraying them in the hope it will get some worthwhile control and get them down to a level you might be able to knapsack them next year or perhaps sneakily knapsack any survivors at the other end of the summer?

Is your drum mower going to like those stones any more than a topper?

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Do you have a weed Wiper.

 

[Wood field]

Do you have a weed Wiper.

Yes have a wiper , not really thought of using it for anything but rushes

 

[sticky]

my first thought seeing the picture was weed wiper + roundup = job sorted for good.

But on second look those flowering ones might only be any good cut.

 

[Wood field]

You won't control some of those very well given the size and stage of them in the photos. Some also look half asleep or quite pished off.

You can try spraying them in the hope it will get some worthwhile control and get them down to a level you might be able to knapsack them next year or perhaps sneakily knapsack any survivors at the other end of the summer?

Is your drum mower going to like those stones any more than a topper?

Drum mowers ancient old thing , I thought it may cope better than topping and using a million shear bolts

 

[Wood field]

my first thought seeing the picture was weed wiper + roundup = job sorted for good.

But on second look those flowering ones might only be any good cut.

I’ve left it late but had mrs in hospital for 3 weeks and juggling shearing with weather
I thought if I can cut the bulk of them and spray or wipe if the weather plays ball !
Got hay to cut yet

 

[yoki]

Old finger bar be a good job if you could borrow one somewhere?

 

[Wood field]

Old finger bar be a good job if you could borrow one somewhere?

My Mrs said that ! Old chap we bought part of the farm off has one somewhere

 

[yoki]

My Mrs said that

Wise woman!

 

[egbert]

Ignore the marsh thistle - they won't hurt.
Hook off the spear thistle, and pile em for burning if seed heads are going to be viable.
(should be an elms grant for it....ha, probably an elms grant to leave em!)

If you want to sit on a tractor, get a major cyclone....I do have occasional repair bills, but ours is forever kissing granite. Wouldn't know where shear bolt/s are.
Will shred em

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Yes have a wiper , not really thought of using it for anything but rushes

I have a Cdax weedwiper which has carpets. It’s no good on thistles, shreds the carpets. Those don’t look to bad really,can you just go round with the topper selectively and then next year get someone in with a boom sprayer?

 

[Wee Willy]

Old finger bar be a good job if you could borrow one somewhere?

I remember topping with a Denning finger bar. Six feet forward and two feet back as she had clogged. Saved £600 as a sixteen year old to buy my first topper.. Wylie 6' semi offset. What a yoke.

 

[yoki]

Wylie 6' semi offset. What a yoke.

Still have mine which gets trailed out occasionally when required.

But there's no grass there to top as such and the finger bar would nip off the thistles nice as you like.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

A

Maybe hook out or spot spray anything "bad" and leave the marsh thistles be/til another time

Anything else will cost you more than it costs the thistles, they are mature so roots are up to strength

If you have any cattle, they'll gnaw them down when the days get shorter

 

[Wood field]

A

Maybe hook out or spot spray anything "bad" and leave the marsh thistles be/til another time

Anything else will cost you more than it costs the thistles, they are mature so roots are up to strength

If you have any cattle, they'll gnaw them down when the days get shorter

There’s a handful of Galloways on there , the better ground either side I can top or use the quad sprayer

 

[Wood field]

I have a Cdax weedwiper which has carpets. It’s no good on thistles, shreds the carpets. Those don’t look to bad really,can you just go round with the topper selectively and then next year get someone in with a boom sprayer?

Ours is a carpet roller , the rocks rip it to shreds ( if lifted to miss rocks it will miss the lower thistles)

 

[Kiwi Pete]

There’s a handful of Galloways on there , the better ground either side I can top or use the quad sprayer

They'll tidy them up. Down here about it's about March, stock go from avoiding thistles to making a meal of them. The pith in the stems is full of goodness stored up over the growing season, as well as all that fibre. But they really want them banana-skin-black IME

 

[Henarar]

1] except them as part of the landscape they are no longer weeds once you do this
2] put your feet up

 

[Wood field]

1] except them as part of the landscape they are no longer weeds once you do this
2] put your feet up

Biggest issue is the almost constant westerly wind , blowing seeds down to the mowing ground. Behind this is moor , I am tempted to run the topper along the side of the moor track as it’s all going to blow our way