Russian Thistle Weed Control

Russian thistle hitched a ride from – you guessed it – Russia in bags of flax seed and, like all weeds, made the best of new conditions and is now one of the most abundant weeds in the western U.S. Its dried up version even became an iconic symbol of the new frontier: the tumbleweed.
Under good conditions, Russian thistle can grow to three feet tall. It’s a summer annual and quickly grows from seedling to a large, prickly bush with red or purple striped stems. One of Russian thistle’s main advantages is that its seedlings are similar to grass seedlings, which are often overlooked in spring weed pulling. Post-mortem, Russian thistle spreads its seeds, dried out and easily bouncing with the wind over all terrain which makes Russian thistle weed control very difficult.
Russian thistle weed control is very important in rangeland and pastures. High concentrations of Russian thistle can create toxic levels of nitrates. According to the Colorado State University Extension, these “can cause acute respiratory difficulty and sudden death in cattle and sheep.” The oxalates in Russian thistle can also cause kidney failure in cattle and sheep if ingested.

Russian Thistle Weed Control Methods:

• Russian thistle is an annual weed which reproduces by seeds. It can eventually be controlled by eliminating seed production until the soil seed bank is depleted.
• Weeding or hoeing is an easy removal method when Russian thistle is in early growth stages. Destroying the removed weeds in a locally-approved manner is suggested to reduce possible seed distribution. As Russian thistle matures, manual removal becomes more difficult because of the spikey foliage. This process have to be repeated for several years to be successful.
• Herbicide treatment/removal of Russian thistle can be completed at just about any growth stage and is effective at reducing seed dispersal in addition to killing the existing plant.
• Maintain and enhance natural plant cover.

If you have Russian thistle on your property and would like to effectively remove it and prevent re-seeding, contact SprayTech, Colorado Russian thistle weed control experts, at 720-248-0000.