At 02:31 PM 5/27/2006, you wrote: >We have a field with allot of thistle in it. How do we get rid of it short >of a shovel and hoe? without hurting the sheep. Is there a spray etc that >can be put on it? Thanks for any ideas. Nancy
Well, 2-4,D should kill thistles while leaving the grass alive, but I personally don't like using chemicals. I would either get out there with a blowtorch and steam them to death, or wait for them to flower, and mow your fields. You may have to mow 3 or 4 times through the year, just keep an eye out for flowering thistles. Another thing you could do disc/rototill the field, then plant buckwheat to smother out the weeds. You can mow or disc to kill the buckwheat, then plant more. You can get 2 or 3 plantings of buckwheat before the frosts come, then re-seed your pasture. This is what I'm doing this summer, not just to deal with weeds, but to add some organic matter to my soil. Julian _______________________________________________ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info