help remove thistles pls

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sylvi74 Oak Grove, MN(Zone 4a) Jul 28, 2005

I let the back of my yard go a little while I was working on the front. Now I have five foot tall thistles growing in the back! How do I get them out without getting maimed by the thorns? I have tried heavy gloves but I get stuck anyway. Any ideas?

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Mobi Denver, CO(Zone 6a) Jul 28, 2005

These gloves are very good. I use them with roses. I'd at least cut the thistle before they go to seed. We used to have a bad Canadian thistle problem and had to use roundup on the area, not we just pull them up when they are young.

http://www.mudglove.com/thorn.html

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1251casey Lake Villa, IL(Zone 5a) Aug 02, 2005

I have a problem with thistle too but there is a benefit to them if you have the space. When they go to seed the yellow finches use them for their nests. They are great songbirds and do not frequent areas with out reason. Thistle are also a favorite of many butterflies. I believe the swollow tails frequent them. I'd have to double check.

I have enough room, so I leave a large area for them and pull them in areas I prefer not to have them. The tap roots can sometimes be huge so I do use a weeder tool for larger ones.

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sylvi74 Oak Grove, MN(Zone 4a) Aug 02, 2005

That's part of how the thistles got so bad-the birds and butterflies like them! I got mad and cut most of them down with the tree pruners and left them to dry out. Now my problem is what to do with the dried up but still very prickley bodies. Too painful to force them into lawn bags. I suspect the prickles would survive composting and I would have painful compost. Any ideas?

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Mobi Denver, CO(Zone 6a) Aug 02, 2005

I know your pain. Our sideyard was all prickly thistle and even when dead it was hard to garden. Eventually they will decompose but until then you might want to try those gloves. You could try putting them into a cardboard box if your garbage company will take boxes.

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sylvi74 Oak Grove, MN(Zone 4a) Aug 02, 2005

Those do look like really good gloves. I still have a couple boxes lying around from spring plants, I bet they would go in a wide box a lot better than in a narrow lawn bag. I'll give that a try, thanks.

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