Top or Spray

Dunedin

Would I be better off topping or spraying thistles at this stage.

They are quite thick in patches of grazing ground.

A few nettles thrown in for good measure too so need to deal with them also but it's mainly thistles 😞

IH784man

Spray

bduffy

Just out topping last night and I thought that grass growth could be better. Spray would only knock it back even more.
My suggestion is to take the hit on the topping this year and spray earlier next year.

Jimlh86

They are probably gone too strong to spray with anything that won't hurt grass growth, I'd top and spray any re growth

tomieen jones

Weed lick after its been grazed tight

Mad4simmental

bduffy wrote: »

Just out topping last night and I thought that grass growth could be better. Spray would only knock it back even more.
My suggestion is to take the hit on the topping this year and spray earlier next year.

+1 if you get on top of the spraying next spring you won't haveto pull out the topper atall.

ganmo

What's the grass like?
If the head of the thistle is starting to bud/flower I'd be topping and spraying the re growth

frazzledhome

Too late to spray big thistles now. Top this yr and spray next May you'll get on top of them that way.

Top now before they seed

Sacrolyte

Top now. Spray regrowth. Spray again early next year.

Dunedin

Cheers for replies.

Started topping this morning, hit a stone on the first round.

End of topping for today 😞

Sacrolyte

Dunedin wrote: »

Cheers for replies.

Started topping this morning, hit a stone on the first round.

End of topping for today 😞

I feel your pain

WheatenBriar

I sprayed a getting dirty field with forefront last week
It's a dear little spray but by golly,it has whacked everything,tall thistles are shrivelled and bent over,nettles,docks,and rag worth withered and even the briars are withered,do ya know what I'm glad I did it
No noticeable effect on grass at all despite 16 days without rain here

IH784man

WheatenBriar wrote: »

I sprayed a getting dirty field with forefront last week
It's a dear little spray but by golly,it has whacked everything,tall thistles are shrivelled and bent over,nettles,docks,and rag worth withered and even the briars are withered,do ya know what I'm glad I did it
No noticeable effect on grass at all despite 16 days without rain here

Uncle sprayed thistles with that stuff two weeks ago,there was a stretch of stuff where the sprayer must have got blocked up because the thitles were still alive,then next to it was the dead thistles,there was definitly a difference in the grass.

Jimlh86

I'd say most of them will have some affect on your grass.. But I hate looking out into a field and seeing it destroyed with thistles and nettles etc

Jimlh86

I'd say most of them will have some affect on your grass.. But I hate looking out into a field and seeing it destroyed with thistles and nettles etc

Username John

Dunedin wrote: »

Cheers for replies.

Started topping this morning, hit a stone on the first round.

End of topping for today 😞

Leave it til next grazing for topping - topping the thistles in July will do them more harm than topping now.
Still need spraying, but topping em in July will reduce em.