THANK YOU

[patandchickens]

Native or not doesn't make a huge difference in whether it's considered (legally) noxious.

The Ontario list (which is just what I happen to know offhand) lists several things which are fully native to the whole province, such as milkweed and poison ivy.

Listed weeds are usually ones that have historically been a problem in that state/province, either in terms of reducing crop yeild, contaminating the harvested crop, or poisoning animals, and the lists are biased towards things that spread real fast and/or are quite hard to eradicate once they get started.

(e.t.a. - yes, it's generally [probably always?] under State/Province Department/Ministry of Agriculture authority)

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thanks Pat, I had no idea!

 

[unclejoe]

Pat, Honestly I had no idea where it might have been from, but since it is called Canadian thistle I just thought I'd have some fun with it. We get some of that same violent Ohio Valley weather here also, so I'll join you in the complaint department.
Drake, I think the flower is beautiful and when it's growing out in the pasture I let it alone although the goats seem to enjoy it. I've had to declare war in the garden though. As much as I hate to do it, I have resorted to using Roundup in the garden. I'm getting ready to to the majority of my planting in the next couple weeks so it has got to go.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm sorry the thistles are giving you so much grief, Unclejoe. I haven't had too much of an invasion problem with mine yet. But I have been very careful to pull them from my veggie garden when they are just getting going. . . though my garden is still fairly small. Good luck getting your garden in!

 

[patandchickens]

If it gives you anything to look forward to, I can report that my E side yard, which was mostly canada thistle and not to dern much else at all when we moved here 6 yrs ago, has been almost entirely thistle-free for a year or two now. As in, there are probably a half dozen stragglers still hanging on in a 30x60ish space. We did it the hard way, by weedwhacking and then mowing weekly as if it were lawn, and once or twice a month going out there with a bread knife and cutting out as many thistle rosettes as we could stand (whole area didn't get done every time, otherwise the cure would've prolly been quicker). I think last year we only 'thistled' maybe 2-3x, and as I say, it is just about fixed now, good grass same as rest of lawn.

(Now if I could do something about the sow thistles...)

So, hang in there

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Yep, persistence wins every time.

I'm fighting scotch broom here and I've gotten rid of all the big ones . . . it is just those little obnoxious new ones scattered everywhere that are going to drive me nuts!!!