invassive canada thistle
what should we do about it in North Dakota?
general infromation
The scientific name is cirsium arvense. The thistle is native to the mediterranean area and southeast Europe. some common names are creeping thistle, Californian thistle, and Canada thistle.
how did it get to ND ?
The Canada thistle got to ND because Canada thistle seeds got into imported hay, straw, and crop seeds
Features of the canada thistle
The Canada thistle has very extensive and deep roots. The thistle has spines on the leaves. The thistle has pink flowers on the top of the plant that resemble spotted knapweed.
Effects of the invason
The thistle can decrease the amount of livestock on rangelands. The forage productivity on pastures or grassland is decreased. The crop land value reduces if it is infested with Canada thistle.
control
A good common way to get rid of or help reduce it is apply herbicides. In pastures repeated mowing reduces the amount of thistles.
laws
Any land owner that fails to control or remove Canada thistle will be fined upwards of 1 thousand dollars.
how can you help ?
a great way to manage Canada thistle is mowing very often to get to the very deep roots. One other way is you can put down herbicides.