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What do I spray? Either a strong concentration of "professional" Roundup® or a product called Remedy®. Remedy and Roundup Pro is not always available at large retailers so you might try farm supply stores, or A&T Sprinklers. Both are pretty expensive to buy. But, it's highly concentrated and lasts a long time. We use so much of it we buy it in a 2.5 gallon container. If you're going out to spray... suit up. The attire of the day is knee high rubber boots (protects you from rattlesnake bites, stickers, and the actual poison oak), jeans, lightweight long sleeve shirt, hat, gloves, and goggles. When you're done throw all the clothing into the wash immediately and don't start polishing those rubber boots without protection! There are some other weeds that are bothersome as well.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the only herbicide known to kill star thistle effectively is Transline from Dow-Elanco. It's an extremely selective herbicide that doesn't harm native grasses, wild animal or livestock, but eliminates the star thistle. Transline is very expensive, however, so this year I'm doing my own experiment.... Roundup once a week trying to catch all the new plants before they go to seed. It's working pretty well, but these plants grow amazingly fast. They can be barely showing one day and in three or four days already be flowering and seeding, so you have to be pretty determined and stay on schedule if you're going to try Roundup on them. The areas that I'm trying to "tame" were first mowed several times in the early spring to get the grasses down and remove the rocks so the area is fire-safe. Most types of thistle grow primarily in sunny areas. Once an area is mowed, or sprayed for the first time, it seems like it's the large leaf thistle (shown above) that takes over first. These are pretty easy to control. But, once they're under control, along comes the Star Thistle. This is especially good to know since once you mow the edges of your road, for instance, you'll have to figure a few years of thistle control where you mowed. If you don't, the thistle will start there and then run the field. If you hate the stuff as much as I do, it's far easier to control it when there's not much there then when it's a field full. Regarding the sun / shade issue, fields of star thistle on our property come abruptly to an end where trees begin to shade an area.
To clear large areas of everything to create paths or other living areas, Roundup® is the least amount of work and the least expensive in the long run. The first couple of years we were here, we used a weed whacker (eater) two to four times a year (depending on when and how much rain fell that year) to keep paths open. Not only didn't it work very well, but it's a lot of hard work. Then we started using Roundup®. We found that once a path was cleared it became a spot clearing job a couple times a year where things grew back. And subsequent years, the paths never really filled in all the way. One good spray in the spring and a couple of touch ups a year are all that's necessary. This method is much less work in the long run. Are you beginning to get the picture? Roundup® is your friend! I must caution you though. Roundup® will
kill everything, so be extremely careful not to spray near plants you
want to keep on breezy days. Also, if you spray the roots (Aspen,
Birch trees, and many other tree roots run along the surface) or hit an
exposed tuber of a bulb plant, you could easily kill the plant. Also,
you'll want to have the right equipment
for spraying. --------- All photos on this site
are copyrighted. Many are available to purchase, however, at www.19thCentury.us
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Landscaping l Irrigation l Tools l Buying Landscape Plants l Solving Problems l Weed Control l Chemicals |
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The photos here of poison oak will
hopefully teach you what it looks like in this area. But, keep in mind
that this stuff is a lot like a chameleon in other types of climates.
While in a forested area on the North coast of California, the poison
oak looked very different in how it grew. It's important to 
Stickers -- there are lots of
these (and your dog will find every one of them!). Many you can't possibly kill off, but one that is easy to spot
and kill produces a great big sticker that'll get so entwined in your
dog's hair, you'll want to get rid of it. It also grows fast an can take
over outdoor living areas if you don't kill it off. What's it called?
Don't have a clue, but here's a picture and a picture of the lovely
sticker it produces. 