I Dig Thistles!!!

Yellow Sow Thistle Rosette

Today's adventure in the stillroom takes place outside in my yard.  I love to do yard work---even the tough stuff.  And that is what I am doing today:  digging thistles, otherwise known as "thistle abatement."

Experts will give you many possible ways to get rid of the obnoxious things, but the most effective way I have found to get rid of them is to simply dig them up.  I suppose these critters are an annoyance everywhere, but here in West Texas, in the middle of the desert, they grow rampant.  In fact, in many yards here, they are the only source of greenery, as there aren't many types of grasses or weeds that grow to choke them out.  But I would rather have a completely bald patch of dirt for a yard instead of fighting these things year round.



Tall tough thistles

This part of the country only averages about 8 inches of rainfall a year, but this spring has been extremely wet.  We have had around four and a half inches so far, and lots of cool weather, so the thistles have just gone crazy.

Actually, thistles are one of the most perfect desert plants as they have thick, prickly, broad leaves which prevent most animals from eating them.  The leaves also help them collect any morning dew that may be available.  They hold lots of moisture in their thick, hollow stems.  I have mowed them off many times and ended up with my shoes and legs nearly soaked by the water they contain, even in the middle of a drought.  They are definitely "juicy".

Thistles possess one other perfect adaptation for desert life.  They have one thick, long, strong main root called a taproot that grows very deep in search of water.  This taproot is generally as long under ground as the plant is tall above ground.  It is surrounded by a thick "halo" of shorter, finer roots to grab all the surface moisture possible, including that morning dew that may drip off the leaves.



Small blooming
Yellow Sow Thistle

In my opinion, the secret to geting rid of the thistles is to dig out the entire taproot, including the very tip.  If you don't get it all, it will just grow back in a few months.  Or, as the case is here in the desert, lay dormant until the fall rains come, or even until the following spring.  If we have drought, they can even lay dormant for a few years until we get just enough rain for them to sprout and take off.  Then they erupt forth and take over the yard again.

The last time I dug them, I did a pretty good job---I thought.  I wanted to get it done quickly, so I wasn't as careful as I should have been.  A friend warned me that if I was breaking the main root, they would just come back.  I didn't really believe her at the time.  She also said that you have to get them before they flower, which I probably didn't pay much attention to.  We had a few pretty dry years, so the evidence didn't really show up until this year.  Over the last two days, I have spent about 4 hours a day gingerly trying to get them out completely.  I have managed to clear about a 10-foot square space of them from my rather large back yard.


Durable leather gardening gloves


This is gonna take a while . . .

 At any rate, my mother, with whom my children and I live, is a Master Gardener.   This is the method she explained to me for getting thistles out without damaging the taproot.




My gardening knife

First of all, some basics.  Make sure you are wearing a pair of heavy leather gardening gloves.  Have a large trash can ready with a lawn and leaf bag in it for your debris.  For the actual digging, use a long knife.  I use an old carving knife with a ten-inch blade on it.  Don't use a shovel or potato fork, as these will definitely break the roots.  These tools are too rough for this delicate operation.  The knife also lets you have a bunch of little tiny holes to cover back up, instead of some huge ugly ones.


Here are the steps to eliminating these little monsters from your yard:



Perfect angle for "thistle
abatement"

1.  Separate one plant from the others around it.  They often grow in clumps, so this is impotant.  Don't try to remove more than one plant at a time, as you will surely break the roots of at least one of them.


2.  Plunge your knife in at a VERY slight angle (almost parallel) to the root of the plant, about an inch away from the base of the plant.  This will cut through any roots of nearby grass, plants, or other weeds, without damaging the thistle's taproot.




Little "moat" around the thistle

3.  Continue doing this in a tight circle around the base of the thistle.  You will need to go around this circle several times to loosen the dirt around the plant.  You may also need to rock your knife back and forth a little to further loosen the dirt, but don't let it leave the confines of the circle.  Eventually, you will have a little "moat" around the plant, as if the thistle were a little castle.

4.  When this "moat" is complete and you can no longer feel any roots or clumps of dirt as you push the knife into the ground, VERY gently rock the thistle back and forth.  At the same time, you should EXTREMELY gently pull upward on the plant.  If it is completely dislodged, it will easily come right out, root and all.  You may need to push the knife in one more time to help lift it out, but make sure you only use the knife as a guide.  If you push with it or make any kind of cutting motion, you will slice the tip off.  When the thistle comes out, it should bring a nice cone-shaped clump of dirt wrapped around the entire set of roots.  It should be easy to see the tip of the taproot when it comes out.


Throwing away the thistle

5.  Take the back side of the knife blade (so you don't accidentally cut any of the roots) and gently tap off the excess dirt.  You can use this to fill in the hole left by the removal of the thistle.


6.  Throw your newly eradicated thistle in the trash can so no one touches it.

7.  Fill your hole.

8.  Move on to the next thistle and repeat the process!




Small blooming thistle

The knife point indicates the filled in
tiny hole left from the thistle

Obviously this takes a long time, especially if you have thousands of thistles like I do.  I also don't really like to mow before I do this, as taller plants are easier to pull out than short ones.  That means my back yard will probably turn into a jungle before I finish this!  But I shall persevere.  Even if you have to mow before you get them all, never fear---they will all grow back!

Remember:
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ---Lao Tze

Or in this case, a single thistle!  Happy digging!!!



Single Thistle Rosette

Peace and love,















This is what my back yard looks like!

All photos by Angela Fox-Thompson