Canadian farmer shares his two-prong
attack on Canada thistle
Tools, technique, cropping sequence optimize “management” of weed that thrives on slicing and dicing of cultivation with sweeps.

By Steven Snider

Rather than slicing up thistle roots with a sweep and causing a proliferation of new plants, the combination of a spike-tooth harrow and rodweeder pulls up the plants and lays them on the surface to dry out. For an explanation of the tool widely used in dryland farming, see the book Steel in the Field. Photos courtesy of Steven Snider

Posted August 10, 2006: Canada thistle is a frustrating weed. First off, understand that you will never eliminate it forever. As soon as it is gone, seed drifts in from somewhere else and takes hold. My objective is to manage populations to acceptable levels, i.e. patches small enough to be mowed out of the crops. On the tillage side, I use a spike-tooth cultivator followed by a rodweeder to pull out the thistle plants. The spikes loosen the root, and the rod pulls as much root as the strength of the root allows. I regularly pull out 6 to 8 inches of thistle root, but the length will vary by soil type, moisture and weed stage.

If you have thistle, get rid of all sweeps on your cultivators. A sweep only cuts at the depth of tillage and allows for more competitive re-emergence.

I agree with Jeff Moyer on the use of hay and rye, but I will qualify the rye idea: You must have enough soil health to produce at least a 60-bushel-per-acre crop—any less, and you lose a lot of competitive advantage against the weeds. I try to build the soil with a plowdown crop first, seeded late spring to allow a flush of thistle. Incorporate in late July, and seed to fall rye in the first week in September after another spike/rod pass. Don't underestimate the value of fall tillage on thistle either.

We commonly disc our rye stubble and what thistle may be left is "pulled" out by the disk. The rod is useless in the heavy straw because it will not clear the residue. Hay does eliminate thistle, and it provides income at the same time.

These Kongskilde shanks, designed to hook and pull quackgrass roots, are even more effective because Snider mounted them to the toolbar with a double-band spring for addition weed-killing action.

The photo shows that Kongskilde has a specialized shank unlike any other, one with a hook specifically designed to pull and kill quackgrass. As a matter of fact, the original spikes for it had a pull-out sheet on how to cultivate to kill quack.

One further detail on my cultivator set-up: Notice the type of spring mount used. It is two band springs, eliminating any bushings. The neat part is that it allows for movement side to side as well as front and back. This gives a whole new meaning to term “vibra-shank,” the critical action in shaking out quack roots.

Steven Snider and his parents, Robert and Rosemary, run Little Red Hen Mills in New Norway, Alberta, where they farm 1,600 acres and produce certified-organic mixed grains and pulse crops.