Looking for a way to finally eliminate those annoying thistles and stop them from coming back permanently in your flowerbeds, lawn and garden?
Thistles are one of the most stubborn and difficult weeds gardeners deal with. They are known for their deep taproots, which can grow from just a few inches deep to as large as a few feet or more.
Because of this, pulling them out by hand rarely works. Even when you dig deep, it’s easy to miss part of the root. And unfortunately – any piece left behind can and will regrow into a brand new plant!
If you’ve ever tried to remove thistles, you are well aware at how difficult and frustrating it can be. You start pulling one small plant and suddenly you’ve disturbed a whole underground network. It often seems like the more you pull, the more they multiply.
What’s worse, if thistles are allowed to bloom and go to seed, they’ll spread even faster. Each thistle plant can produce thousands of tiny seeds. The seeds are incredibly light and fluffy and can float in the wind for long distances.
That, of course, means even one thistle that blooms and goes to seed can create problems far and wide. But as it turns out – thistles are actually easier to get rid of than you ever thought!
How To Eliminate Thistles Permanently With A Simple Secret!
Some might argue that thistles have some value in the garden. It’s true that pollinators such as bees and butterflies love the flowers. And yes, they do have some medicinal history, not to mention their blooms can even look pretty at times.
But for most gardeners, thistles are nothing but trouble. In flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, they crowd out the plants you actually want to grow. They steal nutrients, moisture, and sunlight, which can harm your flowers and vegetables. And they can make a lawn look quite messy as well.
If left to spread, they’ll quickly take over large areas. When they do, they become even increasingly harder to remove. But if you struggled with them for years, there is good news. With one simple trick, you can eliminate thistles easily – and for good! Even better, the method is completely natural and safe to use around the garden.
A Simple Method To Eliminate Thistles Permanently
You can spend hours digging and pulling thistles from your flowerbeds and still not be free of them. Store-bought weed killers and sprays can work, but most gardeners are not exactly fond of using chemical herbicides in their yard, flowerbeds. And especially in gardens where they grow food.
Luckily, there’s a natural alternative that works just as well, if not better. That alternative is horticultural vinegar. Unlike the vinegar you find in your kitchen, horticultural vinegar is much stronger. Affiliate Link: Ultra-Strength 45% Horticultural Vinegar for Home & Garden
Regular household vinegar usually has an acidity level between 3% and 5%. But horticultural vinegar can have an acidity of 15%, 30%, or even 45% or higher. And for tough weeds like thistles, a concentration between 35% and 45% is just what you need to eliminate them.
However, it’s important to know that this vinegar doesn’t just target weeds. It will also harm any plant it touches. That means you can’t just go around spraying it all over your garden or lawn. If you do, it will damage the soil and harm nearby plants.
But the good news is you can still use it in all of these areas to kill off thistles – you simply need to use vinegar in a very targeted way. And is it ever easy to do!
A Simple Two-Step Process To Eliminate Thistles With Vinegar
To safely and effectively eliminate thistles in your flowerbeds, garden beds or lawn, you need to take a simple two-step approach. All you need is a sharp pair of garden scissors or pruners, and a small spray bottle or eyedropper filled with full-strength horticultural vinegar.
Step one is to cut the thistle plant down low, a few inches above the soil. Don’t pull it out or try to dig it up. Just make a clean cut through the stem.
Step two is to immediately apply the horticultural vinegar directly to the freshly cut part of the plant. Spray or drip it right on the open wound and the remaining leaves if they are still exposed. Again, be careful not to hit nearby grass or other plants.
Why This Works To Eliminate Thistles
Here’s why this works so well: when a thistle is cut, the plant goes into a healing mode. It pulls nutrients and moisture toward the cut to begin repairing itself. If you apply the vinegar at that moment, it gets drawn deep into the plant’s system, right down into the taproot.
This causes the plant to absorb the vinegar like water. Ultimately, it kills the root for good – and stops the plant from ever coming back.
So what if you were to just spray the leaves of a living thistle plant without cutting it first? It certainly will cause the plant to wilt and turn brown for a while. But the root usually survives. Cutting the plant and then spraying is what truly makes the difference.
Being Safe With Horticultural Vinegar
Even though horticultural vinegar is a natural product, it’s still a strong acid. You should always wear gloves and eye protection when using it. Never spray it on windy days or around desirable plants. Its high acidity can damage anything it touches.
Also, never soak the soil with vinegar. A little bit on the soil will not cause long-term damage, but using too much too often can change the soil’s pH and make it harder to grow healthy plants.
That’s why many gardeners prefer to use a dropper instead of a spray bottle. It gives better control and helps you avoid over spray.
Using this method might feel slow if you have a lot of thistles. But we’ve found that many times, what looks like dozens or hundreds of thistles are actually part of a single root system from one or two main plants.
Once those main roots are eliminated, the rest of the thistles start disappearing fast. With a little patience and attention over a few weeks, you can eliminate thistles from your garden permanently. And best of all, you can do it without chemicals and without harming your soil or nearby plants!
Looking for more lawn and garden tricks? Be sure to check out our article 3 Simple Ways To Keep Ticks Out Of Your Yard This Spring & Summer.
Simple Garden Life
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Simple Garden Life is a website dedicated to keeping gardening fun, simple and enjoyable! We publish two new articles each week along with a new garden podcast episode every two weeks. This article may contain affiliate links.