Why Thistle Plants Are Taking Over Lawns In Minnesota

Is there anything more upsetting/painful than accidentally coming into contact with a thistle plant in your lawn? For some reason, it seems like this year they are especially bad. Every round of weed killer applied, it seems another 3 pop up the next week. What gives?

Where Thistle Thrives

I love a well-manicured lawn. I'm not a professional by any means, but I do like to keep my lawn weed-free, as much as possible, as well as mowed regularly. This year, I am just struggling with the amount of thistle that keeps popping up in my lawn, so much so that I've taken to spraying for thistles once a week! So what gives with all the thistle?

According to MyHomeTurf.com, "Thistles will often take hold in bare patches, so try to maintain good ground cover throughout the year to reduce the chances of seed germination." Thistle also likes high-nitrogen environments, so adding too much fertilizer to your lawn could create a thistle problem.

How do you get rid of the thistle in your lawn?

The best way to rid your lawn of thistle is to use a hoe or scissors to cut out the plant and taproot (long white root attached to the center of the plant) to discourage regrowth.

Another method, probably easier, is to use weed chemicals like ORTHO directly onto the thistle. The chemicals will kill the plant to the root.

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Mowing over the thistle won't kill it, and possibly create more of an issue as it could spread, or expand as plants will often regrow where they were cut.

Is this a bad year for thistle?

Generally, a slow spring with wet weather creates a thistle problem for Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, we did have a period of cooler wet weather in late April and during portions of May, which would lead to the thistle problems I seem to be having.

Are you seeing more thistle in your lawn?