Category Archives: Noxious Weeds

Crellin Meadow Weed Update

Noxious Weeds

7/23/2010 Note from Ellen: Today I received an email from Renee P. following up on her 2009 weed management project in the Crellin Meadow. This meadow is located in the drainage area just north of Crellin Lake and is contiguous with the restoration area that the Ecology Committee and GVM Office staff have working on doing the last three seasons. Please click this link to read about Renee’s weed strategy. https://gvmecology.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/new-strategy-for-attacking-canada-thistle-in-crellin-meadow/ Thanks Renee!

“Hi Everyone, I was just out in Crellin Meadow and want to share how amazed I am at how good it looks sans thistles. The grasses are chest high. There’s Phalaris, Glyceria, Poas, and possibly Luzula (!) thriving in there with all the usual sedges, willows and orchids.. It’s literally been ‘released”.

Do yourselves a favor and take an outing to see what can be done in the course of one year (1.5 seasons). This is not to toot my horn. I am just amazed and enjoying it thistle free for the first time in the 11 yrs we have been here. I can host you or not – it’s worth seeing if you remember previous years. I’d like to release more wet meadows in GVM.”

Hunting for Musk Thistle at Riddle Lake

Land Stewardship, Noxious Weeds
Musk Thistle Rosette at Crellin Lake
Musk Thistle Rosette at Crellin Lake

4/27/2010 From Ellen: “I have  adopted Riddle Lake this season and will continue the weed management work that the Ecology Committee started last season. This lake, located about a 1/2 mile inside Gate 1, is one of three in GVM. As for the other two, Batterson  Lake is managed by Judd and Crellin Lake by Jeff and Peggy. It  has  been a very late season in GVM, but I found signs of spring: a few Pasque Flowers at the SW end. Nearby, I located (and dug up) 100 Musk Thistle rosettes and just 1 mullein rosette. I also collected trash (not too much) along the south shore.”

Milestone Herbicide Info

Noxious Weeds

9/1/09 We had two follow-up questions from our blog post “New strategy for attacking Canada thistle in Crellin Meadow” about repeated use of Milestone and about using Milestone in riparian areas.

On 9/2/09 Tim D’Amato replied “In my experience, broadcast spraying Canada thistle once with Milestone does an excellent job. Spot-treating some escapes the following year may be necessary. I think this is evident at the plot sites on Haystack Meadow that Phil Westra and I sprayed a year ago.  Milestone is labeled for use in wetland areas.”

9/3/09 For further details, Dow’s TechLine Publication Winter 2009 said yes: “Milestone can be applied up to the water’s edge on terrestrial sites.” I’ve excerpted parts of this article below with registration info, half life, FAQs. The article also references research on nontarget plants by Peter Rice, Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Montana.

Continue reading Milestone Herbicide Info →