I have thistle taking over my garden / flower bed . I have tried everything and talked to many landscape people and to no avail still have them . How can I get them to stop growing . Have pulled from the roots dug them up and every week they keep coming back more and more . Am lost don't know what else to do

Hi Givenup,

Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) is considered a pest by many and very difficult to get rid of. You can try to control the spread by continually cutting the plants back at the base rather than trying to pull or dig them out. Thistle has a very deep root system and when you try pulling or digging them up, small pieces break off and remain underground so the plants will re-grow. I've read that thistle does not like fertilized soil so I wonder if fertilization of the area would help kill it in your garden beds? Something like Roundup will kill thistle but Roundup is a harsh chemical and will kill all the other plants in the vicinity as well!

If you are not opposed to using chemicals, a glyphosate herbicide (like Round Up) wiped on their leaves will kill the existing plants, and a pre-emergent herbicide will prevent their seeds - and all other seeds in the bed - from germinating. If the bed is idle, you can cover it with tarps/plastic and sterilize the soil.

Givenup said:I have thistle taking over my garden / flower bed . I have tried everything and talked to many landscape people and to no avail still have them . How can I get them to stop growing . Have pulled from the roots dug them up and every week they keep coming back more and more . Am lost don't know what else to do

Is it possible for you to post a picture of the thistle, leaves, stem and flowers if it has any so that we can figure out what kind of thistle it is?