Malta Starthistle

MS-NOXIOUS WEED ALERT

Click on link above for full brochure

 

NOXIOUS WEED ALERT
Chaves Soil & Water Conservation District
1011 S. Atkinson Roswell, NM 88203
Noxious Weed Coordinator 575-622-8746 ext 100

MALTA STARTHISTLE

KEY INFORMATION

PREVENT SEED FORMATION

New plants start from seeds.
Plants spread rapidly, form dense stands,
and will push out desirable plants.
Not toxic, but if baled in hay livestock
may refuse to eat it. Its cousin Yellow
Starthistle is toxic to horses!

DESCRIPTION
Noxious erect winter annuals
(sometimes biennials) with spiny
yellow flowered heads, mostly to 3 feet tall.
Plants can be highly competitive and typically develop stands which can displace desirable vegetation in natural areas, rangelands and other places. As seedlings, they have later rosette leaves entire to deeply lobed. Surfaces evenly covered with stiff thick hairs and resinous dots. Fine cottony hairs are sparse on older leaves. Mature plants have stiff stems openly branched from near or above the base. Stem leaves alternate, mostly linear or narrowly oblong. Leaf bases extend down the stems and give stems a winged appearance. Foliage is grayish-green. New leaves are often densely covered with fine cottony hairs. Taproots only penetrate the soil 2-3 feet. Flowers are ovoid, spiny and solitary on stem tips. They consist of numerous yellow disk flowers. The heads are sometimes closely 2-3 clustered. Flowers typically occur April to September.

KEY TO CONTROL AND ERADICATION

Stop the spread of seeds, and each year you’ll have
a lot fewer plants. It will take 3-5 years to completely eradicate.
Grazing, mowing, burning and cultivation, can prevent seed production and control infestations when employed over a period of 3-5 years depending on relevant factors. High-intensity short-term grazing by cattle, sheep, and goats can be implemented during the flowering stage but before development of spiny heads.
With thin infestations just “Flip” before flowers form, or use the
“Clip and Flip” method below.
Large infestations may require herbicides.

CLIP AND FLIP
Works well on plants with lots of seeds.
Will permanently kill annuals and biennials.
Method:
Clip off ALL the flowers/seed heads BEFORE the seeds start spreading,
Put ALL the flowers/seed heads in double plastic bags, and close them securely,
Remove them from the weed site because the heads will continue to mature,
Don’t just dump them anywhere, you’ll spread them!
Dispose of them in a County dumpster.

Flip so the plant won’t re-grow new flowers and seeds.
Cut the plant about ½ inch deep below the soil’s surface.
Can leave the plant lying on the ground, or throw it away.
Be sure there are no little flowers or heads that will mature!

Spines can make clipping difficult
A trick is to clip flowers into a bucket.
CHAVES SOIL AND WATER IS HERE TO HELP
NOXIOUS WEED PROGRAM
We can help:
– Identify unknown plants,
– Demonstrate proper methods
– Determine methods of control
-Get you started on the right path
We can:
-Provide herbicides
-Provide classes and information on obtaining chemical use licenses.
(Thanks to the Cuba Soil and Water Conservation District for allowing us to use their format for the weed alerts)

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