Hmmm... I don't know what a "root and stolon" system looks like.
Most looked like taproots - like this:
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Or this:
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And this:
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However, some came out as 'clump' roots - like this:
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And this:
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PS: It was only half way through the eradication task that I belatedly realized shoving a garden hose nozzle into the center of the plant and blasting the roots loose was the way to go!
Apparently it only reproduces by seed, but, the seeds must be removed from the area...
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Plants from Yosemite Valley that were cut at the root crown a few days after their first flowers appeared and then laid on the ground produced abundant viable seed (Randall pers. observation). Thus it may be important to remove cut stems from the area.
Heading -- yes, cut off the flowers (purple) and buds (green).
More often seen in the phrase 'dead heading' which is to cut off the spent (dead) flowers on an ornamental plant, so it does not 'waste' energy on setting seeds.
The part you cut off is still alive, for a while. The last bit of energy and moisture in the cutting is given over to finishing the development of any viable seeds.
It's not only thistles that are capable of this. I suspect that most of the plants that have this ability act like weeds in other ways, too.
Well, I've read about a dozen pages on the bull thistle, and, it seems relatively easy to control (as long as you don't let it get to the level I did).
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Apparently mine are two-year old plants (for the most part).
The yearlings only form low-lying rosettes, of which I have a few. These radiating leaves don't produce a stem, so they lay below the (lawnmower) radar, but otherwise don't reproduce.
The second year is when they produce the flowers, and then when they flower, they die. The seeds don't appear to travel all that far but they have an amazing germination rate (over 90%) so I'll be weeding them for a few years to eradicate them.
The flowers are a rich nectar source, hence my bee will go hungry in the next few days:
Thanks for clarifying. I've never headed a plant before.
It seems that the seeds only last about 5 years, so, of the noxious weeds I need to deal with, this one won't be too bad.
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It *only* spreads by seed, and I can prevent that with heading.
Plus, it shows itself a year earlier (as the rosette), so I
*should* have pulled them last year - and then they would never have gotten to this second-year stage.
Apparently I can eat the stems, but, the kitchen already has mustard plants all over the counter, as I experiment with what is said to be tasty and what is not:
Danny, I want to complement you on your picture taking. It makes it much easier for others to understand what you are writing about and you really seem to enjoy photography. I have to Email lots of photos of the work me and JH do to the service corporation we do work for and I've gone through two inexpensive digital cameras this year. I'm going to see if I can find a darn rubber coated drop resistant camera. ^_^
Thanks. I've been on USENET for decades and on forums for years, and I believe in being responsive, providing enough detail, and that a picture is worth a lot more than a description.
BTW, along those lines, I took my black widow spider to a friend who is writing a book on how to photograph hard-to-photograph animals, and you should see the excellent closeups he got of her red hourglass belly and her spinning silk threads out of (her belly?).
Due to those spines, and the fact most people don't keep gas welding gloves around the house, I don't recommend pulling them out anyway if you're faced with a clump up to your thighs of this size or bigger:
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For some reason, I had it in my mind to just yank them out (like I do most weeds). It's only the *challenge of the gloves* that got me, since I pride myself on finding the best garden-use gloves for the lowest price I can locally (my hands are big so not all gloves fit).
I ended up soaking them with the garden hose, shoving the nozzle right at the root, and going down, oh, about six inches, which allowed them to be pulled out easily *with* very (very) thick (and long) gloves.
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If you didn't have long and thick gloves (absolutely nothing in the box stores would protect you); you'd resort to more mechanical means.
Even with excellent gloves and a good soaking, I had to dig at one bull thistle clump with hand equipment, to get it out:
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Based on my reading of the habits of bull thistle, it seems that they only live two years, and that their seeds don't generally travel all that far (only a few feet as they're very delicate).
So, had I headed the flowers, then I'd only have to worry about these yearlings (which only form low-lying rosettes):
It is not necessary to send such HUGE pictures though. That last one faltered three times and I have high-speed service. Geez, If one had dial-up it would take an hour to download.
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