Re: Thistles

[Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>]

> i wonder if anyone knows if this
> is possible:  could
> the plant possibly have enough energy to complete the
> seed after being pulled by the roots?
I cannot back it up with a credited source, but yes, a plant
can and will compete seed development after being pulled  by the
roots. I observed many examples on our land, and seems like plants with
wind distributed seed are especially good at surviving. 
My rule of weed management is to pull plants BEFORE flowering starts. Not
all the plants of the same species bloom at the same time, and if you
wait till first blooms, you may miss plants that are ahead, already
pollinated and seeded. My rule is : if it cannot photosynthesize, it will
die of starvation.  Waiting untill a particular moment in plant
development is too risky on a big scale.

We successfully killed elms by cutting all the green growth during entire
growing season. Next year it was not there anymore, but reappeared in the
third season. One more cutting finished it.

Good luck

Arina