By Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury
There’s been an increase in musk thistle this year, and Riley County officials want residents to know how to identify and get rid of it.
Michael Boller, the county’s director of noxious weeds and household hazardous waste, told the Riley County commission Thursday evening that people should spray for the biennial weed this fall to prevent an outbreak this spring.
All counties in Kansas consider musk thistle, with its purple flower and spine-tipped bracts, a noxious weed. Boller said many people who are new to the county don’t know what musk thistle is and may think it’s just a purple flower.
“I actually got a complaint two years ago, and when I showed up, they loved the K-State purple flowers,” Boller said. “They certainly weren’t treating them because they thought they were very unique-looking. Once I let them know, they were very cooperative.”
Boller said by the time musk thistle blooms, a property owner may already have lost their chance to eradicate it.
“A lot of times, owners, if they don’t know they have musk thistle by the time it bolts, which is in the second year, it’s almost too late to spray it,” Boller said. “Your window to get it sprayed and keep it viable, to keep it from going to seed, is 30 days or lower.”
Boller said he’s been work on an education campaign to let property owners know about musk thistle and how to deal with it. He said voluntary compliance on the part of home and property owners is an important part of the fight against noxious weeds and encouraged anyone needing assistance to reach out to his office.
