So does anyone have experience with horsetail weed? From what I have read, it seems to be quite a tough weed to eradicate. I was wondering if anyone has any tricks to getting rid of it.
Horsetail Weed
- Thread starter Handsomerob
- Start date
Ha, I tried to get some to grow many years ago with no success. There are natural herbicides that may work. I hesitate to mention Roundup because I don't like using it myself. But it may be your last resort.
It's a weed that has existed for thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of years. You need to get all the root out, if you can. Hand weeding is the answer.
Horticultural vinegar with a 20% strength or stronger, normal vinegar might work, but it's normally around 5% strength.
It will need to be applied on a dry, sunny day.
It will need to be applied on a dry, sunny day.
In UK we have a week killer called SBK, it contains Triclopyr and a friend of mine reckons it will sort out anything. Treat with care of you use it. Have to say if Horsetail is what I think it is I have often considered it as a good Tree like plant. However I am well aware of its difficulty to remove if you do not want it, but my definition of a weed is a plant that grows where you dont want it. Grass fits that bill very well, growing in Path Cracks etc.
JonD
JonD
From a radio programme I heard many years ago, they said that to get a systemic weed killer to work on it you must first break the surface of the stem. I had a patch that insisted on trying to grow under the front of my shed. I used to just pull the head off and spray the w/k into the little socket left. That shot it!
Move house!
Don't take any plants, or soil with you..
A right-royal PITA to deal with, and you will always be fighting it.
YMMV.
Don't take any plants, or soil with you..
A right-royal PITA to deal with, and you will always be fighting it.
YMMV.
Horsetail has a waxy surface that repels weedkiller crush the stems by trampling on them that allows weedkiller to enter the system
Another thought.....import some sort of critter that likes Horsetail. Of course you might have to import another critter because the first critter will become a nuisance......on and on, you've heard it before.....
A right bugger. Often called Marestail in England. SBK works on woody plants so not too sure it will work on these - good for brambles though
Crushing the plant first sounds a good idea - well worth a try.
I find the damn stuff comes up on disturbed soil if you don't do something with it straight a way - like the seeds are sitting there waiting!
Crushing the plant first sounds a good idea - well worth a try.
I find the damn stuff comes up on disturbed soil if you don't do something with it straight a way - like the seeds are sitting there waiting!
I was only able to get some 10% strength around here so I have been breaking it off and spot treating the stocks with the vinegar, I hope it helps to at least control it.
Does it have seeds and flowers as such?
Or is it all done by Tap Roots?
Or broken bits of root?
Anyone know for certain?
JonD
It has a fragile tap root, and will regrow from any bits left behind, it also is resistant to chemicals due to the waxy nature of its stem and foliage in short a right bar steward
Abso-blooming-lutely!
Just a couple of pics I've just taken. There is a stream in there (which I dug out last year after the hayshed got flooded). It's really taken over the whole bog - well it is Marsh Mares Tail!
and it isn't my land!