Horsetail or Marestail

linz76_2

Hi,

In our back garden we have an ongoing problem with a weed that we have been told is called Horsetail or Marestail.

I have been told its very difficut to get rid of and so far normal weedkillers like Round up / path clear etc make no difference - they just come back again!!

We have them on our patio and also at the bottom in the overgrown garden area - the previous owners neglected the back garden big time!

Has anyone got any ideas to get rid of it and keep it away - its driving me mad!

Thanks in advance

susieb

Its a real pain, roundup can help but you need to bash the marestail first, that way the roundup can get into the plant easier

Mojisola

susieb wrote: »

Its a real pain, roundup can help but you need to bash the marestail first, that way the roundup can get into the plant easier

And you will need to bash and spray again and again!

ANY_CHANCE

we have this problem too

there is a corner that has it at first i quite liked the different shape of it but it is spreading. I have pulled a bit out. Also we have loads of Ivywhich i keep pulling up where i dont want it.

mademoiselle_2

Horsetail is a really ancient plant, it has survived since the time of the dinosaurs! The reason you are finding it doesn't respond to the strong chemicals you are using (eek! please don't zap everything with Roundup, it doesn't just kill the weeds, it kills everything and is very environmentally unsound) is because of the way it spreads: by spores. Just like the fungi that it is related to, it puffs out spores into the atmosphere and it is this that spreads the growth. (Although it also develops a pretty strong tap root that it is difficult to pull up!)

I get horsetail too in my garden. I think the only long term answer is to resign yourself to hand weeding it. Persistence pays off. And it's a lot kinder to the worms, insects and other creatures that live in your garden, to weed rather than to chemically nuke it.

ANY_CHANCE

i will have a go at just pulling it out then as i am going to try not to use any chemicals and see if i can keep it under control.

Supergirl_3

Mairstail has to be the worst of weeds!
I had a problem with it and my dads advice was to snap them in half and brush your hand up them then spray with weed killer, but you know I never could get rid of it.

If you don't want to use chemicals use salt after pulling it out, you can use salt for weeds in general and it does work, especially in gaps between paving stones.

linz76_2

I may have a go with salt then and see what happens because i have pulled it up time after time and it still grows...

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Any more advice is also welcome!

serena

Horsetail is a really interesting weed, which has a long history, and even herbal uses! It can be used for cleaing pewter or polishing wood - apparently. It contains silica. It has two stages of growth. Early in the year you will see the spore bearing 'cones', paleish brown on stems. Then after, the characteristic christmas tree ferny stems. The roots can go down 6ft, so you're unlikely to be able to dig it out.

The most effective chemical has now been withdrawn, which pretty much leaves glyphosate. Bruise the foliage before spraying, and you'll need to retreat any regrowth.Glyphosate will kill other plants that it lands on, so shield any thing you want to keep.

An alternative, if it is growing in a suitable area, would be to grass over the area, and keep mowing it. Most plants will not survive repeated mowing.

evilgoose

Spookily i've spent the day (another one of very many) digging to remove this stuff and was thinking about putting up a post about this.

I've dug up bags upon bags of this stuff (dont put it in your green sacks for council recycling if they do that in your area).

Ive dug down to about 2-3ft in depth to pull out the weed. I dug a section in the winter and left the frost get in, and there seems less of the weed coming back through in that area.
I'm very reluctant to use weedkiller, but have been told, as has been said, that you have to damage the plant first.

I have mowed a path through the weeds to the bottom of the garden several times and it doesnt like the mowing.

A_Clock

A good way of stopping the weedkiller, hitting other plants is to cut a plastic bottle in half, and spray through that!