What is this weed that is taking over my drive?

mug51

Hi,
There is a new weed that is sprouting all over my drive, what is it and what is the best way to deal with it? 
I've tried to pull them out but it just snaps leaving the root behind.
Thanks in advance.

-taff

Horsetail. Nightmare to get rid of, roots go down 6 foot and  send the tops you see up. Interesting plant though, has survived since the time of dinosaurs.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/

Can also be used as a feed.

Grumpy_chap

I have this weed and it is nigh on impossible to get rid of.  Weedkiller seems ineffective because it does not really have any leaves as such to absorb.  The absence of leaves also makes the use of gel difficult.  I'll try the ideas suggested by @-taff

Justagardener

SBK brushwood killer will sort it. It will penetrate the waxy coating in the same way it penetrates the waxy coating on ivy.

mug51

-taff said:

Horsetail. Nightmare to get rid of, roots go down 6 foot and  send the tops you see up. Interesting plant though, has survived since the time of dinosaurs.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/

Can also be used as a feed.

6 feet???? 
Think I need to get it under control ASAP.  Where did it come from anyways, never had horsetail a few years ago.

mug51

Justagardener said:

SBK brushwood killer will sort it. It will penetrate the waxy coating in the same way it penetrates the waxy coating on ivy.

Thanks, I'll take a look into that.

-taff

mug51 said:

6 feet???? 

Or more. The only thing I've found to get rid of it is to completely cover it and keep ti covered for a couple of years. The roots will die off then. But it stores energy in the roots so can pop up wherever and travel.

Try the SBK, it might work.

Davesnave

There is a product designed to kill horsetail, called Kurtail. It is expensive and intended only for professional use, but I believe it is still available via the internet, just as most things are if people go out of their way to seek them out. I'm supplying this as information, not as a recommendation, because although I hold a pro certificate, I've never used the stuff and hope I never need to. Presumably, there are pros out there who will spray it for you, but I'm unsure if they'll issue long term guarantees because of this weed's survival capabilities.

[Deleted User]

mug51 said:

-taff said:

Horsetail. Nightmare to get rid of, roots go down 6 foot and  send the tops you see up. Interesting plant though, has survived since the time of dinosaurs.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/

Can also be used as a feed.

6 feet???? 
Think I need to get it under control ASAP.  Where did it come from anyways, never had horsetail a few years ago.

In that case one of your lovely neighbours isn't killing it in their garden and it's just travelled into yours, if you went into every garden that surrounds yours you would find it.
I have a neighbour that cuts it back...... 🙄🙄🙄
..... thus pruning it into growth 🙄🙄🙄

onwards&upwards

mug51 said:

-taff said:

Horsetail. Nightmare to get rid of, roots go down 6 foot and  send the tops you see up. Interesting plant though, has survived since the time of dinosaurs.

https://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/

Can also be used as a feed.

6 feet???? 
Think I need to get it under control ASAP.  Where did it come from anyways, never had horsetail a few years ago.

This weed was here millions of years before us and will be here millions of years after we're gone.  It won't be beaten.

You could go mad with chemicals, waste years covering up massive swathes of garden with plastic etc etc.  Or you could just do what I do and keep picking it or scraping it out everywhere it pops up.  Then you don't have to look at it, and it will come back a little weakened every year. 

MoneySeeker1

I panicked when I saw a little bit of it growing between cracks in the 'Orrible Concrete still there. I trimmed it right down - in fact literally got down on my hands and knees with a pair of nail scissors to get every last millimetre of it I could chopped off. Then threw several loads of boiling hot water over it and covered it over (in my case with some leftover huge bathroom tiles) and left it for quite some time. During that time I chucked some more boiling hot water over it as a precautionary measure and had those nail scissors out again.

That was a while back that I took that "covering" off and no sign of it having another go at appearing.

EDIT; In my case I knew it wasn't from neighbouring gardens - as I keep a pretty close eye on them in case they let the dreaded Japanese Knotweed come in and then neglect it. So I suspect it must have arrived on the soles of my shoes - as I'd been walking through fields with some in.