horse-tail - how do you kill it?

iharding

Seeing as this thread has come back to life after a long sleep...

The site I used to have an allotment on was full of marestail, but most people found that regular hoeing kept it under control.

Interesting to hear about the effect of growing turnips though. One year I planted a dense patch of agricultural mustard green manure (a brassica, like turnips). No marestail grew in that patch for a couple of years afterwards, and then returned only sparsely, even though adjoining areas had plenty.

graspandsave

It is rife in our neighbourhood, I always thought pull it out when I see it, as least it keeps it out of sight.

I will definitely give the turnips a go, might be nice extra veggies to boot.

I know this thread has been dozing for a while but somewhere some said that horsetail made a good plant feed.........could some one please advise what to do and what /when to use it as a plant food
many thanks

Mojisola

Here's some advice - https://www.seasonalgardener.com/tips/liquidplantfertilizer/tabid/3190/default.html

Michael_Campbell

Somerset - how did you get on with tackling the horsetail, I am at war with it in my garden at the moment.

evilgoose

I have terrible trouble with it in the garden.

Here's a couple of things I've found with it - hopefully it will be of use to others!

I've not found any weedkiller that kills it (even after bruising the stems) + I dont really want to use weedkiller.

This time of year the 'flower heads' start to appear, dig or pull them up and put in bin. If you miss any, and they grow through, cup your hand over them and gently pull them off. You'll see your hand covered in the green spores. Again bin it, and give your hands a wash.

Regularly cut the lawns where it is growing through the grass.

Veg beds, dig thoroughly - with a garden fork, NOT spade. Remove the roots and throw in bin, not compost.

Flower beds - dig out where possible. Pull the plant regularly, where digging not possible. (I think the green parts can be composted, but as I'm not sure, I leave on the path for several days to make sure it's good and dead before putting it in the compost)

I've certainly not defeated it, and with it in both next doors gardens, I doubt I will. But I've certainly reduced it quite drastically. Its taken a few years. but i'm getting there!

sassyblue

We used to have a fair bit of it, all l've been doing is constantly pulling it out when weeding and it does seem to be getting better....

fwor

As I've said before, my Gran's advice on marestail was "never let it see the light of day", and it works.

It's labour-intensive to start with, but all you need to do is to find each shoot, press down as far as you can below ground level, grip the shoot and pull it. It will come out with a length of (usually black) root attached.

The remaining underground root now needs to grow much further to reach light before it can get sustenance to continue growing.

If you do this every few days you ~will~ kill it - no chemicals required.

jicms

Any updates on eradicating horse (or is it mares) tail?

My block patio is being taken over. Will be able to mow it soon!! It's next to a pond so spraying weedklller's not an option.

It's the only good thing about winter is that it dies off!

noimad

Interesting article on organic control of Horsetail on PushingUpDandelions (can't post link as I'm a newbie but search for 'PushingUpDandelions Horsetail') - sounds involved but argues that weedkillers only kill off top growth, not the immensely deep roots.

noimad

That same article suggests that eating a lot of this can be toxic so, as with so many 'wild' foods (was just hearing about someone who had eaten hemlock by mistake, thinking it was wild parsnip, last week), take care.

Ephemera wrote: »

Eat it!

Some varieties of horsetail are edible and are also useful in other ways.

...

Some varieties can be eaten like asparagus
The roots are edible
You can use the mature plants as an eco-friendly scourer for pots and pans
They make an excellent plant food steeped in water for a few weeks

So all in all a useful if invasive plant!