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horse-tail - how do you kill it?

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  • Somerset
    Somerset Posts: 3,633
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    kandyfloss wrote: »
    What a shame I hadn't read this post earlier because I read somewhere years ago that if you use Sodium Chlorate as a weedkiller,you have to be careful where it is sprayed because it can seep across the soil and will kill off any plant material that it comes into contact with.

    The information said that nothing can be grown in the soil for at least six months afterwards such is the potency of the stuff.

    I hope I am wrong as the information I read was when we first got our allotment plots 28 years ago.

    Horsetail roots can go down to a great depth over 40ft in some places and it is murder to erradicate.One of the old boys on our allotments had it all over his land so he grass seeded it and when it was long enough he put a load of lambs on the land.Within a few years of then nibbling the horsetail had all gone.

    Good Luck and I do hope that you suceed in eradicating it...

    Just got off the phone with a friend who says you can't grow anything on the ground for 5 years :eek: In my case it is ( or used to be ) a gravel drive so I wouldn't be growing on it anyway. I was very careful but I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. I am amazed that horsetail roots can go down 40ft - I don't disbelieve you - it just seems increadible :eek:
  • Horace
    Horace Posts: 14,426 Forumite
    Roundup usually works along with lots of digging, don't pull it because it just splits.
  • Somerset
    Somerset Posts: 3,633
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    Well I said I'd update. The horsetail is dying where it was sprayed with sodium chlorade. It's gone brown. Nothing else ( the adjoining stuff ) appears to be affected so still keeping fingers crossed.

    I'll not do it yet, I'll give it another week, but do people know if it's ok to pull it up and dispose of it later? It's very unsightly, but I'm mindful of what someone said in an earlier post about not pulling it because it splits and grows again, but if it's dead will it still split and grow again ?
  • Mojisola
    Mojisola Posts: 35,551
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    Somerset wrote: »
    In my case it is (or used to be) a gravel drive so I wouldn't be growing on it anyway.

    The problem is that the chemical can "creep" sideways through the soil so I hope you don't have any favourite plants alongside the drive.
  • I have been struggling with horsetail/marestail for years. I recently heard about a product called Kibosh available on the internet and it works.

    7 days after spraying the horsetail is black and very dead. There has been no regrowth since I sprayed about 3 weeks ago. There are videos on youtube about this The product is expensive but is diluted down to make enough to last the average gardener several lifetimes.

    You can also replant the area sprayed as soon as the spray has dried.

    I have no links whatsoever with the makers of this product but from reading the previous thread posts I can see people are as desperate as I was to get rid of it. I hope this information helps
  • Try this - mix Glyphosate 360 at 30ml per litre plus Weedol 2 at 20g per litre then spray the horses tail in the warmest possible conditions - a good dry warm sunny day. As soon as the spray is dry repeat on the same day in the same conditions three times - each time waiting till the previous spraying is dry.

    Repeat on Day two - then sit back and watch.

    cheers

    B
    :beer:
  • Scotsbride
    Scotsbride Posts: 960 Forumite
    Somerset wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    I'll try the scrunching & roundup this time. We're got a mess of it on a big stretch of gravel drive. It's spread from there to the lawn, which at least gets mowed so though it's there you can't see it. It's also travelled to inside the greenhouse. Over the last two years, I've pulled it up - but it takes time and it's spreading/getting worse. There must be something I can spray on eg gravel stretches ??? mustn't there ??

    Have you tried using a flame gun to burn the leaves in the gravel areas also there are stronger chemicals available for gravel area (can't remember names)that will kill a lot of things but also stay in the soil for up to six months.
    :kisses3: Married 29th September 2012:love:
  • This is a dreadful weed to eradicate. The more you pull it out the more it grows back! AT LASTthough I've found a weed killer that actually works - LORAM from Progreen Weed Control Solutions Ltd of Bourne, Lincs. Apply to the growth - wait 7 to 20 days and it will go brown, die down and disappear totally. FABULOUS result if you've had this problem for years. N.B> be warned it kills all weeds etc except grass.
  • Should add it's very expensive - £85 for a bottle. But it's cheap in reality as I was about to get a JCB in to dig everything out and start again
  • Leif
    Leif Posts: 3,727 Forumite
    Spammy pinky meaty smelly spam spam spam. Reported.
    Warning: This forum may contain nuts.
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