Clearing a plot of horsetail... Chemical warfare.

[Methe]

I took over my first half plot in November and immediately saw there was horsetail on it.. I didn't think it was that much of an issue as I've got it in my garden and it's manageable. Then I was told the person who had it before me had repeatedly rotovated it every year for a couple of years.. Worrying.

I dug it over the winter and cleared a ton of roots.. As far as I could see I'd taken out the majority of the weeds and started planting in the spring, I've got potatoes in and parsnips, raspberries, strawberries beans, loads of leeks and onions, various brassicas etcetera..


However, the horsetail infestation is really bad. It's coming up like grass.. Several fronds per square cm over the whole half plot and I just can't keep it looking reasonable. It's is so disheartening, ugly, frustrating and an absolute waste of my time keep trying to weed it out. Goodness knows how bad it would have been had I not dug out 17 million bin bags of roots

I took over the other half plot on April and there's horsetail on it but a normal amount. I can live with it

So.. I'm think of taking everything out the first half in the autumn just as it's dying back and using weed killer on the whole thing.. Possibly kurtail but probably AS. And then leave the plot over winter, see what comes up and do it again if required.

Has anyone tried this approach? I'm prepared to sacrifice the half for several months but only if it's going to work.

[Raybon]

Sorry about your disheartening experience.
For myself, because it's so bad, I would glysophate the whole lot as you suggest, then in Spring spot-spray until you see a vast reduction.
A fellow allotmenteer has done this to very good effect, and it's SUPPOSED to be safe to plant stuff in a very short time!
I might grow flowers on it rather than edibles to begin with......good luck!

[Methe]

I've tried glyphosate but the area is so huge it doesn't touch it. One of my neighbours suggested mixing glyphosate with wallpaper paste and putting it on with a paint roller ... Might be worth a go.

[bearded bloke]

The RHS says .... Horsetail/RHS Gardening

[snakeshack]

I have been trying for over 5 years ,only constant pulling seems to weaken it,glyco either on its own or mixed with paste/detergent has little effect unless the stems and foliage are damaged first,usually by stamping or thrashing with a rake (this is a great way to rid yourself of horsetail frustration)as the waxy coating makes it virtually immune.
I still see no end in sight but pulling or hoeing whenever it shows through does reduce the shoots eventually.be aware though if your neighbour has it ,it will reinvade by creeping stems any way.
Personally I have given up on the chemical route as I can't afford to buy a tanker of roundup and don't think constant chemical intevention of any type is good for the soil especially as I will be eating the produce

[Alison]

Don't forget that it doesn't actually affect your crops that much as the roots are so deep it doesn't compete and doesn't throttle things like bind weed does. I've always gone for the pull it out technique and don't believe that chemical warfare is a viable option from an environmental or practical point of view.

[Knight of Albion]

Horsetail is one of the planet's oldest surviving plants. And for a reason.

As for using chemicals, I would question the wisdom of that if you are planning to grow fruit and vegetables on the land.
Bear in mind, horsetail has a deep rooting system, you'd have to use substantial amounts of weedkiller and even then I doubt you'd get down deep enough, so it would just keep coming back.

Your wisest course of action, as has already been suggested, is to keep pulling it up as and when it appears. Using a long trowel to lever up as much of the root as you can, if this is practical to do so at the time.

[Knight of Albion]

Don't forget that it doesn't actually affect your crops that much as the roots are so deep it doesn't compete and doesn't throttle things like bind weed does. I've always gone for the pull it out technique and don't believe that chemical warfare is a viable option from an environmental or practical point of view.

An excellent post.

[BertieFox]

I'd much prefer the horsetail to repeated applications of glyphosate, which is NOT the safe chemical that Monsanto would have you to believe. Not only does it harm thousands of invertebrates and other soil life, but is very dangerous anywhere near a water course. It DOES persist in the soil despite the claims and Monsanto themselves mention quite a few crops which should not be sown within several weeks of applications. Why is horsetail such a big deal? Here it just grows between the plants, we pull it out when it gets too tall, and then it is weed free again for several weeks. The more you chop this stuff up, the more it comes back. I even covered one patch of garden for two years with black polythene, and although it disappeared on the surface, it was back in full strength a few months after removing the polythene. Don't waste you time trying to eliminate it but develop strategies to live with it.

[BertieFox]

An excellent post.

I'd endorse what you both say 100%!

[Greenleaves]

Please be careful if you use a spray application. Conditions need to be perfect or your neighbors like me will have their crops affected as happened top me over the weekend.

I would just stick to pulling it out, if its not affecting your crops and only visually displeasing it is a rather drastic step to take....remember you will be eating the crops grown on that soil.

[Methe]

Why is horsetail such a big deal?

it's not in normal amounts. Every plot on my site has it to some extent and it's manageable as long as it hasn't been rotovated, Which my plot was multiple times. It is a forest of horsetail.

If I pulled every one out I would have no time for anything else

If I pulled everyone out by the root I would have even more bags of waste I can't compost to dispose of.

If I pull everyone off without the root 4 more pop up in its place.

I have no desire to scour my pans with it

I don't want to brew my own fungicide

I am not a dinosaur

Lots and lots of different reasons.