horsetail/marestail

[sparrow100]

One of the plots on our site is riddled with it. It was re-let to someone totally new to having an allotment who hasn't kept on top of it and it's spread extensively across a neighbouring plot. Their plot is a mass of waving ferns.

The Committee are considering offering the tenant a vacant plot and hiring a contractor to spray this one with kurtail or something similar.

Has anyone had any good results with this? What would you do?

[Glutton4...]

Difficult one, for me, anyway, as I don't like sprays. We have it in our front flower garden, but it isn't particularly strong or troublesome, so I just dig it out where I can. I can imagine having it on a veg plot would be very disheartening.

[Alison]

I just pull it out whenever I see it as I too have no interest in spraying (and to be honest I'm not that convinced that it would work on something with roots that deep). There are MUCH worse weeds with which I have to contend and if people are being put off by that then they'll probably give up anyway. Personally I find the bind weed, couch grass and brambles on my plot far more of a pain.

[veggiechicken]

We had a plot like that on the allotments. Nobody would take it on so we used to park our cars on it. Seemed to keep it under control by squashing it

[sparrow100]

It's on one of our biggest and most difficult plots at the back of the site. Soggy and heavy clay. Digging out isn't an initial option, though after it's knocked back it would be. I accept that spraying wouldn't eradicate it, but ideally we want to find a way to stop its progress across the entire site - we already have most other things. Leaving it alone is also not really an option because it will then shortly be everywhere.

[lottie dolly]

Our site is 3/4 full of it,a spare plot was sprayed with some industrial strength stuff,we thought yippeee,its gone,but it is back,not as strong,but still exists,

[taff]

Apaprently, excluding it from light is the best way to do it, search for Two Sheds posts about it.

[Glutton4...]

I had a customer whose garden was riddled with it. A very bad case of it, that even came up through the cracks in the paving! She would glyphosate it, but that never worked. It was weakest where it had the most competition.

[Methe]

My plot is infested with it due to previous tenants repeated rotovation. It's rendered it pretty unusuable.

[lyndapet]

if you are willing to spray ,i used kurtail as recommended by a local farmer as my allotment was covered with it. i very rarely see any now . farmers use kurtail to clear potato fields and they can replant after using it.


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[Vince G]

Used kurtail succesfully. It's not cheap, and whilst it never dies off completely anything that comes back is pretty spinldy and can be ripped out. They say, "never let it see a Sunday"

[Alison]

if you are willing to spray ,i used kurtail as recommended by a local farmer as my allotment was covered with it. i very rarely see any now . farmers use kurtail to clear potato fields and they can replant after using it.


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Farmers (and others) will replant straight after applying many things but that doesn't mean that we all want to, or indeed, should.

[Alison]

My plot is infested with it due to previous tenants repeated rotovation. It's rendered it pretty unusuable.

As I mentioned further up, don't let it get to you, it roots very deeply and doesn't compete with your crops like many other weeds. My plot was infested with it too but I just keep pulling it up and it's gradually weakening. Plants also shade it out, when the potatoes get going there isn't much room for it and you can crop extremely well. The problem is different for the OPer as the plot isn't in use but I'd recommend covering rather than weed killer, it's cheaper, easier and less risky.

[sparrow100]

The plot is in use, the marestail/horsetail is crowding out even the potatoes. Given that it is not being dealt with effectively, not even covered, and is now rampant, the C'ttee are reluctantly stepping in. Tbh it shouldn't have been re-let without some remedial work, and at that point covering would have been a good option. None of us spray if we don't have to, but this time we feel that's our option to get it into working order as soon as we can.

[sparrow100]

Thank you for those who let me know what effect spraying had. Much appreciated.