Mystery weed?

[PlotOfMine]

Hello!

Just been out to the lottie for a check on my poor little broad beans, and they're still alive! Wahoo!

When I was having a bit of a look around the plot, planning what to do next, I spotted this in the overgrown strawberry bed. Anyone know what it is?



Thanks!

Jen




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[Two_Sheds]

It's a horsetail sporing everywhere

[PlotOfMine]

That's what I thought it might be, I was hoping it might be something less horrific though.

I've seen it on lots of plots on our site. everyone else on the site just doesn't seem bothered by it.


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[mothhawk]

That's what I thought it might be, I was hoping it might be something less horrific though.

I've seen it on lots of plots on our site. everyone else on the site just doesn't seem bothered by it.

You know what they say POM, "What can't be cured must be endured". Look on the bright side and try and make good use of the silica it contains

[Methe]

I've got it all over my plot too. The person before me rotovated it every couple of months for 2 years. I've got HT coming up every inch or so over the half of the plot I haven't dug.. I've removed 15 black bags of HT roots from the half that I have I'm thinking about laying the worst but to grass and mowing it off. It is such in infestation I don't think it is beat-able. Annoying isn't it!

[rustylady]

Just keep pulling it up or hoeing it off. Pointless trying to dig the roots out, they go down for miles.

[mothhawk]

I believe it prefers an acid soil, so applying a good top dressing of lime might slow it down a bit.

[PlotOfMine]

Mothhawk, thanks very much for the tips - hadn't thought about ph in terms of weeds! Rustylady, I think i may need to sharper my hoe...

Methe, congrats on getting so much out! I've considered mowing it all too, but I don't think I could compost the clippings in case the chopped up MT started propagating in the compost heap..




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[snakeshack]

Makes quite a good brew like comfrey tea . Mowing doesn't stop it,even after covering for two years with totally light proof tarpaulin it still survives, most weed killers don't touch it as it has a waxy coating which repels liquid & if you use a weed wand to burn it it just comes back. It roots over 5ft deep so you can't dig it out.this plant was around before the dinosaurs and giant versions of it are what made coal.
I just hoe off /pull out and drown in the comfrey feed barrel.
This time of year on our site we refer to it as "park view asparagus"


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[Two_Sheds]

.this plant was around before the dinosaurs

Indeed, and that tells us how tenacious it is. However, it doesn't compete well for light (being very slender & spindly), so grow taller plants next to it, really pack them in like we did, (before and after) and it'll be manageable

Pull out all the fruiting (sporing) bits though