What is this scary looking thing?

[Valleyman]

I have a bit down at the bottom of the garden that has come over from the wild area next door. I cut the bottom off a two litre pop bottle, and stick into into the soil allowing the shoot to the fill the inside over a few weeks. I then spray in glyphosate and wait. I'm only a year into this experiment to get rid of it... I use the same method on the bindweed.

Currently have about 30 cut off pop bottles on rotation and fingers crossed the problem this spring has been significantly better than last year. There are still bits coming up, but I am hoping within a couple of years it will be under control.

[1Bee]

Our new plot has thistles, docks, nettles, bindweed, dandelions, couch grass, ground elder and, yes, horsetail.

Since we've been digging over the beds to remove everything else, we've been pulling up the horsetail, too. The roots look like muddy baler twine and tend to go straight down deep... if you're pulling up, apply direct, straight-line pressure (don't twist or wrap it round your hand) and if your soil is loose it comes straight up. Quite satisfying, really...

But we'll keep hoeing off and disposing of it.

[bitShifter_]

I have it on my plot, it has spread across about half the allotment site in the last 10 years. It doesnt seem to hinder much but if you let it get out of control it competes for space and light around the vegetables. Dont try and dig it out, you will be wasting your time! The bloke two allotments along from me dug his whole allotment up down to sub soil and sieved all of it, a mammoth backbreaking task. It actually made the mares tail grow better as every piece broken off which he missed rooted.
To keep it under control I just pull the spears up ( or hoe them off) and dispose of them, either leaving them on the ground to die or bagging them up to take to the home to put in the bin. Dont compost them!
Hope this helps, I still manage to get decent veg and fruit with this on my plot.

Thanks Alicante, this seems to agree with everything I've read about it. Encouraging to know your plot goes well around it

It is truly fantastic stuff. A remnant from the age of the dinosaurs, you could try loving it! We have little patches of it which we actively protect from the sheep.

This brings me to the serious point, it does not like being constantly cut and removed. I've always been told and found that whatever you do, you should not leave any bits of stem lying around, each bit is capable of rooting and forming a new plant but Alicante's experience doesn't seem to match that.

It really is I know what you mean, fascinating stuff. Yeah I did wonder about what to do with the spear cuttings. I might just bin them like someone else suggested but it doesn't seem very eco friendly. I wonder if you could drown them.

I have a bit down at the bottom of the garden that has come over from the wild area next door. I cut the bottom off a two litre pop bottle, and stick into into the soil allowing the shoot to the fill the inside over a few weeks. I then spray in glyphosate and wait. I'm only a year into this experiment to get rid of it... I use the same method on the bindweed.

Currently have about 30 cut off pop bottles on rotation and fingers crossed the problem this spring has been significantly better than last year. There are still bits coming up, but I am hoping within a couple of years it will be under control.

Fascinating experiment, did you just come up with this method on your own? I'd love to know how it goes