IN THIS GUIDE
Horsetail is an invasive sens that can cause a portion of damage and hoo-ha in British garden .
Although it ’s not an untempting plant , horsetail has fast - growing hole-and-corner stems which countenance it spread out quickly and take deep hold , ready it difficult to keep under controller .
We ’ve written this guide for people facing a horsetail infestation .
Our Leslie Townes Hope is that the information here will help you to get things under control again !
What Is Horsetail?
Firstly , it ’s important to know that while horsetail and mare ’s tail are often used interchangeably , they ’re actually two distinct plants .
Horsetail is native to arctic area and function of the northern hemisphere .
It ’s actually considered a “ life fossil ” given that its congeneric are estimate to have lodge in the Earth around 350 million days ago!1Nice , G. , & Sikkema , P. ( 2007 , May 24).The Ancient Horsetail . Purdue University . Retrieved March 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ws/ws-29-w.pdf
An illustration of the distinctive horsetail types
This recurrent weed form dense clusters of dark greenish foliage that can take resource and food from other plant life , causing harm .
One of the principal reason the plant is so hard to insure is that the roots ( or rhizomes ) can penetrate up to two meter below the priming coat ! Far out of reach of most herbicide .
The works regurgitate through its rhizome web or through spore , both of which make it tricky to control.2Distribution and biology of horsetail in the UK . ( n.d . ) . AHDB . retrieve March 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/distribution-and-biology-of-horsetail-in-the-uk
When you ’re carry on with a flora that can reproduce through section of antecedent that have been trim down , it becomes more difficult to remove the plant entirely from your garden .
Why Is Horsetail Problematic?
To be considered a weed , a industrial plant must be unwanted , hard to keep at Laurus nobilis , and in contest with desired flora for the imagination and nutrition available in your garden .
Horsetail ticks all of these box seat with vigour .
Once established in your garden , horsetail has a tendency to crowd out other plants .
Then , even when you cut it back or attempt to uproot it , there are rhizome waiting late underground , far out of reach , ready to set up their heads once again.3Burrill , L. , & Parker , R. ( 1994 , July).Field Horsetail and Related Species . Maine : Gov. Retrieved March 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/gotpests/weeds/factsheets/horsetail-nw.pdf
Not only that : Because this plant burrows so cryptical , it ’s able to propagate between garden far underground , beneath even the deep of fences .
In short , there ’s good reason that horsetail is hump as one of the most terrible widow’s weeds we face in the UK !
How To Identify Horsetail
The first step in controlling and killing horsetail is making certain that you’reactually dealingwith horsetail :
How To Control Horsetail
If you ’re unfortunate enough to have a horsetail infestation , you have a few choice .
take note that some UK council have reporting programme in place to monitor the presence and bed cover of horsetail in the local area .
If you know in a shoes whose council collects this entropy , verify to let them know.4Report a Horsetail weed problem . ( n.d . ) . Preston City Council . Retrieved March 17 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.preston.gov.uk/article/2250/Report-a-Horsetail-weed-problem
They may even be able-bodied to provide information or help with controlling the spread .
1) Removing Shoots
The enticement when you see horsetail popping through the ground may be to turn out it back .
render to resist this , if possible . Because of the inscrutable underground rootstock meshing , cut back at ground level can stimulate more damage than good , as cut segments canregrowinto more weed , effectively combine the problem .
The Royal Horticultural Society ( RHS ) note that over a time period of many years , trimming back aerofoil - stage horsetail may lower the severity of an infestation .
However it ’s not ideal as a solution in the short or long - terminal figure .
2) Mulch The Area
Regular mulching is connect with reduced levels of horsetail , although as with remove shoot , this must be done on a long - condition footing to deliver optimum benefits .
3) Mow Any Horsetail In Your Lawn
If you see horsetail coming through your lawn and you have n’t yet arranged a method acting to remove it completely , you could prevent it from develop too large by mowing on a regular basis .
This is by all odds a measuring rod design to control , rather than get rid of horsetail , though .
4) Digging Up As Much As Possible
While you ’ll never withdraw an intact flora once it ’s fully established , you may countermine growth by repeatedly digging up as much as you may hand .
The damaged underground ancestor will most likely sprout again and start back up , puddle this somethinglike a game of whack - a - mole , but you may be capable to restrict the bad of the growth .
“ Removing shoots , mulching , mowing and dig up are all methods that will reduce horsetail over time , ” deal Colin Skelly , a Master Horticulturist .
An illustration of the distinctive horsetail types
“ In my experience , turning over a horsetail - infested area to grass and mowing provides the good control as it regularly removes the foliage , weakening the plant to the decimal point of elimination over time . ”
5) Consider The Use Of Weed Killer
Horsetail will respond to treatment with weed killer , but the deep rhizomes may cause trouble still more .
Unlike some weeds which can be eradicated in one year through the correct coating of weed killer , horsetail may demand a prolonged campaign span several years .
Each sequential handling is likely to further weaken the rootstock net , with the accumulative damage hopefully offsetting any recovery the works is able-bodied to achievebetweentreatments .
Here are some things to bear in mind when using weed killers to control horsetail –
Horsetail FAQs
With such a fearsome reputation , there are a lot of questions and a lot of misinformation around horsetail .
In this section we ’ll address a duo of these questions , to make certain you ’re working with the very best information .
No , vinegar can not kill horsetail .
This is quite perhaps an honest-to-goodness wives narrative , but woefully it ’s not one of the ones that guard truth .
Horsetail is so huge and sprawling that the mild sourness of acetum is nowhere near enough to do the level of harm require to kill the plant life .
While it ’s theoretically potential to stab up horsetail , the amount of employment require almost sure return this option inapplicable .
The rootstock of the plant spread out far and wide underground , up to depths of around two time , have in mind that you ’d have to dig up an tremendous amount of grunge to get anywhere close .
And that ’s not taking into accountoutwardgrowth – potentially reaching into other garden , under social system , and so on .
Unless you ’re planning to dig your entire garden and start again from clams , we really do n’t recommend debate this option .
Although trimming horsetail back wo n’t do anything about the clandestine part of the job , the technique can be used to keep the plant in check .
Horsetail grows fairly quickly so you may find yourself doing this quite often , but it ’s a good way to protect against unruly horsetail above the reason .
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