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Alternatives to glyphosate for horses tail in the allotment

thrxvsthrxvs Posts: 32
in Plants
Hi all. We have recently acquired a second allotment and unfortunately have discovered that as well as the usual bunch of difficult perennial weeds we have horses tail, in probably around a 6 m x 6 m patch although thankfully it seems to be self contained only in our plot.

Having read some of the advice in this: http://www.nodiggardener.co.uk/2015/03/control-of-marestail-and-horsetail.html  we are going to try various things to get on top of this. We have 5 beds in the affected area.
1 bed is quite badly affected so we have covered with heavy carpet and will do nothing with it.
2 beds we have deep dug over the last couple of weeks and have systematically removed every trace of root, although we have seen more root heading further down than the ~3-4 feet already dug so we know it will come back here but hopefully can be controlled going forward.
2 beds are also badly affected having been covered with black plastic sheeting which upon lifting is a sea of horsetail shoots. On these 2 beds we would like to try glyphosate but as organic nature friendly gardeners we are quite concerned about the risks and implications to wildlife and us of doing this especially as these beds will be used to grow and eat veg from next season onwards...
So I guess the question is simple, bearing mind how difficult horses tail is difficult to remove, is there any credible alternative to glyphosate that is more nature friendly?




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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    The roots go down several metres and each broken bit will make a new plant.   I had this in my Belgian garden and ended up just pulling it up and hoeing it off depending on where it was growing.  It's especially important t do this before it makes and sheds its spores and it will, eventually, weaken.

    The good news is that you can save all the stems and soak them in a bucket with a lid - cos of the smell - and the resultant "tea" can be diluted and used as a fungicide.  It's sold commercially here.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    My daughter's garden is also rife with this pernicious weed. She is not a gardener, so I do it for her. I have tried everything to try and get rid of it, but the only solution I have found is to keep digging it out with a long pointed trowel, taking care not to snap the roots. It even grows through concrete.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Sorry, but nothing works.
    You just have to learn to live with it.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Just one thing, there's a lot of silica in this stuff which makes it more or less impervious to chemicals so, if you do decide to use a weedkiller, make sure you bend and crunch and crush the stems thoroughly first to make them more absorbent and add a drop of washing up liquid to the mix to help it stick better when you spray or, better still, wear long rubber gloves and use your hands to rub it into the stems.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    I believe that, due to the silica content, our ancestors used horsetail for scouring pots and pans.  Tie it in bunches and offer it to a trendy shop as plastic-free pot scourers. ;)
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Last year I killed it with glyphosate, it did die back but it was really ugly while it did. 

    This year I’m on a mission and as soon as a stem pops it’s ugly little head up I’m snapping it up before it can do it’s thing. 

    I’m hoping if I keep doing that it might give up in a decade or two.  This stuff’s been around since the dinosaurs, it’s stubborn. 
  • jamesholtjamesholt Posts: 593
    I have a similar weed I am trying a combination of cardboard covered in bark mulch.  What comes through I spray with glyophosphate.  I am also actively pulling up as much as I can.  I don't like using the chemical since it also kills my plants.  I haven't tried a weed torch?
  • Mr. Vine EyeMr. Vine Eye Posts: 2,394
    We’ve got an entire plot covered in it! It was like a mare’s tail meadow til we cleared it.

    I hate chemicals too, no sprays here not a chance!

    There is no simple way to get rid. Just have to try and keep on top of it so it can’t overwhelm your other plants. 

    Remove as much as you can whenever it pops up. Amend the soil, think I read one where that they prefer poor soil, so improving the fertility and mulching etc are good. Grow vigorous plants in those areas to compete with it - if you keep on top of weeding then it will over a number of seasons weaken. If it’s coming up through grass paths then just mowing will help keep on top of it.

    Remove the dark tipped spore producing shoots in spring. We’ve just started seeing those.


    Best advice: Keep a positive attitude towards it - Don’t stress about it - just existing on your plot does not in itself make it bad. Just think of it like any other weed. The mares tail stems are packed full of nutrients so they’re great broken down - it’s not all bad!

    Over time you’ll find it less of a problem. 
    East Yorkshire
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I've had it in my garden for 10 years or more now. No point in spraying here because it crept back in from next door who never gardened. The good news is though that it doesn't really do any harm, it's easy to remove by hand where it pops up and it makes a useful addition to the compost heap. If it wasn't so invasive people would grow it as an ornamental I imagine.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • AstroAstro Posts: 433
    I have it in garden and allotment and think it's no big deal. Hoe it or pull it if it's in the way. To my thinking it's vastly overrated as a nuisance.
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