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Unidentified plant

desatkinsondesatkinson Posts: 8
edited May 2020 in Problem solving
Can anyone identify this plant that appears every year in my lawn and between slabs? Any ideas on how to destroy them? 

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,906
    Hello desatkinson, its horsetail. Vitually impossible to get rid of. You have to just keep pulling it up and don't leave any pieces loose as these can sometimes establish and form new colonies. Its an ancient plant that existed during the dinosaur age. I've been 'removing' it from my garden for 38 years.
    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • desatkinsondesatkinson Posts: 8
    Thank you. 
  • mikepeirce1mikepeirce1 Posts: 4
    If the horsetail worries you do some research on Ammonium Sulphamate which I have used to great effect in the past. You can't use it on grass though!
  • desatkinsondesatkinson Posts: 8
    Thank you so much. 
  • The_herpetologistThe_herpetologist Posts: 481
    Good luck with that. it's a nightmare and could de-value your property if left to establish. I regard it as worse than japanese knotweed that has absorbed 7 years of my gardening life getting rid of it.
    My friend at the local gardening society got rid of his by simply vigilantly pulling it up on sight. It eventually gave up the ghost. I've heard of other people covering the affected area with tarp or weed membrane for a few years. You could also treat with glyphosate, but you'd have to damage the plant by crushing it underfoot before applying the glyphosate because horsetail doesn't abosrb very easily as it's tough as old boots.  
  • desatkinsondesatkinson Posts: 8
    Thank you so much for your help in this nightmare situation.  
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    Every time you cook veg or have a bit of boiled water left in the kettle pour the water over your slab gaps, works with most weeds. Our allotment was about 95% marestail and even with a heavy use of black plastic the swines resisted.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Didn't you post this earlier Or were you hoping for better news regarding this! 😊
  • SmudgeriiSmudgerii Posts: 185
    How much do you value the current lawn?

    The only solution is ammonium sulphamate and KG’s of it, but that will kill the lawn and any other plant it touches.

    Mix 1KG in 1ltr of water with some washing up liquid in a pressure sprayer, spray anywhere that Marestail is growing. Wait 2 weeks and spray the whole area again, wait 2 more weeks and spray any new growth.  After that you can ‘spot’ treat and stray bits that show up by making a paste with the above ratios and adding wallpaper paste.

    Nothing should be planted in the area for at least 8 weeks.

    Ammonium sulphamate  breaksdown into ammonium sulphate ( a great fertilizer )
  • desatkinsondesatkinson Posts: 8
    Much appreciated. Thank you. 
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