Neudorff v mares tail

zakthecat · May 2020

Good morning everyone
Our small garden is riddled with mares tail (I'm sure I don't need to explain the problem) and have heard that Neudorff can be effective against it. Given that it's pretty expensive I didn't want to rush out and buy some without finding out a bit more and was wondering if anyone has any experience of using it.

Shortly after buying the house we got someone in to do a garden makeover and he dug it out to a certain depth (at that point it was only really affecting one side of the garden), put fresh topsoil down then covered it with a membrane and topped it off with gravel with some planting. Unfortunately it pushes through the membrane and has now spread to affect most of the garden. Obviously it's far more visible on the gravel part and I realise using any kind of weedkiller on the rest of the garden would kill off everything else.

At the moment I'm just pulling it out as it appears but it just snaps off at the membrane. Any advice would be very welcome, although I know I may just have to learn to live with it.
Thanks

young codger · May 2020

I don't have a solution but I understand your frustration.

One thing I didn't know until recently is that it also spreads via spores (which may be how it has affected the other areas of your garden). It is bad enough getting rid of just the roots!

They are very brittle, but being white are very easy to see in the soil.

The link here mentions another chemical, and some tips. It also mentions liming which I did not know.

Let us know what works best for you when you have a go at it.
https://www.progreen.co.uk/content/kill-horsetail-marestail/

micearguers · May 2020

Maybe someone else linked to this in another thread. I found it very informative.

http://www.nodiggardener.co.uk/2015/03/control-of-marestail-and-horsetail.html

Some points/claims; (1) either hacking at it or spraying works, but a combination of both is not a good idea, as spraying works best on a single connected root system.

(2) the spores are probably not so much an issue. Quote: In nature establishment from spores is very slow and takes many years. Think how difficult it is to get fern spores to establish. Think also the number of spores that will float into your garden from elsewhere without establishing.

zakthecat · May 2020

Thanks for your replies
Kurtail Evo gets great reviews, although the only ones I've read so far are on the manufacturer's website - will check more independent ones later as hot sunshine and cold beers are calling to me.

FlyDragon · May 2020

My current method is to patrol as often as possible and pull up the new stalks as they appear and before they go green and open up. I don’t catch them all, but they don’t seem to come back in great numbers. I’m sure they’ll pop up again next spring too but I’ll just keep picking them!

Last year I used glyphosate but it doesn’t take it up very well and they take ages to die making the garden look ugly while they do.

Purplerain · May 2020

@zakthecat I use Kurtail bought from Progreen, but I heard they will only sell it to licensed gardening business now, and not the general public. I stockpiled a few bottles and use it very sparingly. I haven't tried Evo but I will when my stash runs out as it is totally effective but expensive.

What happens is once sprayed the mares tail begins to look unwell and then goes brown and withered. You must leave the tops as the chemical needs time to work down into the roots.

Unfortunately, it will come back year after year, but not to the extent it would do if left untreated. I keep an eye out for it at this time each year and spray, as pulling it out only makes the problem worse as I found out one year I didn't spray.

Just to add, I don't use or agree with chemicals under any other circumstances, but the only other way to be rid of it is to move house.

zakthecat · May 2020

Purplerain - it's moving house that gave us the problem in the first place, we didn't have it before (mind you, we didn't really have a garden before).

KT53 · May 2020

young codger said:

I don't have a solution but I understand your frustration.

One thing I didn't know until recently is that it also spreads via spores (which may be how it has affected the other areas of your garden). It is bad enough getting rid of just the roots!

They are very brittle, but being white are very easy to see in the soil.

The link here mentions another chemical, and some tips. It also mentions liming which I did not know.

Let us know what works best for you when you have a go at it.
https://www.progreen.co.uk/content/kill-horsetail-marestail/

Those white roots are the roots of bindweed. Marestail roots are black and look like thin wire. They are quite brittle and any piece left behind can grow. Constantly pulling out new growth does reduce growth but it takes time and persistence.

Smudgerii · May 2020

Ammonium Sulphamate, the only answer.

search on here for details on how best to use on marestail.

zakthecat · May 2020

Hmmm

It seems from what I've read on here and from following the various links that there's no way I can eradicate it, which is obviously what I want, so I think it's maybe best to learn to live with it. We have a kind of brick step separating the patio from the rest of the garden and I use an electric weed burner to deal with it there as it's horrendous trying to get it out from between the bricks (I also get a kind of malicious satisfaction from seeing it BURN!).

Thank to all and stay safe.

FlyDragon · May 2020

You can’t win the war but you can win lots of little battles each spring and enjoy a marestail free garden, even if you know it’s still lurking below the surface!

Neudorff v mares tail

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