Ive already ordered some kurtail. I'll give it a go, if it fails. At least i know there is something out there that will definitely work. Ammonium sulphate. Thanks for letting me know. M8. Much appreciated
I think I’ve read that before application of herbicide on horse tail you need to rough it up a bit by bashing it with a rake, as horse tail has a coating which works quite well at repelling chemicals. Roughing it up makes it easier for the chemicals to penetrate.
we've got loads of it’s the allotment, but just keeping on top of it is weakening it gradually, can see it coming back thinner and more weedy each time. Yank it out of beds to pull up a chunk of root with it, and mow it on the grass.
Ive already ordered some kurtail. I'll give it a go, if it fails. At least i know there is something out there that will definitely work. Ammonium sulphate. Thanks for letting me know. M8. Much appreciated
Ammonium sulphamate..... sulphate will just give it a mega feed
My name is Cloggie and I have horsetail (also ground elder but that's a different thread). I have recently had my first success in 5 years with this monkey and so will share.
I let it get to a "bashable" size and then bashed it with a rake against a hard surface (portable bit of slab if needed). I bought stuff called Gallup home and garden and mixed as per instructions (it's glyphosate under the label and I detest using it and I respect the horsetail as an ancient being but I just don't want it to be where it is!).
Result shown below. More applications needed but feel like a winner today so hope this helps others dealing with this issue..
Hi, I have horsetail. The entire neighbourhood has it. So here is a little history and then what I do now. When I first identified it I panicked and went around the lawn and sprayed it which left patches on the lawn. So then I got up every morning and painted Roundup with little washing up liquid in it. After say, fours days they would droop and eventually die. That was Summer no. 1. So then Summer 2. I got some Glysophate 360/ltr - lot stronger. Mixed it 20:1 and used that - it worked ok and took a while for the regrowth. I also close cut the grass - which made a mess of the lawn. In the meantime I avidly read all I could. The stories where it was under control required persistence (no use occasionally blitzing it). At least once a week cutting where ever it was in the bed and lawns, Slabs, gravel get sprayed at least once a week. I also planted rye grass after hearing some urban legend about how it suppresses it. Third Summer: cut every day, spray every day. Seemed to be a lot less. Fourth Summer - I go out twice a week and cut and spray - even this year. When it's dry I barely see any. Part 2 coming up ...
Part two ... Next door is an 807 year old man with a big "garden". It's a badly kept lawn that gets close cut every 2-3 weeks so I have been keeping his horsetail in hand. Cutting and spraying on his slabs. To the side and bordering on me he has a wilderness - grass knee high and all sort of weeds and even some plants. So I attend the bordering edge and leave it. His drive way has some 15 shoots coming up which I sprayed - not seen them since. Is it spreading from his wilderness - two shoots so far all Summer. Is it growing at top of his garden - very little - it was dense last year. So - the stuff does not like competition. It does not like shade. It does not like dry conditions. If a new shoot appears and I catch it it doesn't seem to comes back. I spray it when it is in miniature Xmas tree mode. So I am now treating it like any other vigorous weed and so far it seems to be working. It has an occasional attempt at spreading so I immediately cut it. I don't dig or hoe it up - I cut off at ground level. I do it regularly - three times a week - it doesn't take long - 15 min max. Don't let it grow more than two inches I understand for cutting. So far - it is under control. Of course given a wet Summer I might not be so laid back. The lady the other side no longer sprays it but just cuts it. She says it hasn't spread so far. Urban legend: Rye grass suppresses it. Well I planted it and there is not so much horsetail. Who knows? I have heard that marigolds s (Tagetes minuta) suppress it but that's pretty invasive as well and stinks. Keep getting tempted but they are difficult to propagate. Horsetail spores - well I understand they are no so viable as is made out. I just cut them as soon as the fertile ones appear - put a plastic bag over them and cut them. Next bindweed in the neighbours garden (yes I have it all). By the way - if you are going the glysophate route do get the 360 - there is 480 if you want to kill off everything including your pets. Take care to protect your face and hands - any exposed skin. . Don't go breathing it in.
Bindweed. Wait until the trumpets appear. Mix up 360 glysophate at 1:20 in water. Use a hand sprayer and spray the stuff if you can do this with killing everything else off. Otherwise paint it on (both sides) - takes time but it worked for me. Leave for a week - respray/paint and that should be it. Did this next door and haven't seen any this year. I was all set to train it up some canes at the side of his house - but it has not come back. The trick is to leave it and when the trumpets are grown glysophate it - take care to protect your face and hands - any exposed skin. Don't go breathing it in.
In my front garden, one little section had horse tail. I always pulled it up and it came back. Three years ago, I dabbed on some round up which I use on Bind Weed. I hate using weed killer and always look for another way before resorting to it. It came back so I continued with the dab on gel. Last year, no Horse Tail. I was so pleased that it had gone. At the weekend, I noticed one tail poking through between paving slabs.
I have started again with the round up gel. It has obviously been lurking waiting to appear when I thought it had gone 😤
Lady next door used gel - but since her garden is massive it was costing her a fortune. Be good to be able have some homemade gel - but wouldn't know how to make. It's only sort of emulsified glysophate after all.
Posts
we've got loads of it’s the allotment, but just keeping on top of it is weakening it gradually, can see it coming back thinner and more weedy each time. Yank it out of beds to pull up a chunk of root with it, and mow it on the grass.
I let it get to a "bashable" size and then bashed it with a rake against a hard surface (portable bit of slab if needed). I bought stuff called Gallup home and garden and mixed as per instructions (it's glyphosate under the label and I detest using it and I respect the horsetail as an ancient being but I just don't want it to be where it is!).
Result shown below. More applications needed but feel like a winner today so hope this helps others dealing with this issue..
Next door is an 807 year old man with a big "garden". It's a badly kept lawn that gets close cut every 2-3 weeks so I have been keeping his horsetail in hand. Cutting and spraying on his slabs. To the side and bordering on me he has a wilderness - grass knee high and all sort of weeds and even some plants. So I attend the bordering edge and leave it. His drive way has some 15 shoots coming up which I sprayed - not seen them since. Is it spreading from his wilderness - two shoots so far all Summer. Is it growing at top of his garden - very little - it was dense last year. So - the stuff does not like competition. It does not like shade. It does not like dry conditions. If a new shoot appears and I catch it it doesn't seem to comes back. I spray it when it is in miniature Xmas tree mode. So I am now treating it like any other vigorous weed and so far it seems to be working. It has an occasional attempt at spreading so I immediately cut it. I don't dig or hoe it up - I cut off at ground level. I do it regularly - three times a week - it doesn't take long - 15 min max. Don't let it grow more than two inches I understand for cutting. So far - it is under control. Of course given a wet Summer I might not be so laid back. The lady the other side no longer sprays it but just cuts it. She says it hasn't spread so far. Urban legend: Rye grass suppresses it. Well I planted it and there is not so much horsetail. Who knows? I have heard that marigolds s (Tagetes minuta) suppress it but that's pretty invasive as well and stinks. Keep getting tempted but they are difficult to propagate. Horsetail spores - well I understand they are no so viable as is made out. I just cut them as soon as the fertile ones appear - put a plastic bag over them and cut them. Next bindweed in the neighbours garden (yes I have it all). By the way - if you are going the glysophate route do get the 360 - there is 480 if you want to kill off everything including your pets. Take care to protect your face and hands - any exposed skin. . Don't go breathing it in.
In my front garden, one little section had horse tail. I always pulled it up and it came back. Three years ago, I dabbed on some round up which I use on Bind Weed. I hate using weed killer and always look for another way before resorting to it. It came back so I continued with the dab on gel. Last year, no Horse Tail. I was so pleased that it had gone. At the weekend, I noticed one tail poking through between paving slabs.
I have started again with the round up gel. It has obviously been lurking waiting to appear when I thought it had gone 😤