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What is this strange thing growing out of my lawn?

andrew666eurCJRwWJ8nandrew666eurCJRwWJ8n Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Please can someone identify this growth in our lawn? It seems to get worse every year. Is there any treatment (preferably organic) to get rid of it?

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited April 2022
    It's the fruiting body of horsetail. 
    Make sure you remove those before they get going, but unfortunately, horsetail in general is almost impossible to eradicate. 
    If you give the lawn a general weed and feed treatment, then keep mowing on a regular basis - never too short, it'll help a bit. 

    There's a lot of moss and other stuff in there, so you'd need to remove as much thatch as possible once you've treated it. That'll help the grass thrive a bit better. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Marestail is a nightmare to get rid of because its roots go so deep. They look like threads of fine black cotton and can be over 8ft long. 
    Burn the flower heads and any roots you remove. 
    Only constant weedkilling and deheading will reduce it, unfortunately it is almost impossible to eradicate completely.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    A weed and feed product would kill the nice daisies and possibly other wild flowers in the lawn that are good for pollinator insects that are under pressure due to more intensive agriculture practices and habitat loss due to urbanisation. Such a product is also unlikely to kill the mare's tail that is known to be resistant to most weed control chemicals. Simple mowing should keep the mare's tail under some level of control by weakening it and allowing it less energy to spread.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    My garden was full of it when we arrived but it doesn't compete well with other plants so it's gradually died off on its own. It crops up here and there now but it's a nice looking plant so I leave it be.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • lizzie02lizzie02 Posts: 10
    Not organic but when needs must .........https://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-control/horsetail-marestail-control/     A good company for other products too.
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