Thanks for all your input. The more I read about this species the more frightening it becomes.
My next question relates to having the council do something about it.
You see, I completely overhauled the garden over the past year with the aim of making it a low maintenance garden for my disabled mother to enjoy.
The entire garden was excavated down 6-8 inches. MOT sub-base and sharp sand laid down. I installed a decking, raised beds, artificial turf and Indian stone patio - so there is no living plants in the entire garden now until the raised beds are filled with soil.
The infestation has come from an alleyway adjacent to my garden, which has not been maintained at all for a year at least by the council. The horsetail has been allowed to grow and spread into the garden. It is now encroaching the area of my new raised bed.
My frustration lies in that I have spent over £10,000 on doing up the garden. I don't now want horsetails sprouting up everywhere. And you'll know from the work done that digging them is not an option.
Is there any action I can take against the council for the negligence not maintaining the alleyway / have them eradicate the infestation? I am not sure if there is legislation for this sort of thing.
I doubt it @abdul.kashem as it isn't technically a dangerous plant. Horsetail has been in existence since the dawn of time. It grows for long distances underground, and isn't bothered by different soils or conditions, as you've found. It can invade ponds and watercourses too. Your only solution is to keep it hoed regularly. Weedkiller isn't very effective, although if the foliage is crushed before application, it can sometimes work a little. It's not an instant method anyway, because you'd have to keep doing it.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
From what I've read, vinegar as a weedkiller is a bad idea - it only kills the top growth, and as @punkdoc says, kills invertebrates too. There's a specific weedkiller used by councils (but available to the public, I think) for horsetail. It's a combination of glyphosate and 2,4D and is called Kurtail. I've seen it advertised on the Internet but never used it myself so can't comment on its efficacy, but I reckon in your situation, @abdul.kashem, it would be worth a go since you have no other plants in your garden. I guess it would take more than one application though.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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My next question relates to having the council do something about it.
You see, I completely overhauled the garden over the past year with the aim of making it a low maintenance garden for my disabled mother to enjoy.
The entire garden was excavated down 6-8 inches. MOT sub-base and sharp sand laid down. I installed a decking, raised beds, artificial turf and Indian stone patio - so there is no living plants in the entire garden now until the raised beds are filled with soil.
The infestation has come from an alleyway adjacent to my garden, which has not been maintained at all for a year at least by the council. The horsetail has been allowed to grow and spread into the garden. It is now encroaching the area of my new raised bed.
My frustration lies in that I have spent over £10,000 on doing up the garden. I don't now want horsetails sprouting up everywhere. And you'll know from the work done that digging them is not an option.
Is there any action I can take against the council for the negligence not maintaining the alleyway / have them eradicate the infestation? I am not sure if there is legislation for this sort of thing.
Kash
Your only solution is to keep it hoed regularly. Weedkiller isn't very effective, although if the foliage is crushed before application, it can sometimes work a little. It's not an instant method anyway, because you'd have to keep doing it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...