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Can anyone ID this weed? that I just cannot get rid of!

garybridgergarybridger Posts: 8
in Problem solving
I live in Lyme Regis and we have the same problem as the local gardens. But I cannot find the name of this weed. I gather it is a weed or some subtropical invader. How to get rid of it. I am told it's impossible as the roots go so deep. I was thinking to chop the tops and poor weed killer down the stems.
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's horsetail. Been around since the world started millions of years ago.
    Weedkiller doesn't really work very well, and it certainly wouldn't work if you take the foliage off.
    Constantly hoeing it off is the easiest way to keep it in check, but it's not really possible to eradicate it completely. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    the roots are very deep and the upper parts are full if silica which means they're almost impervious to weed killers unless you crush them thoroughly.  the systemic fertilisers are not strong enough, in my experience, to go down to all th every deep roots and the non systemics just kill the tops but not the roots so it comes back quickly.

    The easiest treatment for ordinary gardeners is to hoe it off as soon as it appears and then gather and dry the stems before they go on a compost heap or in a bin so they can't propagate themselves.   You can make a purin with the stems which makes a good fungicide for dealing with peach leaf curl, black spot, mildew

    1kilo fresh horsetail
    9 litres of water

    Combine the two in a plastic bucket - not metal - and leave for 2 weeks.  Stir occasionally.  It's ready when the water has gone black.  It will smell so you may want a lid.

    Strain the resulting liquid, put the goo on the compost heap and dilute the rest 1 part to 9 parts water and spray.  Not harmful to plants or insects.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2022
    Watch out for the rather strange fruiting growth and gather and bag and bin them before they spread their spores and make matters worse. 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Pair of rubber gloves, woollen gloves over the top, put your hand into systemic weedkiller and pull your hand up the stems from bottom to top. That will bruise the stems and let the weedkiller in. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Good idea @hogweed. I once saw on TV a gardener at Hyde Hall jumping on it before applying weed killer.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Jumping on it would give a certain amount of pleasure too😒
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    it certainly helps crush some of the surface cells for better absorption but, with those deep roots, you'll need several applications to weaken it, let alone eradicate it;

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/horsetail 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Does anything eat the stuff - deer. rabbits, goats?
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    I've got it in my garden, it was here when we moved in nearly 40 years ago.  Having read this thread I went to look for it today but I nearly missed it. It is still there though, just one single strand!
    I think there were two or maybe even three once or twice in the past, but it has never expanded further or produced a fruiting body. I think it may overwhelmed by all the growth around it - it is at the far end of the garden where it morphs into the boggy wilderness - but it's a bit of a curiosity really :)
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    edited June 2022
    Fire said:
    Does anything eat the stuff - deer. rabbits, goats?
    It's toxic to horses, and quite a few other animals including goats, sheep & cows, but I don't think it is to dogs. Not sure about deer or rabbits but it's apparently unpalatable to them. So no, not really. 😄
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