Here's the recipe for horsetail purin, copied from a post I previously made in a thread about mildew control:
Here in France they use a purin made from soaking horse tail/mare's tail weed in water for 2 weeks. Strain, dilute and spray. Harmless to insects and can be used as a cure as well as to prevent mildew, peach leaf curl, black spot on roses, tomato blight....
1kilo fresh horsetail, bashed and bruised 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.
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)."
Horsetail is a nightmare in the garden, the lower roots are like fine cotton threads and can go down 6ft plus. Every single piece of stem will grow if left near soil. It likes damp soil and some shade. Regular beheading, weedkillering and digging out are the only way to get on top of it.
I am tending a garden for an elderly relative who allowed the horsetail to really take over; it's so bad, one would think he was cultivating a horestail farm! Luckily it hasn't invaded the neighbour's garden as he keeps mowing. Nevertheless there are stands of horsetail growing through the tarmac.
So far, we have tried the chemical methods mentioned in the forum but that hasn't been consistent. It's rare to get good weather for weedkilling (windy or rainy a lot of the time).
I was wondering if any of the following could work as part of a multi-pronged attack on horsetail. I would start this in the winter to next Spring (after some chemical methods and "klarping" this year. 1) Digging up surface rhizomes this winter and then laying turf over that area; followed by regular mowing 2) Planting potatoes for competition and shade (I've heard they can be used for "cleaning the soil") I wouldn't eat the potatoes. 3) Any views on scything or strimming? 4) Can we burn the horestail cuttings in an incinerator?
Any comments welcome!
Covering the ground with tarpaulin on a test patch, kept it down for 2 years but it's growing back. However, that gave me some breathing space to deal with other areas of the plot. I don't want to do that for the whole garden because of damaging the soil. Mulching isn't a great option because it is very windy up here (few trees grow and they are stunted).
There are hundreds of bulbs in the garden too. I was thinking of digging them up and growing them in raised beds to keep some cheer in the garden.
My garden is over 3 acres, and it would be a forest of marestail if left to it's own devices. My approach is to pull it out as soon as I spot it in the borders, and keep everywhere else mowed.
To answer you questions:-
1) Good idea. You won't get it all dug out, but it won't matter as the mowing of your turf will weaken it and keep it manageable. 2) I don't think the spuds would be a good idea. You'd just be providing lovely loose soil for the marestail to romp away. 3) Yes, both would knock it back and weaken it. 4) I think this would be fine, but I've never done it.
Good luck, Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
If coming up through cracks in paving stones and you are a green gardener try pouring boiling water over them as recommended by my elderly neighbour and it worked for me.
Posts
Here in France they use a purin made from soaking horse tail/mare's tail weed in water for 2 weeks. Strain, dilute and spray. Harmless to insects and can be used as a cure as well as to prevent mildew, peach leaf curl, black spot on roses, tomato blight....
1kilo fresh horsetail, bashed and bruised
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.
It likes damp soil and some shade.
Regular beheading, weedkillering and digging out are the only way to get on top of it.
So far, we have tried the chemical methods mentioned in the forum but that hasn't been consistent. It's rare to get good weather for weedkilling (windy or rainy a lot of the time).
I was wondering if any of the following could work as part of a multi-pronged attack on horsetail.
I would start this in the winter to next Spring (after some chemical methods and "klarping" this year.
1) Digging up surface rhizomes this winter and then laying turf over that area; followed by regular mowing
2) Planting potatoes for competition and shade (I've heard they can be used for "cleaning the soil") I wouldn't eat the potatoes.
3) Any views on scything or strimming?
4) Can we burn the horestail cuttings in an incinerator?
Any comments welcome!
Covering the ground with tarpaulin on a test patch, kept it down for 2 years but it's growing back. However, that gave me some breathing space to deal with other areas of the plot. I don't want to do that for the whole garden because of damaging the soil.
Mulching isn't a great option because it is very windy up here (few trees grow and they are stunted).
There are hundreds of bulbs in the garden too. I was thinking of digging them up and growing them in raised beds to keep some cheer in the garden.
My garden is over 3 acres, and it would be a forest of marestail if left to it's own devices.
My approach is to pull it out as soon as I spot it in the borders, and keep everywhere else mowed.
To answer you questions:-
1) Good idea. You won't get it all dug out, but it won't matter as the mowing of your turf will weaken it and keep it manageable.
2) I don't think the spuds would be a good idea. You'd just be providing lovely loose soil for the marestail to romp away.
3) Yes, both would knock it back and weaken it.
4) I think this would be fine, but I've never done it.
Good luck,
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime