..a soul destroying weed...you can only live with it I think and try not to let it dominate your gardening life...those spore carrying tubes are quite the ugliest...
..one thing it doesn't appear to appreciate is deep shade and competition, therefore extensive ground cover can help... one plant that gives me some respite is Geranium macorrhizum... especially the variety 'Bevans'.... it has really large leaves, is semi evergreen with an indefinite spread, and creates dense shade underneath... and importantly, is in active growth very early before horsetail gets going... it does suppress the weed somewhat, which is forced to circle it mostly, although still some appears in the middle during the summer... but it does help give the gardener a rest, as this Geranium is much like an aggressive weed in itself, but a welcome one... I use it extensively - have to... it's the only ground cover plant I know that offers some relief...
Thanks Salino. My next question was going to be which sort of plant ground covering for competition works best. Now that I've dug out some roots, I might have some time before they come back up.
A few people in other forums swear by 2 inches of manure. My house is going to stink, but after the past three days of root pulling, I want to do anything I can to discourage these things.
So I think the plan now is...dig roots down to the clay. Try to work some gravel into the clay (I have a lot around the garden that I need to get rid of as they have plastic and more roots below them), apply lime, add a layer of gravel. Then manure two weeks later, then topsoil, then turf and some plant ground cover around the sides where I'll try to plant some vegetables.
Other forums have also suggested growing turnips to discourage the roots. I hate turnips. You have to grow them close together though, which means harvesting the greens only. I'll try some sunflowers in front of the sunny fence as they like to pop through right from under the fence. Then lime again this fall. I don't know if it will work or not, but failing that...I don't know.
I just answered this on the other post, so if I post a reply here I will be called a WUM.
Anyway, allegedly the turnip produces an allelopathic substance the rhizomes and roots do not like. The only thing is, they need to be planted thickly. So thick that they probably won't be great for eating because they may not grow bulbous enough. You can harvest the tops though.
I'm going to try it in one part of the garden to see if it works. Just like all of the other options though, it may take up to 3 years.
I was planning on making a pea teepee for my son so the turnips will go well with that I suppose.
For those that do the digging, don't dig in the spring, it invigorates them. Dig in the fall.
Just for info, I live in southern Germany and have horsetail (Schachtelhalm) on my allotment. An older lady, who has the next-door allotment, advised me to just keep pulling them up and make a fertiliser from them (like Monty's nettle fertiliser). It works a treat.
Cover with much dead soil from old pots. Then in a few weeks you can reach through the light soil (1-2 feet?) so easily and pull up handfuls of thin roots. I came across this solution accidentally -obviously. Am going to try using grass cuttings on another site. Will lay this deep but lightly. (Where can you buy dead soil?) Brian
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..a soul destroying weed...you can only live with it I think and try not to let it dominate your gardening life...those spore carrying tubes are quite the ugliest...
..one thing it doesn't appear to appreciate is deep shade and competition, therefore extensive ground cover can help... one plant that gives me some respite is Geranium macorrhizum... especially the variety 'Bevans'.... it has really large leaves, is semi evergreen with an indefinite spread, and creates dense shade underneath... and importantly, is in active growth very early before horsetail gets going... it does suppress the weed somewhat, which is forced to circle it mostly, although still some appears in the middle during the summer... but it does help give the gardener a rest, as this Geranium is much like an aggressive weed in itself, but a welcome one... I use it extensively - have to... it's the only ground cover plant I know that offers some relief...
Thanks Salino. My next question was going to be which sort of plant ground covering for competition works best. Now that I've dug out some roots, I might have some time before they come back up.
no ground covering plant "works best" it's still there. !!!!
A few people in other forums swear by 2 inches of manure. My house is going to stink, but after the past three days of root pulling, I want to do anything I can to discourage these things.
So I think the plan now is...dig roots down to the clay. Try to work some gravel into the clay (I have a lot around the garden that I need to get rid of as they have plastic and more roots below them), apply lime, add a layer of gravel. Then manure two weeks later, then topsoil, then turf and some plant ground cover around the sides where I'll try to plant some vegetables.
Other forums have also suggested growing turnips to discourage the roots. I hate turnips. You have to grow them close together though, which means harvesting the greens only. I'll try some sunflowers in front of the sunny fence as they like to pop through right from under the fence. Then lime again this fall. I don't know if it will work or not, but failing that...I don't know.
No tilling?? EEK! I'm going to have a bumper "crop" of horsetail this year me thinks!
autumn dh , forgive my being stupid, by how does growing turnips have any effect?
I just answered this on the other post, so if I post a reply here I will be called a WUM.
Anyway, allegedly the turnip produces an allelopathic substance the rhizomes and roots do not like. The only thing is, they need to be planted thickly. So thick that they probably won't be great for eating because they may not grow bulbous enough. You can harvest the tops though.
I'm going to try it in one part of the garden to see if it works. Just like all of the other options though, it may take up to 3 years.
I was planning on making a pea teepee for my son so the turnips will go well with that I suppose.
For those that do the digging, don't dig in the spring, it invigorates them. Dig in the fall.
Just for info, I live in southern Germany and have horsetail (Schachtelhalm) on my allotment. An older lady, who has the next-door allotment, advised me to just keep pulling them up and make a fertiliser from them (like Monty's nettle fertiliser). It works a treat.
Cover with much dead soil from old pots. Then in a few weeks you can reach through the light soil (1-2 feet?) so easily and pull up handfuls of thin roots. I came across this solution accidentally -obviously. Am going to try using grass cuttings on another site. Will lay this deep but lightly. (Where can you buy dead soil?) Brian
How many more old threads re you going to dig up Brian?
In the sticks near Peterborough