So far so good,even the mares tail around the neighbouring fences have succumbed to just plain resolva 24, but I will certainly be keeping an eye for any new growth, I expect it to show its ugly head again sometime, but a few sprays should do the trick, let's hope we all win the mares tail fight with the shared solutions, good luck all
The Kurtails I used seemed to kill them but after several weeks when the tops had burnt off I dug up a few roots- like balck boot laces- thick and crisp to the snap- the inner was green. and when i left ehm in the council garden wheelie bin saw they wer starting to sprout - so thought I better burn.
Alf dig up a few roots and check if they are dead or if they make a crisp snap and green inside.........nightmare tails whether mares or horse!
Mine are just startign to sprout now about 0.5 in to an inch apart een though this year they are competing with gras dandys, thistle, bombsite weeds etc.
I guess the only way to kill this weed is to dig down to the black roots , spray with a 6 month residual weedkiller , then back fill and forget the plot for a year. - pretty extreme , but other than that, move to another site.
P.S. I have a customer in my shop who works as a self employed contractor for a certain council - he uses very strong residual weedkillers ( I could get the names but they are probably only available for commercial contractors). He has offered to 'do my plot' . Naturally , I said no way!
I'm ready to try roundup again on the bindweed. I started to grow some up canes but it's growing up the fence now. Must have dug out miles of roots.
Nightmares tail doesn't seem as bad on my plot as on the neighbouring one's but I've been digging out those roots too, the one's missed seem to die if exposed on top of the soil. It's never far below the surface though.
Than for all the advice, I am using all mixtures of what has been advised, but so far the quickest way I have found, is cut the tops off, bag or bin the tops ready to burn, then spray or dab the exposed bit with neat vinegar, its as if it dies before your eyes, , at the weekend I will dig down and look at whatever maybe left of the roots, I would like to this k it will never come back, but I reckon a few rounds with the darned stuff will be needed, I think its great we try and help each other with this unwanted weed.
Our garden looked just like the photo above, only it was sprouting through a rock border on the side and they completely covered the lawn. Our garden left from the previous home owner was just grass (but really nothing but horsetail) and rocks. We lifted up the plastic under the rocks and the roots came right up to the top. It looked like black spaghetti. Everywhere I look now, I see horsetails. They seem to be on everyone's property here.
After pulling up every single female in march, and digging out the entire lawn, I've put lime down. I'm going to plant turnips very thickly in one area as I've heard the roots don't grow through them. I might as well test, but I have not found any proof about the turnip rumour. They say and allelopathic substance produced by the turnip inhibits the rhizomes, but they have to be planted for 3 years or so, and so thickly that you can really only harvest the tops because the bottoms don't get bulbous enough.
I applied 20 percent vinegar to them last September and they have come back a bit more spindly. Still waiting to see what happens. Currently working on filling holes with rocks to improve drainage. Also, still waiting for the other half to get my manure out there so we can get a topsoil and lawn in there again. Not seeing any new growth where the lime has been applied, but that is probably because it has a bit of growing to do before coming back up after being taken out with the turf.
I can't imagine trying to stomp on every horsetail before spraying it with something that says I'd have to spray again and again. Especially since there are so many. I don't think the vinegar did anything to the roots really.
I received a notification that a "David" sent me a message, but there is no message in my box so hat tip to the mods.
I think correcting an American for using the "z" instead of an "s" is ridiculous as it is perfectly good English. Especially since American English is closer to Shakespeare's than your English English. Also, I do not go around correcting everyone's grammar, especially when they are posting at all hours of the night like myself. I'm nursing a newborn and typing with one hand, so if I only had a few mistakes, I'm quite happy with that.
Again though, I'm surprised by how rude the regulars are around here.
Seems to be going OK at the present time, but I will keep up the war on this stuff, but I am favouring a mix of resolva and white vinegar, as we all know the weeks and months ahead will show what has worked or what has not, and like you say Autumn how surprising anyone could bother themselves correcting someone's grammar, surely we are all on here for the same reason rid ourselves of that rotten weed,
Think there might be a culture clash going on here - Autumn, some of your earlier posts were perceived as being rude and arrogant; totally dismissive of other people's long years of experience and offers of advice. I'm sure that was not your intention but it's the way it came across.
To quote a phrase with multiple attributions, "England and the USA are two nations divided by a common language" - to add to that I would highlight that the social graces in each country have developed quite differently, to the extent that members of the USAF were given lessons in English manners when newly stationed over here in the past.
This is a friendly forum and hopefully it will remain so.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
Thanks for all the responses, keep them coming.
The Kurtails I used seemed to kill them but after several weeks when the tops had burnt off I dug up a few roots- like balck boot laces- thick and crisp to the snap- the inner was green. and when i left ehm in the council garden wheelie bin saw they wer starting to sprout - so thought I better burn.
Alf dig up a few roots and check if they are dead or if they make a crisp snap and green inside.........nightmare tails whether mares or horse!
Mine are just startign to sprout now about 0.5 in to an inch apart een though this year they are competing with gras dandys, thistle, bombsite weeds etc.
I guess the only way to kill this weed is to dig down to the black roots , spray with a 6 month residual weedkiller , then back fill and forget the plot for a year. - pretty extreme , but other than that, move to another site.
P.S. I have a customer in my shop who works as a self employed contractor for a certain council - he uses very strong residual weedkillers ( I could get the names but they are probably only available for commercial contractors). He has offered to 'do my plot' . Naturally , I said no way!
I'm ready to try roundup again on the bindweed. I started to grow some up canes but it's growing up the fence now. Must have dug out miles of roots.
Nightmares tail doesn't seem as bad on my plot as on the neighbouring one's but I've been digging out those roots too, the one's missed seem to die if exposed on top of the soil. It's never far below the surface though.
Our garden looked just like the photo above, only it was sprouting through a rock border on the side and they completely covered the lawn. Our garden left from the previous home owner was just grass (but really nothing but horsetail) and rocks. We lifted up the plastic under the rocks and the roots came right up to the top. It looked like black spaghetti. Everywhere I look now, I see horsetails. They seem to be on everyone's property here.
After pulling up every single female in march, and digging out the entire lawn, I've put lime down. I'm going to plant turnips very thickly in one area as I've heard the roots don't grow through them. I might as well test, but I have not found any proof about the turnip rumour. They say and allelopathic substance produced by the turnip inhibits the rhizomes, but they have to be planted for 3 years or so, and so thickly that you can really only harvest the tops because the bottoms don't get bulbous enough.
I applied 20 percent vinegar to them last September and they have come back a bit more spindly. Still waiting to see what happens. Currently working on filling holes with rocks to improve drainage. Also, still waiting for the other half to get my manure out there so we can get a topsoil and lawn in there again. Not seeing any new growth where the lime has been applied, but that is probably because it has a bit of growing to do before coming back up after being taken out with the turf.
I can't imagine trying to stomp on every horsetail before spraying it with something that says I'd have to spray again and again. Especially since there are so many. I don't think the vinegar did anything to the roots really.
I received a notification that a "David" sent me a message, but there is no message in my box so hat tip to the mods.
I think correcting an American for using the "z" instead of an "s" is ridiculous as it is perfectly good English. Especially since American English is closer to Shakespeare's than your English English. Also, I do not go around correcting everyone's grammar, especially when they are posting at all hours of the night like myself. I'm nursing a newborn and typing with one hand, so if I only had a few mistakes, I'm quite happy with that.
Again though, I'm surprised by how rude the regulars are around here.
Oh and alf, be careful about digging them in the spring. Best to do the digging in the fall as the digging tends to invigorate them.
Think there might be a culture clash going on here - Autumn, some of your earlier posts were perceived as being rude and arrogant; totally dismissive of other people's long years of experience and offers of advice. I'm sure that was not your intention but it's the way it came across.
To quote a phrase with multiple attributions, "England and the USA are two nations divided by a common language" - to add to that I would highlight that the social graces in each country have developed quite differently, to the extent that members of the USAF were given lessons in English manners when newly stationed over here in the past.
This is a friendly forum and hopefully it will remain so.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.