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Mares Tail- what to do?
Lyn Sycamore Cottage
Posts: 21
Having issues with Mares tail, seriously considering digging up this section of garden and covering with membrane, if I use glyphosate product before clearing and laying membrane and adding gravel, will I have defeated the mares tail enough to not have it coming back through the membrane in a few months time?
Anyone else had issues?
Lyn
0
Posts
I have tried spraying, painting and rubbing on glyphosate based weedkiller after bruising the stuff. Doesn't work.
I have tried membrane and depriving it of light. Doesn't work. Comes back later.
Digging up doesn't work. The roots can go down into the soil for metres and every broken bit makes a new root cutting and a new plant.
I have 2 beds badly infested and have spent all morning pulling it up because, having had rain everyday for about 3 weeks and a serious cold I have been unable to do normal maintenance weeding.
The only thing that works is constant vigilance so that eventually it weakens. Never put the bits on the compost heap - bin or burn.
Sorry Lyn - I'm afraid Obelixx is right. Rip it off or dig it out the moment you see it and you will eventually weaken it, but as for getting rid... not a lot of chance I think. It grows through tarmac so membrane won't work.
Our allotment was overgrown and covered with it when we took it on about 3 years ago. We remove every bit we can with as much root as possible whenever we dig the beds and weed. We have reduced it a lot but it's a constant battle.
I keep at it. Glosphate pulling etc just trying to weaken.
We have membrane put down by previous owners. It grows straight through.
Likewise it grows through the tarmac on next doors drive.
This was their driveway last June. Not been cheeky enough to take one this year
I have tried everything know to man without success and when I get my licence for a military strength flame thrower, that will be my last resort! Joke by the way!
Kurtail has been suggested in the past as being effective. It's pricey though.
Hi all thanks for all your posts, sadly looks like going to be alot of work for years to come :-(, is it worth trying to rescue plants from the borders it's in n putting them in pots or is the safest thing to do burn those too?
Ah well happy gardening everyone :-)
Lyn
I certainly wouldn't burn plants just because marestail is growing through them. Marestail tends not to like competition so strong growth of other plants will help control it. Keep pulling the marestail as it grows and that will also weaken it.
You can rescue them and plant them in pots and then pull out every bit of mare's tail that comes up over the next few months. Probably safest to leave them an entire year and maybe wash the root balls in autumn - when the plants are dormant - to remove any last bits of mare's tail before putting them back in pots.
Meanwhile, you can do a few treatments with Kurtail on the infested bed, fork it over when it's done its stuff and repeat as necessary. It may take a year or two........
I'm doing a similar process with bindweed in another bed - lifting plants into quarantine while I sort out the nasties.