HEEELLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!

At the big project thingy, where we've double membraned and put about 6" of bark chipping mulch, blink marestail has come through... only thing I can possibly think of is to nuke the lot... and I soooo don't want to use chemicals but I can't see any option, anyone any ideas?

this is one where chemicals dont work, its got not transports system so LMKIA says, so just burn the burgalar out

But won't that set fire to the bark chippings and membrane.... which is also perilously close to the house... this is me< David...

we got the sodding stuff too on a major roundabout we look after. We've sprayed it carefully, trying to avoid adjoining plants, but we're having to reapply new bark chippings (1.5 tonnes of ) I had to cadge it The stuff gets right into the sheet mulch so you might have to strip all the bloody lot back so you can burn it all off

oh bum... well, if it's gotta be done, it's gotta be done.. I dunno, if it's not one thing tis another...

This should help....

Horse or Mares Tail, Equisetum Arvense is, in my opinion, public enemy number one. It looks like it belongs in Jurassic Park and, unchecked, spreads like wildfire.

In spring, brown green shoots appear with small cones at the tips that produce spores. (Arghh – millions of ‘em) and it grows away from creeping thin brown roots that you can hardly see as they are soil coloured. Digging out these roots is not feasible – they go down into the soil for up to 1.5 metres – yes, 5 feet.

Later the ‘leaves’ or tails appear. These will die off as autumn turns to winter and the roots sit there waiting for spring. The leaves have a waxy coat, which makes the plant highly resistant to weedkillers.

Crushing the leaves to break up the coating helps weedkiller to penetrate and become absorbed but in large areas it is not so easy to crush all the leaves . However, glyphosate weed killer will have an effect and eventually kill the plant. You will probably need 5 or more applications. Knock it back, it re-grows and you repeat.

I don’t think you can clear this in less than one season.

Amicide seems to be a far more effective weed killer. It can kill it in one application but may well need two.

I’d recommend NOT digging where there is horsetail until it is dead for sure. Otherwise it just starts springing up from the root cuttings. Drying or drowning the roots prior to composting is a must.

I've been contacted by Mr Charles Bailey who points out that Horestail is correctly applied to the weed growing on land whereas Marestail is correctly applied to the weed growing in water.

He also puts forth an organic control method, which he says is effective.

Without resorting to chemicals you can control/irradicate horse tail by digging/forking through the soil when it is in the right condition: ie not too wet and sticky!

Once you have removed as much as possible, any that shoots is easily dealt with. Before it reaches 3 ins/7cm high, hoe off an inch below the surface.

Eventually the food supply in the root is exhausted. Let it get bigger than stated and food begins to be stored in the roots again, and round and round you go ad infinitum.

Never touch Horsetail with a mechanical cultivator. If you do you will understand why it has been around for 60 million years

Glyphosate
This herbicide seems fairly safe. It is systemic, being taken down to the roots and I understand it is deactivated by contact with the soil. It is not approved by UK organic standards but I heard some European countries allow it in organic standards. It is the main constituent in Round Up and Tumbleweed ready mixed.

Fairly cheap but don’t use that as an excuse to over use it. The dead weeds can be composted without the compost becoming toxic. Weed killers should always be treated with caution

Amicide
Amicide (Ammonium Sulphamate) is an effective weedkiller used for killing tree stumps and brushwood clearing. In effective it is crooked sulphate of ammonia (a chemical nitrogen fertiliser). The plant absorbs it, taking it to the roots and dying.

After 8 weeks or so, it reacts with the air to form sulphate of ammonia – adding a nitrogen boost to the soil. Re-planting is safe after 12 weeks. It may make the soil more acid – so check pH.

It is an expensive weed killer – best price I have found is from the organic gardening catalogue.

As with all chemical weed killers – read and follow the instructions very carefully. I forgot to add some detergent to the Amicide and it greatly reduced its effectiveness. I also find applying it to horsetail with a pressure sprayer, fine spray, most effective.

Amicide appears to no longer be available, unfortunately. Economically not viable compared with other weedkillers. However you can still buy the active ingredient in the weedkillers Rootout or Deep Root

wow, thanks Icy...

Too big an area to dig, looks like nuking it will have to be the answer....

and....

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Gosh, I'm feeling better and better ....

Sooo... much work on?

Icy, we have marestail/horsetail whatevver you call it on the plots. The chemicals DO NOT work. It has been tried, again and again, it does NOT kill it. Sorry.

I had it too - the only way I got rid of it was to keep hoeing it, eventually it weakens it and dies, but it takes forever - not what you want to have to do on a big site