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Is this horsetail?

PyraPyra Posts: 152
in Problem solving

Hi, this has suddenly sprouted up. I think it's horsetail, but I'm not sure. I hope it's not! Any ideas? 
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Posts

  • AHRAHR Posts: 361
    Looks like it to me 
  • kasjkkasjk Posts: 137
    Yes that's horsetail... Sorry to say. I struggle with these in my garden too, nightmare to get rid of.
  • PyraPyra Posts: 152
    Urgh, that what I thought, thanks  :s Any advice on how to get rid of it? I have a toddler, so I can't really use any weedkillers. 
  • kasjkkasjk Posts: 137
    I was just reading up about this a couple of weeks ago as I wanted to get rid of the bleedin' thing, but it's not an easy thing to do. The best thing to do is to either cover it with a weed membrane or just consistent picking them as you see them come up out of the ground. Apparently this weakens it, but I have so much of it it would be a losing battle.
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,213
    Try pouring boiling salted water on it.  My mother used to make me pour the boiling water from the corned beef onto the weeds.  I have this in my garden to but it is amongst my garlic this year so I will get onto it after harvest.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • PyraPyra Posts: 152
    Thanks, I'll try those. There's not much of it and it's only appeared now, so hopefully can get it under control. 
  • SmudgeriiSmudgerii Posts: 185
    If you have a small amount then you may have a chance to get rid.

    Weed membrane is not a good idea the marestail break through eventually and make removal even more difficult.

    Buy some ammonium sulphamate ( 1kg ) and some wallpaper paste powder, mix together with some water and washing liquid to form a paste.  Wear a rubber glove and spread the paste on each stem, if possible I would then cover with a clear plastic bag to stop the paste being washed away.  Carry on with this as and when each stem appears, it’s a long process but it will work.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 920
    Don’t use salt as it poisons the soil. Just yank them off as they appear and it will weaken over time. You will always have it but hopefully less each season, that’s our experience anyway.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • SmudgeriiSmudgerii Posts: 185
    It amazes / confuses me why so many people say “pull it, it will weaken over time”

    Does it?  How long will it take?  Will you live long enough to see the weakening?

    It is right up there with “cover it with membrane, the lack of light will weaken it”

    If any of this was true then why do we have so many threads asking for advice on MT growing through membrane? And statements from people who have been pulling it for years, one poster said they had been pulling for 35 years!

    Weed killing chemicals are the only solution.
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Smudgerii said:


    Weed killing chemicals are the only solution.

    I used chemicals last year.  It looked a right mess as it died. 

    This year I've pulled it up as it's appeared.  My garden looks 100x nicer.  

    It will definitely come back, but let's face it even with the aggressive chemical approach it'd probably come back anyway! 
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