Horsetail problems

Clare Bisson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As amateur gardeners we brought a Japanese Horsetail plant about 2 years ago for our Japanese inspired slate garden.  Unfortunately we did not realise how it spreads and new shoots have been poking up through our weed membrane for a little while now.  Up until now we had been pulling them out, but have recently read that new shoots will grow from old shoot scars.  The biggest problem is that our Sambucas plant next to the Horsetail has now died! Is this coincidental or do you think the Horsetail has consumed it? Im so worried because the next closest plant is my established Japanese Acer!!! How do I go about removing this aggresive Horsetail from my garden without it doing any more damage.

Many thanks

 

nutcutlet

https://thelostworldnursery.myshopify.com/products/equisetum-japonicum

This stuff?

It won't consume anything in the sense that it actually eats or poisons them but it can spoil things by crowding them out. It will grow from the bits left behind but carry on pulling it out. A plant can't live if it never sees light.

I'm sure someone with experience of this will give you further advice.

punkdoc

Horse tail is one of the oldest plants on the planet, apparently it was around in the time of the dinosaurs. Its roots go down as much as 10 metres, and to make matters worse it has a silicom exoskeleton, which makes difficult to apply weedkiller.

I think there are 2 stratagies; 1. bruise stems and apply weedkiller, 2. after a few weeks start to pull up whatever reappears.

Autumn dh

Dig out as much of it as you can in the fall/winter. In the spring, be sure to look for those asparagus-like tips as they will produce spores that will spread everywhere. Removed the tips with a plastic bag and keep the tops in them. Starve it from light as best as you can. Do not cover them, they love bad air and thrive under ground cover. Try to improve your soil conditions. Try adding lime to the soil as horestails like acidic soil. Best of luck.

Dovefromabove

Interesting - I've seen Equisetum japonicum established in several lovely gardens including The Old Vicarage at East Ruston, and the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens where it has not appeared to be causing a problem - the clumps obviously increase in size over time, but sellers describe it as 'clump forming' and it is said not to 'run' although some advise planting it in a container sunk into the ground (much as you would do with mint).

How far from the original clump that you planted are the new spears appearing?

It will not have killed your Sambucus, but obviously  that does not look very well at all.  In the past I've had a Sambucus Sutherlands Gold turn up it's toes and die on me, just like yours - all I could put it down to was dryness at the roots (it was planted in the shade of a large tree) and we'd been away on holiday during a dry spell.

 

Whoops!  Just realised that this is an old thread bumped up - no idea whether the original poster is still around.  Thought the photos looked a bit summery

horsetailman

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

punkdoc

There is no such thing as dead soil.

Unfortunately your method will not solve the problem that the roots go down many metres and cannot be eliminated