[alexroyall85]

Hi all
I have a lot of mares tail poking up throughout the allotment. Is there any chemical that can touch this stuff as roundup from the farm I work at doesn't seem to touch it. Is it just a case of pulling out by hand?
Thanks in advance
Alex

[Yorkie]

Marestail has a silica coating so for any chemical to have any effect you must first bruise the leaves to enable the plant to absorb the chemical.

There isn't anything that is suitable - the only option really is to keep pulling it out weekly. 

[BARNACLE BILL]

I have the same problem on my plot. If you dig down at the side of the stem. Then grab the stem about six inches below the soil. Pull it upwards and you will feel it snap. It has then left a portion of the woody stem in the ground. And that will make a return in the future. I have trampled on an area of growth then sprayed with Roundup. It is now going brown but as the roots go down up to one metre. I am not sure what effect it will have.

[Yorkshire Lass]

I have a mate that is a grave digger, if he comes across mare's tail 6ft deep, I fear there is no hope.  Just keep hoeing they will get weaker.

[AnneB]

We took our allotment plot in in September 2009.   It was riddled with horsetail (I think mare's tail is an aquatic version, but I am sure we are talking about the same thing).   We have sieved every square inch of the soil, to remove not only the horsetail, but chunks of broken glass and various rubble.   We are now horsetail free, but every now and then a new sprig pops up.  Pouncing on it at once seems to keep us free of it.   It took 5 years to get to this point, but it can be done.

[LandShark]

I've got it popping up everywhere too, even through the tarmac drive. I'm using rosate 36 weedkiller and so far it's working, some bits have had 2 sometimes 3 applications but it's dying back. The parts that have been walked on before spraying die faster so I'm now bruising it first, how effective it is in the long term we'll see.

[mumofstig]

Some interesting advice from John here
http://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/

[snowdrops]

I had masses on 1 of my 1/2 plots, I tried bruising it & using glyphosate numerous times, it checked it but didn't eradicate it. As said it has very deep roots which led me to view it differently, if it's roots are so deep it won't take moisture from my plants. I also read an article somewhere that advised gently pulling it out when it has put lots of energy into growing 7-10 cms tall as it cannot then store energy as effectively to continue growing. If I'm digging & come across roots of it I dig as much out as I can but without going 10ft down. I've found this approach has held it back but feel if I turned my back for 5 minutes I could soon see it back all over again.

[sunshineband]

We have it invading from next door's plot, and a patrol that boundary carefully, pulling up any bits I find once they are tall enough to grab hold of.

Annoying they seem to do nothing to attempt control so I am going to have a conversation with them...maybe they don't know what it is?

[WirralWally]

I've had the damn stuff everywhere.
I just keep pulling it up.
After 3 or 4 years it is disappearing from most areas.

Persistence and patience will win in the end.

 

[snowdrops]

Yep I've got lots of the p's

[Blewit]

It also prefers poorly drained acidic conditions so liming takes you in the right direction. On our site the underlying clay makes drainage improvements a bit of a non-starter.

[Aidy]

In Wigan we paid the miners to pull it back down!

Or to Quote a famous member... "Never let it see a Sunday"