Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: barryrey on June 05, 2018, 21:05

Title: maretail
Post by: barryrey on June 05, 2018, 21:05

hi all thanks for the add      can anyone give me ideas on ho to get rid of mares tail i`ve just got the allotment and it is full of it
thanks 

Title: Re: maretail
Post by: snowdrops on June 05, 2018, 21:25

Quote from: barryrey on June 05, 2018, 21:05

hi all thanks for the add      can anyone give me ideas on ho to get rid of mares tail i`ve just got the allotment and it is full of it
thanks

Loads of threads on here plus article on Home page on perennial weeds if you search. Don’t get down heartened by it, it does get less if you keep at it. Welcome to the site😊

Title: Re: maretail
Post by: mumofstig on June 06, 2018, 12:30

Welcome to the forum  :)

John Harrison (the site owner) has some advice here
Control Horse or Mare's Tail - Equisetum Arvense (http://www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/weed-control/control-horse-mares-tail-equisetum-arvense/)

The only other option is to dig as much of it out as you can, and regularly  hoe off any regrowth as it appears, hence the saying " never let it see a Sunday"
Mare's (Horse's) Tail Treatment in Growing FAQs and other Information - Page 1 of 1 (http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=108544.msg1220894#msg1220894)

Title: Re: maretail
Post by: Goosegirl on June 06, 2018, 16:46

Its roots can go down for miles so anything that will weaken the growth will be a help. I've got two sorts: one in a nearby dyke and the other more usual one in my flower borders. The reason they don't respond very well to glyphosate weed-killers is because their ferny leaves contain silica (in the old days they were actually used to wash plates etc) so any spraying just runs off. Apart from hoeing and digging, if you bruise their leaves first by treading on them or banging them with a hammer, the ingredients in the spray will be more able to get into its system.