[AnneB]

Weed suppressant fabric doesn't work I am afraid. According to the RHS the roots go down about 7 foot.  It is a plant surviving from prehistoric times and certainly has staying power.  Digging and sieving it out and pouncing on it at every opportunity is the only way, but it does work in the end.

[RaptorUK]

I've had the current plot coming up to 7 years - it used to be covered in marestail, in very heavy clay.

Marestail  or Horsetail ?

It's the same thing.  It's Latin name is Equisetum Arvense.  Terrible stuff.

Nope, Marestail is aquatic and it's latin name is Hippuris vulgaris   

I fixed my dodgy links . . . 

[AnneB]

Well, I bow to your greater botanical knowledge, but generally speaking amongst most amateur gardeners the colloquial names are interchangeable and everyone means equisetum.   The RHS even uses both on its website.

[RaptorUK]

Well, I bow to your greater botanical knowledge, but generally speaking amongst most amateur gardeners the colloquial names are interchangeable and everyone means equisetum.   The RHS even uses both on its website.

LOL, believe me I am no expert, unless you consider digging out buckets loads of the stuff as a qualification   

I also noticed that the RHS also used Marestail on their site . . .  the problem with using Marestail is that when someone wants to talk about Hippuris vulgaris and uses "Marestail" everyone will think they are talking about Horsetail . . . 

[brokenglass]

Clay soil , very wet and acid, ideal for growing Mare's Tail or more accurately Horse Tail, as Mare's Tail grows in water.     I have kept digging, pulling and hoeing it until now it is greatly reduced, I want to write that it is under control but I doubt that.    If you keep at it you will reduce the amount and the vigour but you must be vigilant as it will re-appear from adjoining plots/gardens given the slightest chance.

[Yorkie]

... generally speaking amongst most amateur gardeners the colloquial names are interchangeable and everyone means equisetum.   The RHS even uses both on its website.

I agree.

[diospyros]

And then of course there is water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile!

Latin names are so much less confusing than common names.

[SusieB]

I have heard from some telly garden 'expert', I think it was Christine Walkden, that you should break it off when it gets to about 7-8inches high.   Apparently this weakens it.

You can't dig over your asparagus, but a 'no tolerance' snapping off might get it back under control.

[savbo]

I have heard from some telly garden 'expert', I think it was Christine Walkden, that you should break it off when it gets to about 7-8inches high.   Apparently this weakens it.

You can't dig over your asparagus, but a 'no tolerance' snapping off might get it back under control.

I couldn't bear to dig out my asps despite the horsetail, so I am persevering with pulling the horsetail as soon as it is a couple of inches. I started trying to 'hoe' it off with a table knife as it emerged but kept nipping of the tops of asparagus!

sav

[gavinjconway]

I have heard from some telly garden 'expert', I think it was Christine Walkden, that you should break it off when it gets to about 7-8inches high.   Apparently this weakens it.

You can't dig over your asparagus, but a 'no tolerance' snapping off might get it back under control.

I couldn't bear to dig out my asps despite the horsetail, so I am persevering with pulling the horsetail as soon as it is a couple of inches. I started trying to 'hoe' it off with a table knife as it emerged but kept nipping of the tops of asparagus!

sav

When you have a stem every 1/2" it just gets too much.. so it's been sprayed by a pro using some fancy stuff and I'll dig it all up and remove as much as I can in a couple of weeks.. than the sweet corn will go in.