[Eightball]

I got my allotment last october and dug out several bags full of this stuff (and some more this year as well) and left them in the black bags. The problem was that my soil had pretty bad drainage and last year was extremely wet so all the roots had loads of mud attached to them. just opened a couple of bags and it is just one giant mass of mud and horse tail roots that don't look in the slightest bit dead.

I was thinking maybe trying to remove the soil and then drowning the roots. Roughly how long does that take? is this a surefire way of killing the things so I can compost them? I really don't want to waste all the goodness they have sucked up from the soil.

I might be taking on another half plot that has a lot of the stuff so thinking of chopping it down to ground level and drowning the lot and then contiueing to hoe any regrowth.

[BabbyAnn]

horsetail is indestructible - after 7 years of digging out roots, covered over with black plastic for at least 3 years, chemical warfare and hoeing, it is still around but gradually thinned out.

I might be taking on another half plot that has a lot of the stuff so thinking of chopping it down to ground level and drowning the lot and then contiueing to hoe any regrowth.

 

not sure what you mean by drowning the lot (flooding the plot?) but I'm pretty sure that won't deter it.

[seaside]

I compost lots of perennial weed root such as couch over 2 or 3 years, but I wouldn't compost horsetail. I would dry out the soil, separate and burn the root. The ash might be useful.

[Eightball]

no I didn't mean flooding the plot.... digging out the roots and putting them in a bucket full of water to drown. Was just wondering how long it takes the root to die.

[Sparkyrog]

I find Horsetail an interesting subject having been fighting it for 25 years ! My Parents and their neighbours had it and defeated it on a sandy soil ,but we have never worked out how . Glyphosate will help particularly if you roll it first to bruise it . Now I am going to tell you there is a new spray out for it " I can't name it the mods wouldn't like it " it is meant to be for pro use only but it is available on the open market at some auction sites! I have bought it but not tried it yet ,it is in all the fields surrounding me so I will never eradicate but may be able to control  

[gavinjconway]

Put them in a pile to dry, throw a few pallets on top, a bottle of diesel and set fire to them.. Thats what I do..

[Aunt Sally]

I find Horsetail an interesting subject having been fighting it for 25 years ! My Parents and their neighbours had it and defeated it on a sandy soil ,but we have never worked out how . Glyphosate will help particularly if you roll it first to bruise it . Now I am going to tell you there is a new spray out for it " I can't name it the mods wouldn't like it " it is meant to be for pro use only but it is available on the open market at some auction sites! I have bought it but not tried it yet ,it is in all the fields surrounding me so I will never eradicate but may be able to control

Thank you, Rog (you are getting ever closer to a ban).

We have tried that which you speak of (used by a professional with the correct certificates) on our site.  So far the plots in question have had 4 applications this season and the mare's tail is still coming back with a vengeance each time 2-3 weeks after spraying.

Mare's tail CAN be combated with a little work Worzel and I have done it on our plots but you need to keep on top of it all the time or it will come back.

I've just put a short article HERE so that you have more idea how to deal with it without chemicals.

[seaside]

Yes, there is yet another horrible chemical out there and even the odd Council are experimenting on some allotment sites to test it's efficiency... not on ours thankfully. To date, it's been a hopeless failure according to reports online.
We have mare's tail on our site, and it has been contained mostly to 3 plots that have now been taken out of commission, and are carefully managed by the council. The same action was taken with Japanese Knotweed some years ago on 4 or 5 plots, and it looks as if that policy is now working with 2 plots returned to use.
Like all threats to growing food on a small scale such as allotments, the best answer is not chemical, but good long term land management and hard work, and stopping the weeds from obtaining the sunlight that is ultimately crucial to them surviving. This applies to all weeds, including mare's tail.
One other way of dealing with it is putting to a well maintained lawn with fruit bushes. Not much use to us allotmenteers but certainly an idea for gardeners who have problem areas.

[Aunt Sally]

... the best answer is not chemical, but good long term land management and hard work, and stopping the weeds from obtaining the sunlight that is ultimately crucial to them surviving. ...

I'm afraid I  have to agree with you in this instance, seaside

[Aunt Sally]

You can nail it to your barn door for two years, take it down and plant it and it will grow again 

[Sparkyrog]

I am not sure if this is valid but I have noticed today that where my chickens were although other weeds are now growing , the marestail is very feeble and almost gone ! Across the garden I have an average ph of 7 and  two thirds is manured most years ,To my knowledge they have been veg gardens for at least 100 years .

[Aunt Sally]

It's been around since the time of the dinosaurs so 100 years is the blink of an eye 

[AnneB]

This is our third year on the allotment.   When we arrived it seemed to be the centre of the horsetail universe.   We had to dig all our soil out and sieve the lot to remove broken glass etc but also the horsetail.  It was painstaking and back breaking work but we now only have the odd tail sprouting.   We are still doing the same at the top of the plot but on the home straight now. 

I don't think there are any shortcuts.   

Some people on our site have used the product which isn't being named, but it isn't being applied professionally.  Having seen the short term effect I wouldn't let it anywhere near my plot.   Not seen the long term outcome yet.

[Sparkyrog]

It's been around since the time of the dinosaurs so 100 years is the blink of an eye 

I know that Aunty and in fact my neighbor was Welsh and said they found the roots in the coal mines ! He is dead now bless him but he was one of the best gardener's I ever new and taught me a lot 

[Goosegirl]

You can nail it to your barn door for two years, take it down and plant it and it will grow again 

I've seen that comment before - was it marestail or a dock root? Either way, I'm now hiding behind the sofa!