[mandycharlie]

As some of you might know by my witterings we have just taken over a plot which is full of mares tale, couch grass and lots of other nasties..

It was roundup(ed) and rotavated in the autumn so didn't initially look to bad on a viewing..  Anyways, we have since discovered that it is thick with roots.  At the end of Feb, we started digging to find out how bad things were/are and have been digging our plot since.  (its a long job)

We have nearly finished, we just have a good afternoons work to complete the plot.  But,, things are sprouting and I looked on the net to find out more about Mares Tail to find out that it sends up an asparagus like shoot in the spring which sends thousands of spores out and about.

Thats the history part finished with.

Reet...  The neighbours who are a lovely couple and who took on their plot the same time as ours.,  have said to me that they only intend to cultivate half the plot.. the half nearest in a lengthways direction to ours..     The Mares Tail, is sprouting and yesterday I found a couple of the asparagus like spears underneath the soil.     They have only dug and cultivated about a quarter of their plot (probably less)

Soo... will the spores which will most probably be released grow into plants..  

What is the allotment etiquette for a situation like this?

When they said that they were not going to cultivate the whole lot, I immediately said, "well as long as it doesn't run to seed" which they immediately assured me it wouldn't, but I"m sure they were thinking of autumn seeds and had plenty of time to sort out the situation.  And also I didn't know about the growth patterns of Mares Tail was.  

And... I felt very uncomfortable saying even that..  so to actually say something to them is going to prove difficult for me... because,.. I don't want to Rain on their Parade and upset them... but then... I don't want to have put all this hard work in to be swamped.

[agapanthus]

Perhaps you could ask them nicely if they could cover what they are not cultivating and explain how the mare's tail spreads it's spores. As they are newbies I'm sure they would be ok with it.
 I've the same problem with a couple who have a plot next to mine. The thing is they hav'nt done much work in the 3 years they've had it. The year before last they grew a few runner beans and last year they had 2 rows of potatoes and literally nothing else!!! Mind you they have been arguing with the council about 6" of ground that they insist they should have!!
I hav'nt asked them to cover their plot for the simple reason I would probably lose my cool and because they are as thick as 2 short planks!

[mandycharlie]

Just to add,

their also only digging beds, which means that between every bed their is a 2ft gap which isn't being cultivated,, which is still full of mares tail etc.

thanks agy,,

Its not easy is it..

[penance]

The spores need very moist areas to germinate, mares tail mostly spreads by the underground root system.

We had an infestation of the stuff in our garden. I started to attack it three years ago, now it is not so bad and easily controlable with hand weeding.
I used a combination of hand weeding and weed killer. Weed killers work best in spring or autumn, both times when the plant is struggling for energy. Best way is to trample or strim the plants and then apply, this leaves open wounds for the killer to enter. It took around 3 applications of killer to really have an effect.

Good luck, its nasty stuff, but gives a good feeling when you start winning the war!

[shaun]

our council have said last week "if the plot is not cultivated for growing in 6 months then they get there marching orders" and quite right they are
dont think they will stick to it though there more backbone in a blooming jellyfish

[mandycharlie]

thanks Penance,

thats reasurring, that the spores need very moist conditions, just got to cope with the areas that are next to mine...    

There's a thought, I might need spuds to grow down the lengthways of my plot this year..   Hows that for an idea?

thanks Shaun,

I'll remember that for future reference, although its not a council run plot, it is indeed something to remember to argue with the secretary if it gets really bad...

[Bobby T]

On first taking my plot did not see much M.T. Probably due to the jungle of couch and other weeds!
  Last year twas like that game of "Statues" we used to play as kids. Every time I turned round another one had popped up.
  In our house nagging works (drives me out) so I use the same technique and snap their heads off with hoe.Best of luck.  Bob

[Aunt Sally]

The first allotment we had some years ago. was infested with mares tail.  The worst thing to do is rotovate. It just chops the roots up so increasing the infestation.  We "controlled" it by costanty hoeing and slicing it off before it got it's head above the ground.  Repeated glyphosate treatments will gradually weaken it but it's Yo Hoe Hoe all season I'm afraid  :twisted:

Neighbours could cover, strim, glyphosate if they are not cultivating.

[agapanthus]

our council have said last week "if the plot is not cultivated for growing in 6 months then they get there marching orders" and quite right they are
dont think they will stick to it though there more backbone in a blooming jellyfish

Yeah....that's about right Shaun

[Aidy]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news there Mandy but I have been battling Horsetail for 5 years now and you cannot get rid of it, you must learn to live with it, the roots can go so deep, I am this year trying a french method to see if after several years of constant rotovating it will kill it off. the idea is to rotovate it therefore killing the top growth, now the theory is that up to 2 inches it uses stored energy after 3 it puts it back in so at 2 inches you rotovate (dig) it back in, now some will say all you then do is make more weed as you chop the root but as the root gets increasing smaller and not being allowed to store energy it will eventualy starve it self out, forget weed killers, been there got the tshirt and horsetail, I have also read that it prefers acid soil, so on your brassica bed you can give it a good liming and this will keep it down a bit during the summer.

[shaun]

aidy it will work mate you just have to keep weakening it eventually it will give up the ghost and vanish,
the secret is dont let it pop its head up rotavate every 3-4 weeks and the same goes for couch grass.

[Aidy]

Managed to more or less eradicate the couch but the horsetail is one ugly weed that is persistant so yep got me mechanical weed ass kicker all ready to go.

[richyrich7]

Shauns right Aidy just keep pulling it up, it's roots are very long and brittle so it's useless to try digging it out. We had it iin our garden when we moved in 17 years ago, good news is i haven't seen any for about three years now

[John]

I've mentioned it many times, marestail is a nightmare and glyphosate may get it after half a dozen goes but Amicide will do it in two.  I apply by spraying the plants rather than watering because it's expensive. After 8 weeks it has turned into a nitrogen fetiliser.You can't plant during that time.

 If your neighbours are being too organic or mean to use Amicide then explain how they are being socially irresponsible and you'll get an asbo on them

[Aunt Sally]

I've mentioned it many times, marestail is a nightmare and glyphosate may get it after half a dozen goes but Amicide will do it in two.  I apply by spraying the plants rather than watering because it's expensive. After 8 weeks it has turned into a nitrogen fetiliser.You can't plant during that time.

Can you explain that a bit more John:

Do you use it as a spot weeder, or all over  :?:  

What stage does the marestail have to be at, under ground, just emerging, big and fluffy  :?:

Do you mean you can't plant ANYTHING on the plot for 8 weeks after treatment.  :?:  :evil: