[mashbintater]

......... Is what i read today in an allotment magazine. I thought it weird too as mare's tale thrives in acid conditions  :blink:

[Aunt Sally]

was the authors name Sarson ? 

[8doubles]

was the authors name Sarson ? 

  Probably.

Mind you not a lot thrives in vinegar.

[mumofstig]

my cornichons love their vinegar 

[DD.]

Author was probably pickled when he wrote it.

[mashbintater]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, 
Been reading on here about lime being an aid to get rid of mare's tale. It does stand to reason. Conditions aren't right so growth isn't encouraged.
 
I know Aidy said, the weed has been here since pre-historic times.

Having said that, has anyone noticed a heavy growth of mare's tale to be not as rampant under more neutral / alkaline conditions from liming?

[New shoot]

I worked at a place where we had mare's tail growing everywhere - it even used to come up through the heavy duty weed material we had under the gravel in the plant area.  Used to spend half my life spraying it with the stronger glyphosate you can buy for trade use and it only ever just knocked it back a bit.

Think the stuff would survive nepalm to be honest 

[Coach]

Salt!!!!!! Kills everything else!

[Mark-S]

I think the pH (power of Hydrogen) value is the key point.

Acidic soils are anything below 6.9 down to lets say 5.4 in the more 'acidic' regions.   It can be down to 3.1 in the most extreme circustances - but not much will grow there  save a few rocks and sheep.
Table Vinegar  is anything from 2.3 - 4.4, there are not many soils that are that acid.

Suffice to say that if we grew mares tail (Equisetum Arvense) in vinegar it would indeed 'struggle'.  However how you would manage to get the conditions so acidic is up for debate especially if one onsiders that mares tail is actually an aquatic plant.

The sad reality is as the rhizomes can penetrate up to 3 metres into the soil it is going to be very dificult to eradicate it.

My own two pennarth - glyphosate and/or good soil management and conditions are the only tool we can use in controlling this blighter!!!

[Goosegirl]

Not if you have a heavy infestation in a sea-shore bed covered with polythene and topped with shingle, pebbles and stones - can't dig it up! It marched across my lawn from a road-side bed, despite regular mowing, and has tried to go in other beds. I have been able to dig it up in these beds with some success but not the sea-shore bed. 

[mashbintater]

Oh well, I'll just keep pulling it up & liming as I plant, cheers all! 

[Goldfinger]

Oh well, I'll just keep pulling it up & liming as I plant, cheers all! 

Are you saying that you can lime directly before planting??  :blink:

I thought you had to lime over winter/spring?

Just that, near my plot the other plots that haven't been 'that looks like' touched for years, are well, beyond belief on how much of the stuff is growing there and I'm scared it'll creep over to my plot soon!! 

If there was money to be made from the damn stuff, I would be retired, mortgage free and sunning myself somewhere hot for a long time by now!!   

[DD.]

Are you saying that you can lime directly before planting??  :blink:

I do - a precise handful per hole.

[ally]

It grows in my front garden, you cant see the drive way in summer; however my neighbour did a little experiment.  He mixed glyphosate with diesel so it stuck to it. Within a few weeks it was dead. 

If it keeps it away great but I guess we will have to wait and see......

[upert]

Salt!!!!!! Kills everything else!

I'm sure some old boy told me they scatter some salt where they plant their brassicas(?) I think we were discussing the possibility of salt in seaweed when used to fertilize the ground.