Coping with horsetail All weeds are troublesome but the dreaded horsetail has to be one of the worst to control. This plant has survived the ice-age and is not going to leave quietly. Tough, invasive and probably lurking on a plot near you, this must be the gardener's number one weed enemy and it is poisonous to livestock too, although they tend to avoid it when green. Horsetail (Equisetum arvese) is a fir tree-like, hollow stemmed, non-flowering perennial weed with black rhizomes and roots that can reach down 6ft.It usually grows no more than 1ft high and often only around 6inin diameter. It is also called mare's tail, although the latter (Hippuris vulgaris) is really a creeping aquatic perennial with upright whorled leavesin near still or flowing water. |
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Horsetail has two stages of growth. In spring it produces fertile, chloropyll-free, jointed stems with a compact brown-tipped terminal cone of spores. In summer the green stems are sterile with grooved and black-tipped and toothed sheaths at the joints. These stems are very tough, contain silicic acid and have rows of silica crystals on the ridges. It is found all over the world, though not in Australasia and there are 10 species in Europe. It grows in most soils, its presence being an indication of underground water and is common on heavy soils, beside ponds and in ditches. |
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It seems to compete with crops without choking them but does not respond to any known total eradication technique. If you are stuck with horsetail the the best you can do is learn to accommodate it. Perhaps it is time for the 'hug a hoodie' approach, In fact horsetail is not all bad, its long roots bring nutrients up from the subsoil, there are ways to minimise its spread and actually has some suprisingly positive uses. Firstly, any kind of mechanical tillage will aid its spread so avoid transferring soil from affected ares. Using mulches to exclude light may slow things down a bit. Improve drainage by adding plenty of bulky organic matter to heavy soil and considercreating raised beds but site them away from already affected ares and fill them with fresh soil after putting down a thick, permeable soil-covering membrane. Similarly, where it is very widespread, growing crops in large containers could be the answer. New growth is easier to control in drier soils and regular hoeing to a depth of at least 2inches will weaken re-growth over several years. Never, ever put horsetail on the compost heap, Carefully dispose of the remnents by burning them. Always ensure that tools are thoroughly cleaned after use to help prevent the spread to ohter areas of the plot. Trying to dig up the roots is a waste of time. The roots run so deep that you are more likely to end up injuring your back than get rid of the weed. |
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Making
Horsetail 'tea' How to make |
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