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. |
 |
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. |
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. |
| Horsetail
DO's |
• |
Regularly
hoe to weaken growth |
• |
Use mulches to exclude the
light |
• |
Clean tolls after use |
• |
Try growing in raised beds
and containers using fresh soil to fill them |
• |
Try making horsetail 'tea'
for feeding plants |
• |
Keep any weedkillers in a
safe place in their original containers |
• |
Celebrate its good points |
| Horsetail DON'Ts |
• |
Give or recieve plants or
soil from infected plots |
• |
Risk injury by trying to
dig out the roots |
• |
Use mechanical tillers to
avoid spread |
• |
Use any weedkillers not designed
for the home gardener |
• |
Put it on the compost heap |
• |
Think it will ever go away |
|
Making
Horsetail 'tea'
Use horsetail 'tea' to strengthen plants' resistance to fungal
infections, starting early in the season and spraying 10-14 days.
How to make
Take 21kg of dried horsetail and simmer in twopints of rainwater
for 30 min utes. After leaving to stand for 24 hours, make up
to 1 gallon and stir for about 15 minutes. Spray plants evry 10-14
days. It can be diluted but should always smell of horsetails
and have a yellow-green of brown colour. Kep for a couple of weeks. |