GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

23-08-2003, 04:42 PM

Jan Flora wrote:

In article ,
(Ed) wrote:

HELP!
Please can any one tell me how to get rid of the weed Mares Tail

Napalm. Agent Orange. A big bulldozer and a full-soil replacement
with Typar underlayment. (Or concrete.)

Equisetum has underground roots that go all the way to China. Or it
seems like it. The coal seams in my area are lithified Giant Horsetail
plants from the Pleistocene. (!)

When you pull the Mare's Tails up, get as much root as you can, each time.
I have it in my garden and all over the ranch, in our wetter hay meadows.
It's awful stuff. It's prehistoric. So are sharks. Good luck, pard.

I've always wondered if sweetening up the soil pH with lime would make
Horsetail (Equisetum) feel unwelcome. I haven't tried it yet, but intend
to give it a shot.

Jan

It is certainly worth a try, but I fear raising the soil pH to the point where
equisetum is unwelcome would also make the soil pretty inhospitable to
anything other than true alkaline lovers. It is an extremely adaptable
species, hence its survival for thousands of years. Full eradication is
probably not possible but persistance in pulling any visible shoots can keep
it in check. At all costs, do not let the spore bearing shoots mature.

pam - gardengal