RE: Horsetail removal ?
- To: "'perennials@mallorn.com'"
- Subject: RE: Horsetail removal ?
- From: P* S*
- Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 09:44:59 -0700
Horsetails are very difficult (maybe impossible) to kill. They are true
dinosaurs of the plant kingdom-- extremely primitive in structure and
essentially unchanged since their "debut" on earth millions of yards ago.
They're also very tough-- when Mt. St. Helens blew up 20 years ago,
devastating the countryside, horsetails were one of the first two plants to
poke back up through the ash and rubble, happy as you please.
Horsetails spread underground by runners....... Their roots go very deep--
I have personally dug down 4 feet and still not found the end of a couple of
really stubborn horsetails). And they're very brittle, so when you pull on
them, they tend to snap apart.
I am an organic gardener, so have not used chemical herbicides on them
(although I've not heard of any herbicides that have been 100% effective
against them). Boiling water is ineffective, too (remember: these guys
*like* volcanoes and pyroclastic flows!!). I have had my best luck by
simply yanking out the ones I see, taking as much "root" or stalk as
possible. In my experience, if you do this often enough, they may
eventually "give up." but you have to be very zealous about it.
One strategy that has worked for me is to allow them into a certain area. I
allow them to remain in the dry area under my back steps (down from the
wooden deck). This is bordered by lawn, and if a few creep out, it's easy
to pull them or simply mow them down. But interestingly enough, when I
allow them an unmolested place to grow, they tend to stay there, and don't
wander as much. Hmm..... Plant intelligence??
On the bright side, they are full of silicon (aboriginal peoples used them
as scrubbing tools) and trace elements, so they're great for the compost
heap.
Sue P.
Sue Pesznecker SPesznec@lhs.org Milwaukie, OR. USA
> Ok, I just got back from my two week trip from Egypt
> and Italy, now for the bad news.... I see horsetail in
> my front yard. I have a few plants planted, but my
> defined lawn area has new two week old horsetail.
>
> I would assume that this horsetail is many cut up
> roots which can be dug up by hand or I can use
> Crossbow to kill them on the spot? These are very
> small plants so I want to knock them dead...
>
> Duncan
>
>
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