One of the old guys at the plot advised one of the other members not to plant an asparagus bed because he has a horsetail problem!!
Is this some old wives tail?
im no expert bu i was under the impresion horse tail/marestail takes no nutrients from the soil as the root goes all the wy down to the subsoil so dont understand there being a problem but i could be wrong will wait and see if im proved wrong here .somone will be along with the knowledge on this question im eager to find out one way or another
I think the problem is that asparagus will be in one place for up to 20 years and marestail in the asparagus bed will be a big problem as you dont want to disturb the roots of the asparagus.
Having said that i have just put a bed in but i dug down as deeply as i could and took out every bit of m/t i could see and as i see it coming up i will put a flower pot witht eh base cut out over it and spray with root out weed killer, that way only the weed will get killed ! The more you get rid of the easier it will get :)
Quote from: sawfish on April 23, 2009, 09:34:50
One of the old guys at the plot advised one of the other members not to plant an asparagus bed because he has a horsetail problem!!
Is this some old wives tail?
Would he have said to remove an asparagus bed if mare's tail suddenly appeared? Our asparagus bed was clear of most weeds last year but this year is a different matter! Obviously, laying a straw mulch last year made a difference.
Horsetail = tail from a horse
Mare's tail = tail from a mare
Old wives tail = tail from an old wife??
or is that an old wives' tale?
My Asparagus bed is now three years old. My problem is that there is some couch grass coming up in the bed. I think it has spread from the edges of the paths, where I can't seem to irradicate it from. I saw it on Geadeners world that Asparagus beds should be free of weeds like Couch grass. What should I do now??? If I put some weed killer on the couch, will it effect the Asparagus?
Not if you paint it on carefully, and don't touch the asparagus. Glyphosate would do it. It's a bit late in the year to start lifting the aspargus.
Well, as you are not daft enough to harvest and cook mares/horse tail in mistake for asparagus. There is not a problem, just pull up the tails and burn them, as they appear.
It can be got rid of by letting it grow lavishly, even encouraging growth with some plant feed, then bashing the thick outer coating which normally protects it from weed killer then spraying. So do that a couple of times before planting the bed with asparagus.
But just pulling it seems to keep it under control. I would go ahead and grow, there are plenty of other weeds which are a far greater nuisance to worry about.
It travels north, so if you have not yet got it, you can see where the problem lies and work out if it is coming in your direction.
Thanks for the advice Robert. Do I paint it onto the blades of couch grass with a small paint brush then? What happens then, does it go back and kill it's root system?
put on a pair of marigolds ( other brands are available) wet a cloth with your weedkiller of choice, then wipe the plants you want to kill. Yes glyphosate is translocated to the roots ;)
Thanks Tony. :)