Allotments 4 All

hi guys. was raking over my beds the week end and was supprised by all these little green shoots of mares tail! if i keep topping them off will they eventualy go or will they continue growing underground choking my veg???

Best to dig right down and try and get the whole root out without snapping it. Any little bit left will form a new plant.

collect as much of it as you can, then make a 'tea' with it. this is a highly effective anti - fungal solution!! ;)

Quote from: simmo116 on March 23, 2009, 17:51:12
hi guys. was raking over my beds the week end and was supprised by all these little green shoots of mares tail! if i keep topping them off will they eventually go or will they continue growing underground choking my veg???

Quote from: tonybloke on March 23, 2009, 17:59:08
collect as much of it as you can, then make a 'tea' with it. this is a highly effective anti - fungal solution!! ;)

Well firstly there will only be one way to get rid is to dig it out Mares Tail is one of the only weeds that will not compete for nutrition it doesn't take anything from the soil or keep a little pot of glysomate to paint on every time you see it and it will go eventually

Quote from: tonybloke on March 23, 2009, 17:59:08
collect as much of it as you can, then make a 'tea' with it. this is a highly effective anti - fungal solution!! ;)

do i use it like that cheshunt stuff(the one i cant find anywhere)

yes mate! ;)

Dig it out every chance you get. You probably won't get rid of it, but you will keep it within bounds. My father had it all over one end of his allotment, and it never stopped crops growing there. It's just a bloody nuisance!

Our plots are covered in the stuff, it does no real harm and the more you cultivate the land the less it will grow it hates being disturbed ! i have hand dig down 2 spits on one side of the plot taking every tiny bit out and rotavated the other side and there was NO difference in the amount that grew ! just keep pulling it up every time you see it, hoe it off ect but just learn to live with it :)

I have this too.
When you turn over the soil, pick out as much as you can. Pull it up as you go and it will get less.

5 years on and there's nearly none this year.

I had loads 3 years ago, now not too much as I dig it out when I see it. My neighbour rotovates his plot and maintains it will lessen the more he rotovates :o Time will tell.

Never seen mares tail,

anyone got a pic ?

is it an area weed ?

does it grow near the coast ?

or on certain types of soil ??? ??? ???

Mare's tail is a type of horsetail, but the two names are often used interchangeably.

It is just starting to come through again at present on my allotment.  Keep digging and pulling but it is very different to get rid of.  I used to have nightmares about it, but it doesn't stop crops from growing so have learnt to live with it. 

I sympathise. When I started my plot it wasn't too bad but I tried no dig gardening for two years and now it is everywhere, I have raised beds with gravel paths and I believe the deep roots grow in the path areas and travel across to the beds. This year I have gone back to double digging.

Never seen the problem with it.  When I see it, I pull it so it doesn't seed, but generally I leave it alone.

Everyone else is on mares tail extermination.  There was a story about someone in our local area excavating for a sewer and they found the roots down about 20ft.

Wouldn't suprise me, it's survived several mass extinction events, it's not going to be bothered by humans.

Mares Tail is just one of them weeds you wont ever get rid of. You just keep on top of it by double digging and taking out as many roots as possible but it will come back and multiply if you dont keep on top of it.

Can anyone post a picture of it? i've either got this or coltsfoot, and yes its a bu**er

here is some pickys of the dreadded weed

the above shows different stages of growth
the next one shows the roots



ive had this on my plot and how ive delt with it is full on atack with

spaying didnt work to well
so wot ive dun is take a scaple knife and slit the stem near to the ground and aplyed the round up into the slit. that worked ok but ive found a better way . i know use a fine needle syringe and inject undiluted roundup (as mentioned above) directly into any growth that popps up 
carfull digging out also helps. just work out wot route it taking the roots are also distictive . if cleanly cut the end looks like a colidaskope

i will win against this weed

Thanks for that must be coltsfoot i've got.