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Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 6:20 pm
by robo
The plan is to burn the silicone type coating they have then they should absorb the weed killer ,I can't spell glyphosate
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 9:21 pm
by Tony Hague
Been doing battle with this stuff at the weekend. Here on wet, heavy Bedfordshire clay it is in its element. It is most definitely NOT reduced by attempts to keep hoeing it off, or digging it out. It has simply continued to spread. Its extent is beyond my plot and control, so it can get its energy even if it doesn't see the light of day on my plot.
Removing all the other weeds just makes space for it, and the idea that increasing soil fertility will somehow disadvantage it is fantasy. It has about as much effect on it as using harsh language.
Glyphosate alone does not work. Not even proper Roundup 360. I'm trying one application if pelargonic acid to damage the foliage, followed by one of a fairly stiff mix of glyphosate (don't mix them to save time, I got a precipitate that blocks the sprayer). It looks slightly unwell, but I bet it won't die.
Glufosinate Ammonium apparently does work. Kurtail is the formulation for the job, but it isn't available to amateur gardeners, so it would be very naughty of me to use that.
The ammonium sulphamate sounds tempting, but missing 3 months when the horsetails are growing strongly to take up the chemical effectively means missing a whole year ?
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 7:25 am
by Colin2016
Last year a neighbour spent ages going over her new drive squirting vinegar to get rid of it. Noticed yesterday it is back.
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 8:50 am
by robo
I've had a bit of luck in fact I've got a lot of dead ones , the pleasure it gives me when I look at them is immense only trouble is I'm our of spray
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 8:14 pm
by Barry
Tony, there is another possibility. Try mixing 200g of ammonium sulphate with a litre of water and spray that. You are giving the marestail something that burns it horribly. I have cleared some patches using this technique although you do get some regrowth. I don't know exactly why it works. Perhaps it forces the weed to take in more nitrogen than it can cope with, in other words it boosts fertility. Have a go and see what you think. You don't lose the soil for three months either.
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 9:15 pm
by robo
My mixture is agrigem this is expensive ,the first couple of times I used it I was disappointed ,a week ago I made a mix using this mixed with glyphosate then watered down to the specified amount , now my plot has dead mares tails everywhere then again wether they regrow is another matter
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 3:00 pm
by foreachspoonbill
Re: Mares Tail
Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:04 pm
by foreachspoonbill
Tony Hague wrote:I can sympathise, I have it too.
Chemical controls - glyphosate has limited effect, it is not absorbed well. Pelargonic acid will kill the foliage above ground, but isn't systemic. Glufosinate ammonium is effective, but isn't available to amateurs
The problem with mechanical methods is that the extent of the plant is deeper that you can dig it out from, and probably spreads beyond your plot. So even if you can prevent it from seeing the light of day, unless all your neighbours do likewise it will be able to get its energy somewhere.
Best to learn to live with it. It is not greatly competitive, and prefers poor soil. So add lots of organic matter to tip the balance in favour of your crops. Cut off the tops and leave in the sun / wind, they will quickly desiccate and can be crumbled into the compost bin. Because the roots go down fo ever, they can bring up useful minerals.
We did get rid of it from our garden. At the bottom was a paddock of waterlogged Bedfordshire clay. Once the property developers had dug out several feet of earth to build houses on it, a lot of the mares tail was removed from there, but it also dried out our garden a lot, which also helped. So improved drainage is good too. That and digging it up with a JCB !
Nice topic,thank you.