Why doesn't weedkiller work on marestail?

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PLUMPUDDING
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Thanks Johnboy boy, I'll try adding rapeseed oil next time. I've got a sprayer reserved for herbicides only.
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Johnboy
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Hi PP,
It is very difficult to get rid of Ivy even using Glyphosate but by the addition of rape oil it is very much more effective.
Here we have many trees with Ivy and some with the ground to six foot cleared of Ivy and the Ivy still survives(suspect due to hollow trees) so the birds have a field day and we get Ivy springing up all over the place. If caught early it is easy to control but in the hedges more difficult but if you can train the Ivy out of a hedge you can effectively kill it off without any damage to the hedge.
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sandgrown-un
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Pearl weedkiller works on marestail, dilute 5mg to 1 litre of water and use a spray on the leaves. Its a bit pricey at over £40 but you get 500ml in the bottle. It works for one year and you have to spray in in season. Unfortunately it returns the following year stronger than ever ! This is the 3rd year I have been treating mine, like I said it kills it off but you have to spray early in the season, unfortunately, it returns every year.
sally wright
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Dear All,
the reason most weedkillers will not touch mares tail is down to hormones. The mares tail is a very primitive plant (think coal measures old) that is as distantly related to most weeds as it can be and still be regarded as a plant. Most weedkillers these days are what is known as hormonal weedkillers; they work by interfering with the growth patterns via the plants hormones (hormones that mares tail does not have) so they do not work on mares tail and that coupled with the natural waterproofing means it is difficult to get rid of using conventional pesticides.

Crushing to break the "seal", wetting agents and a non hormone based weedkiller such as ammonium sulphamate is the way to go.

OR you could consider the plant a useful addition to your garden; it makes a very good pan scrubber.....

Regards Sally Wright.
tigerburnie
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I'm a little concerned that you all seem to use weed killers where you grow your edible crops, I wouldn't want to eat anything that has come from soil with so much chemicals in the soil. I have almost stopped eating out and restrict what I buy to eat, a lot of this began when I had Gall Stones and found so many things were upsetting my digestion.
I know you cannot avoid all chemicals, fields of crops are all sprayed and end up in our food, but I am doing what I can to reduce the chemicals in my food, I just embrace the weeds as wildlife now and remove what I need to by hand.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
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Tony Hague
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I think I somewhat agree with tigerburnie. I tried combinations of pelargonic acid and glyphosate. The pelargonic acid was nasty stuff, whether it was the active ingredient or the surfactant, it was choking on the throat. The glyphosate was a stiff mix of 360g/l proper stuff, not garden centre homeopathic dilutions. Didn't kill it.

But it isn't terribly competetive, so instead I am pulling it, or easing it out with the fork. It usually breaks off about a spit deep, so will take a bit of time (and use up some energy) growing back. The pulled tops I'm using to mulch round my apple trees; once desiccated (a few weeks) it can safely be composted - as it brings up nutrients from the depths of the earth ( :wink:) it seems a shame to waste it.
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