Unlike most of you out there, I'm an absolute novice gardener. And
lucky me, my first major challenge is trying to clear horsetails from
a pretty massive yard that I've inherited with my new house.

Initially, I tried clipping them off at ground level every week, but
this didn't stop them from coming back, of course, it just helped
slightly for aesthetic purposes. Secondly, I tried applying Casoron
to a few beds after pulling the horsetails up, which has actually
seemed to be helping and has severely limited their growth for the
past few weeks, at least. Since there are tons of them still left in
the woods, however, I doubt I'll be able to do anything permanently to
prevent them from creeping onto my property. The soil is also
extremely damp (I'm in the Seattle area) so I don't think there's much
I can do to increase drainage.

So I guess my question is whether anybody out there can think of other
solutions or steps I should be taking to at least manage the horsetail
growth in my yard, even if I can't permanently stop the invasion. Are
there other weeds or plants that would crowd them out? Should I keep
clipping them at ground level or just give up that weekly chore? Will
the Casoron likely hold them off for a season or will I start seeing
them reappear later this year?

I know the outlook is bleak with horsetails, but any helpful advice
would be appreciated since I'm way outta my league with this
particular plant...

My experience and observations with the dreaded Seattle horsetail is that if
you got 'em, you will have them. You can continue to clip and dig and it
will probably slow them down but I think it's actually pretty much
impossible to get rid of them. I know that paving crews I worked on would
spray the equivalent of agent orange on a prepared road bed, then pave with
either concrete or blacktop and soon or later the horsetails would push
through. Pretty amazing. If they can survive through that it's hard to think
of anything a home gardener could do to eliminate them short of digging out
your soil and replacing it with sterile material but if there are horsetails
nearby you'll just get them back. I was told that they spread not only by
spores but runners. Sort of draining your property to make it so dry that
the horsetails wouldn't want to be there you just may be stuck. You can
pick lots of the new shoots and put them in a gallon of vinegar and let sit
for a few months, then strain it off and put a few tablespoons in a cup of
water, it makes a fabulous after shampoo rinse for your hair.

Val


"Engquists" wrote in message
m...
Unlike most of you out there, I'm an absolute novice gardener. And
lucky me, my first major challenge is trying to clear horsetails from
a pretty massive yard that I've inherited with my new house.

Initially, I tried clipping them off at ground level every week, but
this didn't stop them from coming back, of course, it just helped
slightly for aesthetic purposes. Secondly, I tried applying Casoron
to a few beds after pulling the horsetails up, which has actually
seemed to be helping and has severely limited their growth for the
past few weeks, at least. Since there are tons of them still left in
the woods, however, I doubt I'll be able to do anything permanently to
prevent them from creeping onto my property. The soil is also
extremely damp (I'm in the Seattle area) so I don't think there's much
I can do to increase drainage.

So I guess my question is whether anybody out there can think of other
solutions or steps I should be taking to at least manage the horsetail
growth in my yard, even if I can't permanently stop the invasion. Are
there other weeds or plants that would crowd them out? Should I keep
clipping them at ground level or just give up that weekly chore? Will
the Casoron likely hold them off for a season or will I start seeing
them reappear later this year?

I know the outlook is bleak with horsetails, but any helpful advice
would be appreciated since I'm way outta my league with this
particular plant...

Maybe you can figure out a way to extract the gold from them. I read
yesterday that horsetail extracts gold from the soil.

Engquists wrote:

Unlike most of you out there, I'm an absolute novice gardener. And
lucky me, my first major challenge is trying to clear horsetails from
a pretty massive yard that I've inherited with my new house.

Initially, I tried clipping them off at ground level every week, but
this didn't stop them from coming back, of course, it just helped
slightly for aesthetic purposes. Secondly, I tried applying Casoron
to a few beds after pulling the horsetails up, which has actually
seemed to be helping and has severely limited their growth for the
past few weeks, at least. Since there are tons of them still left in
the woods, however, I doubt I'll be able to do anything permanently to
prevent them from creeping onto my property. The soil is also
extremely damp (I'm in the Seattle area) so I don't think there's much
I can do to increase drainage.

So I guess my question is whether anybody out there can think of other
solutions or steps I should be taking to at least manage the horsetail
growth in my yard, even if I can't permanently stop the invasion. Are
there other weeds or plants that would crowd them out? Should I keep
clipping them at ground level or just give up that weekly chore? Will
the Casoron likely hold them off for a season or will I start seeing
them reappear later this year?

I know the outlook is bleak with horsetails, but any helpful advice
would be appreciated since I'm way outta my league with this
particular plant...

In article ,
(Engquists) wrote:

Unlike most of you out there, I'm an absolute novice gardener. And
lucky me, my first major challenge is trying to clear horsetails from
a pretty massive yard that I've inherited with my new house.

Initially, I tried clipping them off at ground level every week, but
this didn't stop them from coming back, of course, it just helped
slightly for aesthetic purposes. Secondly, I tried applying Casoron
to a few beds after pulling the horsetails up, which has actually
seemed to be helping and has severely limited their growth for the
past few weeks, at least. Since there are tons of them still left in
the woods, however, I doubt I'll be able to do anything permanently to
prevent them from creeping onto my property. The soil is also
extremely damp (I'm in the Seattle area) so I don't think there's much
I can do to increase drainage.

So I guess my question is whether anybody out there can think of other
solutions or steps I should be taking to at least manage the horsetail
growth in my yard, even if I can't permanently stop the invasion. Are
there other weeds or plants that would crowd them out? Should I keep
clipping them at ground level or just give up that weekly chore? Will
the Casoron likely hold them off for a season or will I start seeing
them reappear later this year?

I know the outlook is bleak with horsetails, but any helpful advice
would be appreciated since I'm way outta my league with this
particular plant...

All the horsetails within a mile (maybe within a hundred miles) will have
interconnecting roots & share resources; it means that a plant that is
essentially a creature of organically rich bogs can pop up in dry harsh
ground & do surprisingly well. It could well be being fed by plants that
may be blocks & blocks away. When an entire neighborhood goes
obsessive-balistic & poisons horsetails like a religion for blocks around,
for years on end, it may eventually disappear.

The best & most realistic attitude to take is "horsetail is beautiful."
Because it is. At worst, think of it as like dandylion & invading grasses,
stuff that is never going to be permanently gotten rid of, & may need
mowing. At best, think of it as a natural & attractive landscape feature
that becomes part of your gardening design. Meaning, in some spots you
might as well encourage it to be lush, & select stuff that grows with it
nicely.

Many people plant it on purpose & never regret it, after all.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

The reason that casoron is not working on your horsetail is that casoron is a
PRE EMERGENT! It wont really have much effect on anything that is already
established. Casoron is a restricted use herbicide and isnt meant for
homeowners. Roundup would proably work better.

Toad

"Engquists" wrote in message
m...
Unlike most of you out there, I'm an absolute novice gardener. And
lucky me, my first major challenge is trying to clear horsetails from
a pretty massive yard that I've inherited with my new house.

Pulling them, rather chan clipping, will get more of the root, and slow them
down more. I've had some luck spot spraying with weed-b-gon or roundup.
Spray the new growth, then let them be. Spray again if they don't die back.
Use a sharp flat bladed spade to slice 12-14 inches deep all around your
yard, to cut off the nutrient supply coming in from roots outside your yard.
That, and constant pulling, will get them eventually. Don't let them get
tall, that just lets them build up the roots. It is not a one year project.
It might take several to clean it up, but you will see gradual improvement
if you keep after them.

Bob

(Marley1372) wrote in message ...
The reason that casoron is not working on your horsetail is that casoron is a
PRE EMERGENT! It wont really have much effect on anything that is already
established. Casoron is a restricted use herbicide and isnt meant for
homeowners. Roundup would proably work better.

Toad

I appreciate your feedback. Interestingly, however, the Casoron DOES
seem to have inhibited the horsetail growth in one area to a great
degree. After trimming out the existing plants, and spraying the
area, there's been no new growth for over a week. In other areas
where I did the same thing but DIDN'T apply Casoron, the new shoots
grew up again like clockwork within 2-3 days. So I can't tell you the
science behind it all, but Casoron does seem to be making a
difference. It's the only effective weapon I've found so far.

RoundUp, on the other hand, didn't have any effect when I used it. In
fact, as I sprayed it on I swear I heard the horsetail laughing
faintly...

Pulling them, rather chan clipping, will get more of the root, and slow them
down more. I've had some luck spot spraying with weed-b-gon or roundup.
Spray the new growth, then let them be. Spray again if they don't die back.
Use a sharp flat bladed spade to slice 12-14 inches deep all around your
yard, to cut off the nutrient supply coming in from roots outside your yard.
That, and constant pulling, will get them eventually. Don't let them get
tall, that just lets them build up the roots. It is not a one year project.
It might take several to clean it up, but you will see gradual improvement
if you keep after them.

Bob

Thanks for the tips, Bob. It's nice to hear somebody with at least a
little optimism that I can get the horsetail under control; I'll cling
to the illusion of hope, even if I lose the battle in the long run.

I did find it interesting that your advice about pulling the roots
contradicts what I've read in some other messages. Many people have
said that pulling the plant up by the roots stimulates it to grow even
faster -- for some scientific reason that eludes me -- and have
suggested clipping that plants at ground level is a better idea since
it will theoretically help starve them via denial of photosynthesis.
I'm assuming you disagree with this and suggest that I just go
straight for the roots?

Last but not least, I'm curious whether anybody out there has an
opinion about whether a commercial gardening service would be of any
use. In other words, would a professional yard care firm have access
to chemicals and such that might be more effective than what I can get
my hands on? Would it be worth $200-300 to have them come out and
spray the weeds or would it simply postpone the problem for a few
short weeks? I'd be willing to pay for professional help with the
horsetail problem, but only if it results in at least a semi-permanent
improvement and not just a few weeks of relief.

Does anybody have thoughts on whether this would be a good/bad
investment?

"Engquists" wrote in message
m...
Pulling them, rather chan clipping, will get more of the root, and slow
them
down more. I've had some luck spot spraying with weed-b-gon or roundup.
Spray the new growth, then let them be. Spray again if they don't die
back.
Use a sharp flat bladed spade to slice 12-14 inches deep all around your
yard, to cut off the nutrient supply coming in from roots outside your
yard.
That, and constant pulling, will get them eventually. Don't let them get
tall, that just lets them build up the roots. It is not a one year
project.
It might take several to clean it up, but you will see gradual
improvement
if you keep after them.

Bob

Thanks for the tips, Bob. It's nice to hear somebody with at least a
little optimism that I can get the horsetail under control; I'll cling
to the illusion of hope, even if I lose the battle in the long run.

I did find it interesting that your advice about pulling the roots
contradicts what I've read in some other messages. Many people have
said that pulling the plant up by the roots stimulates it to grow even
faster -- for some scientific reason that eludes me -- and have
suggested clipping that plants at ground level is a better idea since
it will theoretically help starve them via denial of photosynthesis.
I'm assuming you disagree with this and suggest that I just go
straight for the roots?

My theory is that the plant will have to use up more energy growing a new
root to the surface, but I could be wrong. IT did seem to work for me. Try
Weed-b-gon on them. It seems to have worked better for me than roundup. Just
spot spray the stem as soon as you see it, and maybe a couple weeks later if
it still seems lively. Again, cutting the roots from outside your yard will
help immensely, although it will keep the poison from reaching them. You
could even put a sheet of something hard around your yard, underground, as a
fence blocking the roots from re-entering. I've used sheet aluminum for
this. Just make sure it goes below where the roots grow to ground level,
probably 12-14".

Bob

On 13 May 2003 01:08:43 GMT, (Marley1372) wrote:

The reason that casoron is not working on your horsetail is that casoron is a
PRE EMERGENT! It wont really have much effect on anything that is already
established. Casoron is a restricted use herbicide and isnt meant for
homeowners. Roundup would proably work better.

Toad

Casoron is not a restricted use herbicide and is available to
homeowners. It is used for horsetail suppression. Remember that
Casoron tends to move on slopes and will affect existing plants. Be
careful with it. Roundup does not work well on horsetail. Triclopyr
products have some effect on horsetail, but no non-restricted
herbicide available at this point works particularly well. Any kind of
control efforts will require constant vigilance over years.

Casoron is not a restricted use herbicide and is available to
homeowners.

It isnt here in michigan, im not sure if it varies by state.

Toad