Field horsetail

Comments

1. Have a serious problem of Horsetail in my grazing. Finding it very difficult to find information on how to effectively deal with this problem
   

   - Debbie Jones 5---0-2005



2. I think horsetail is one of the most difficult weeds to deal with. All the information we have gathered so far is in our review. Improving the pasture may give it a little more competition from the other plants but it will be able to flourish as the grass is removed by grazing. If we come across anything more helpful we will update our information.
   

   - Bill Bond 5---0-2005



3. one thing that might help in heavily infested areas is to somehow "squash" it...I have used a 4-wheeler with a light drag (a log tied to the back with a rope) at the early middle of horsetail season, and have not had them come back till the next year, while the grass was undamaged. Guess that wont work in a hay pasture, but for general grazing it seems to do the trick.
   

   - Kirsten Absher 6---0-2005



4. Can anyone tell me just how serious a problem this is for horses. We appear to have a lot of horsetail growing in our pasture and my yearling is in there! I can't just turn a blind eye and pretend that my horse won't eat it because it is unpalatable!!! How seriously poisonous is it ? Would you put your horses on pasture containing this weed? Is it notifiable? Would it affect a livery yard in terms of business?? Hope you can help.
   

   - Angela Clark 6---0-2005



5. Horsetail is poisonous to horses and other stock but it is generally avoided by grazing animals while in the green state. For this reason it tends to thrive because there is less competition from the grazed vegetation. The problems arise when there nothing else for stock to eat, if the horsetail is cut down and left in the field or if the grass plus horsetail is cut for hay. The poison in horsetail is not destroyed by drying and contaminated hay is the main cause of poisoning. Poisoning results in a general loss of condition initially so should be noticed before it goes too far. In terms of risk to stock, it is not on a par with ragwort and it is not a notifiable weed under the 'weed act'. I'm afraid I cannot answer the last part of your question as I have no experience in this area.
   

   - Bill Bond 7---0-2005



6. we have just purchased an acre of land with hope to put a horse on it next spring, and now have found lots of horsetail shoots dotted all around it, we have been told to try deep root weed killer and bash the stems so that it can get into it. i carnt belive that its not under the weed act , because it seems to be an absolute horror to get rid of and seems to be very dangerous to grazing horses.if all else failed would ploughing up and reseeding do the trick?
   

   - claire smedley 8---0-2005



7. I'm afraid that even ploughing and reseeding are unlikely to eliminate this weed. However, if it makes you feel better, neither will the herbicide! Regular mowing or a very competitive, tall growing crop are the only things that I have seen that will help. Even then the weed is likely to return if you let it.
   

   - Bill Bond 8---0-2005



8. Re Horsetails ..... when you say that Horsetails can regenerate from Rhizome fragments does that mean that if they are cut e.g. with a brush cutter they will regrow from where the bits fall on the ground? If this is the case how can regular mowing help? Surely that will make things worse?
   

   - Bob Gardner 6---0-2006



9. Bob....the rhizomes are the underground organs of horsetail so are not the part you mean. It has been shown that the above ground stems can regenerate under certain circumstances although I have never seen it happen. I think it unlikely that the clippings from a mower would do this but as is seen with Japanese knotweed, stems put through a shredder can regrow in some plants.
   
   Nevertheless, the main purpose of removing the top growth of horsetail and other perennials is to starve out or weaken the underground organs. It then has to be a matter of common sense how the stems are disposed of. In the case of horsetail I would leave larger pieces to dry and then burn them. It may be okay to compost smaller pieces if you can do this thoroughly but check the compost before spreading it.
   
   

   - Bill Bond 6---0-2006



10. What chemicals will kill and rid horsetail weeds? Thank you
    

    - Judgeczec@adelphia.net 7---0-2006



11. Organic farmers don't use herbicides to manage weeds and so I am not certain what chemicals you would use. I would encourage you to try some of the cultural methods suggested on this page.
    

    - Gareth Davies 7---0-2006



12. Horsetail depletes thiamine in horses; that's what makes them sick and can kill them. Thiamine is cheap and readily available from any large animal veterinarian. We lost a couple of horses to it before the vet figured out the problem. Now every horse owner in this part of Alaska keeps a bottle of thiamine and a syringe handy.
    I'm going to try lime to see if a pH change will discourage the horsetail in my garden... (I'm not a vet. Just a beef cattle rancher with a couple of horses.)
    

    - Jan Flora 9---0-2006



13. Just dug up some tiles in our corn field and found them chuck full of some kind of root that resembles binder twine. The tile is FULL of this root and we have had problems with Horse Tail or what i like to call "Poor Mans Pine" ? Does anyone else call it this? And, would these roots which look like binder twine clogging up my tiles be from Horse Tail.
    
    Thanks,
    Brent Turville
    

    - Horse Tail ( Poor Mans Pine?) 0---1-2006



14. I have had this pest growing in my new garden shortly after I moved in 5 years ago. It even lifted the tarmac on my driveway. I have been pulling up every stem i see for the last 4 years and its gradually getting less prevalent. So, it seems pulling it up will eventually get rid, but how long it takes is anyone's guess. I have even tried Pathclear weed killer on my driveway, the shoots you see die off, but new shoots soon reappear. Happy pulling!
    

    - Philip cowley 1---1-2006



15. The best none chemical way to control horsetail is by removing the top growth every two weeks by scissors. Pulling on it can cause it to produce more shoots. Casoron is the best chemical control but has many label restrictions. Round-up does not work very well. Triclopyr (Lontrel) is good at suppressing horsetail but is not a longterm solution. 2,4-D will also suppress it.
    

    - Dan 4---0-2007



16. Horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ) has traditionally been used in Europe as a diuretic for the treatment of edema (swelling/fluid retention). The German Commission E expert panel has approved horsetail for this indication. Horsetail is also occasionally used for osteoporosis, nephrolithiasis, urinary tract inflammation, and wound healing (topical). These uses have largely been based on anecdote and clinical tradition, rather than scientific evidence.
    
    There is preliminary human evidence supporting the use of horsetail as a diuretic. One poorly designed human trial found horsetail to effectively raise bone density equally to calcium supplements.
    
    In theory (based on mechanism of action), horsetail ingestion in large amounts may cause thiamine deficiency, hypokalemia, or nicotine toxicity. Reported adverse effects include dermatitis.
    

    - debbie baker 5---0-2007



17. has anyone out there ever tried weedburners on horsetail and if so can you advise whether or not i should purchase one as my back is broken pulling this little blighter
    

    - chris 5---0-2007



18. I do landscape design and installation and run into this in landscape beds. My latest attempt was to remove all the plant material from the rather large bed from a circle drive. I then covered it with pinned down thick black plastic, turned off the irrigation zone for that area and finally mulch with Inviro Mulch to cover the unsitelyness of the plastic. I have kept it that way for all of last summer and this summer too. I plant on planting it it next year. I have had a couple of shoots come up along the edge and where ther are seams. My client immediately spray with weed killer as soon as she sees them. So far, this has had the best results. Between the intense heat and drout, I am hoping to get rid of it in this bed. Does any know if this can still survive two season of these conditions?
    

    - Sue 6---0-2007



19. Have been plagued with Horses Tail, for the past 9 years did find a good weed killer, but due to the Government changing the regulations, had to turn to Systemic Weedkillers, which just are not man enough.
    Told that to step on each stem, so as to break down the hard skin, which should then allow more weed killer to be absorbed by the weed?
    Have seen a new weed killer for Ivy, and wonder if that be a better option than just pulling up clumps of this insiduous weed.
    Can this weed grow any larger??
    Tim.
    

    - Tim Edwards 6---0-2007



20. A strong mix of Ammonium sulphamate ("Deep Root") applied in July/Aug to ALL visible horsetail will effectively wipe it out. Wear rubber gloves and rough up the horsetail to let the Deep Root penetrate past the waxy silica covered surface.
    

    - Chris Longrigg 6---0-2007



21. Does anyone have any evidence that liming will help remove this weed? I've just moved my horses to a paddock that has a lot in one corner, and am planning on liming anyway to improve the pasture... Will this help?
    

    - Chloe 6---0-2007



22. Can the tops be thrown into the compost?
    

    - robin 7---0-2007



23. I have read that Amicide will remove this weed which I have loads of growing along a fence and has now travelled into a flower bed, we've been away for 2 weeks and on returning looks like my garden has been taken over by some alien plant form!! Can anyone out there tell me whether Amicide is harmful to domestic pets such as cats and dogs before I go and give it a go!!??
    

    - Marie 7---0-2007



24. As an organic organisation we would recommend that people avoid using synthetic herbidcides and instead look at altering the conditions which are allowing the horsetail to thrive and creating an environment that works against the weed (see above). I appreciate that this is not always easy but then again as this discussion shows people have had mixed experiences with herbicides, which are also not the complete answer!
    

    - Gareth Davies 7---0-2007



25. Am thinking of having goats brought in to clear a lower lot of thick blackberry vines and bushes. Unfortunately I have been pulling horsetail from the upper established garden and throwing them into the lower lot. Will goats have a similarly poor reaction to eating horsetail as do sheep?
    
    

    - Jeri Schuhmann 7---0-2007



26. I have an infestation of Equisetim Arvense from a neighbouring garden - My solution is to chop the stem down to 5mm from ground level, then inject Tumbleweed into the stem/root via a hyperdermic syringe. It doesn't erradicate the weed, but the infestation it is now well under control.
    

    - David Jack 9---0-2007



27. I repeat my earlier comment that Deep Root (Ammonium sulphamate) is a systemic weedkiller which is extremely effective on horsetail. It is the only product I have come across which actually specifies horsetail in the list of weeds it controls. However it is being banned by an EU regulation (no idea why since it says on the packet "Approved under the control of pesticides act 1986") so act quickly! My garden centre has plenty, as does B&Q, the latter much cheaper as it is quite expensive.
    

    - Chris Longrigg 9---0-2007



28. What is the best method anyone has found to kill this weed? We have just moved into our house and the whole of the front garden is plagued with the stuff - need to get rid of it so we can make a garden. Currently the garden is just soil and these things.. Any help much appreciated!
    

    - Carla 9---0-2007



29. I have been plagued with this weed for about 4 years, and it has ruined my vegetable garden. I think I am going to have to just dig up the soil, get rid of it, and put black plastic over the area, then try to dry it up and turn the garden back to mowable lawn, keeping it short and dry. I have been reading every one's comments oline for weeks, and with all the miracles in this world, you would think we could find a cure for this pest.
    

    - Patty Jacobs 9---0-2007



30. does anyone know if horsetail effects deer at all?
    

    - jen 0---1-2007



31. what about the use of 20% vinegar? I have heard it works
    

    - rob 0---1-2007



32. I have found that brushwood killer sprayed on the foliage kills the weed, and hopefully the roots as well. Surrounding plants have to be shielded with plastic sheet.
    

    - jack 8---0-2008



33. Perhaps all those having trouble with horsetail should make fresh plant juice or tinctures from it. It is considered to be an excellent medicine, particularly for oedema.
    

    - Ruth Baker 9---0-2008