Good rainy day. I have hoarstail in my lawn and I used to get rid of it by herbicides. What is a better way of eradicating from the lawn. Thanks Beige
Suggest following site, from different thread, for further information. Very difficult to control. <http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/hrsetail.htm>
I have read that the best way to get rid of horsetail is to remove the favourable conditions in which it's growing. That means removing the environmental factors it prefers - acidic soil, low oxygen and low nutrients. Can you improve your lawns drainage? Maybe it means aerating the lawn, top dressing with a bit of sand, try adding lime to alter pH of lawn, and consider feeding your lawn to boost the nutrients. Growing a healthy lawn that can out-compete weeds may be easier than fighting weeds directly. Keep in mind a lawn program may require a bit more work to get things right but it doesn't always need herbicide. Try this link to an article by Carol Hall addressing the issues of Horsetail. Be patient - horsetail has been around for millions of years and it won't go away fast. Good luck.
If you don't want to spray your entire yard you might try what I do to horse tail in my flower beds. I cut it off, exposing the hollow stem and then drop a few drops of weed killer in the stem. It works and doesn't harm the neighboring flowers. It takes very little herbicide so there is less risk of run off.
Re: Horsetail and herbicides I agree. My best results have come from cutting off the leaves and stem down to the first visible segment above the ground. Then use un-cut (100%) strength blackberry weed killer dropwise into the hollow stem. Works like a charm. Tedious for a big infection tho.
If the Horsetail is in the lawn, the easiest way to get rid of it is to fertilize the grass so that it grows well and shades out the Horsetail. Cut the grass fairly high to maintain plenty of shade. Horsetail can't compete with thick grass; it typically does best in poor soils with little competition.
