I recently moved into an apartment in Bellingham, WA and there is a nice little garden patch outside my porch. There are already a few established plants in it - some irises, a rosebush and a couple of as-yet unidentified trees. I got some nice little perenials to plant, as well as a groundcover, but first, I have to get rid of the horsetail. I've started to pull it up, and realized that just pulling it up is not going to solve my problem. The roots seem to go really deep and don't want to let go. I'd really rather not use any harmful herbicides, but the only information I've been able to find about horsetail control recommends Casoron. Does anyone have any magic suggestions that don't involve chemicals? Or at least minimal chemicals? Thanks!
Great - thank you Daniel... I'll try the vinegar. Guess I didn't read far enough into the forun for the answer.
Interested in using vinegar for horsetail conterol in a bed I'm going to use for raspberries. Question: if I mix alot of vinegar in when I turn over the bed, which is currently full of horsetail, will it harm the raspberry canes?? Should I maybe let it sit for a week then water well to flush the vinegar?? Anybody have any experiance with above situation?? Thanks Bet
The vinegar will kill the canes on contact! Be careful! Only apply the vinegar directly to the growing horsetail. It will not sterilize the soil but will kill anything it comes in contact with - leaves or roots. I use the vinegar for horsetail and for clover but only directly on the offending plant. Been using a pop bottle with nail holes in the cap as my "dribbler" and it keeps it near the weed without extending too far into the stuff I want to save. Have fun.