Hi, I am new to the board and live in the sandy area of Ocean Shores, WA. I have read all the discussion about horsetails and am not sure which I should try without killing my plants. The soil is pretty sandy here and I have a real horsetail problem. I have placed cardboard and landscape covering, which has helped somewhat. However, the horsetail is coming up anywhere I have plants and along the edges and of course anywhere I do not have covering. The neighbors have quite a growth and do not try to contain them in any way. Does the vinegar matter whether it is white or regular cider vinegar? What is 2,4-D and can it be used in residential areas? I was told once that if you have a horsetail problem the only solution is to move! Thanks in advance to anyone who will answer my questions.
I think changing the soil conditions to be less suitable for them may be the way to go. They have certain preferences. They also can't grow much or at all beneath a dense growth of taller plants, maybe you could just shade them out with new plantings of shrubs that will fill in and displace them.
On a website I read about using horticultural vinegar to kill horsetail. I applied some 2 weeks ago and it barely killed the horsetail. I went out again last night and put it on them and today 90% were brown and almost dead. Unfortunately, I was not careful enough, as my hosta are dying too. The leaves have turned white (they used to be green and white). I'm ok with that however, because I have been trying to kill the stuff for 12 years. I tried a product, Finale, but it did not work either. So perhaps if I can kill the horsetail over the next couple of years, I'll replant the hosta!
All the horsetails you see are like 1 plant, they are rooted together. Burning off the foliage with vinegar is useless, they will just shoot up right beside it. At least a systemic herbicide like 2,4-D will knock'em back better. You must try to hit all the horsetails with your spray. If you pull the ones out from under plants and spray the ones in open areas, you may as well use vinegar, because this will be ineffective as well. 2,4-D does not translocate through the plant far enough to effect the ones you pulled, thus, those ones will shoot back quickly. There is a preemergent herbicide called Casoron, If this applied after a vinegar or 2,4-D application you should get no horsetail come up where the Casoron has been applied. For best results apply the Casoron during the dormant season prior to the horsetail germination in the spring. I have used this product for 21 years and I am very comfortable giving my customers a 99% guarantee against horsetail. http://www.growercentral.com/index....familyID=118860&CFID=4319436&CFTOKEN=41096967 Click on Labels to read up on Casoron, light dosage will not effect perennials. Jim.
Hello, Kurt v here. This horsetail thing has been a problem for me, I live in deep east Texas zone 8-8b .When I first saw horsetail I thought what a nice plant to use around my water falls well I think you know what has happened, yep it took over, I thought how nice, it spreads well.(oops.) after about 6 mo. I started diging it out that didn't work, then came Roundup it thrived on that, then I found this forum & they talked about vinegar so I tried that, no luck. I next went to 24d had mixed luck I started reading messages here that was talking about the plant having a wax like coating on the outside so the 24d would just run off. I went on line & found 68% 24d mixing it 2oz to one quart water. Now I went out & cut the horsetail about one inch above the soil took the 24d mix & sprayed the ends full of fluid (they are hollow) a lot of work BUT there is no signs of there return it has been over 6mo. now good luck
I tried with vinegar and it works for some and doesn't for others. Then I covered it with a paper cup after spraying the vinegar and it works great. It will die down within a day or two. Now, I will first clear up all bigger ones and wait for their new one shot up from the ground. Paint it with vinegar (to save the ground from too much vinegar)and then cover it with the paper cup. This will be done every other day for the next 2-3 months to make sure it will not come back to this area again. I suppose they will sense that it is not their territory and prefer to go somewhere else. Will report further development in a month.
After 10 days, I found that there is 4 new shots coming out of the ground. It is far less than my expectation and I think my way works. I will keep doing it until it show no more sights of coming back.
