I have no idea how to kill this plant/weed which is taking over my flower beds... it is HIGHLY INVASIVE with a strong root system. It looks like an evergreen and first appeared several years ago around the trunk of a Prairie Fire Crabtree we planted. It could also have come in with the mulch we used, but over time, it's taking over. I've tried several times to dig it up, but the root system makes it impossible to get every little piece and leaving anything behind just allows it to reinitiate itself. HELP!
It looks like Horsetail (Equisetum spp) to me. If this is what you have, you also have my deepest sympathies, and I suggest you use harsh harsh chemicals like Glycosate (RoundUp) on it and see if that does anything. Short of a scorched-earth policy, where you take a propane torch into your garden and flame the little beasts until they're all shriveled and blackened and dead (very satisfying to do, sometimes), it is probably your best move.
I'm SO sad to hear this, as I have MANY perennials, shrubs, and ground cover (ajuga) in this giant bed. I have tried using Round-up repeatedly, but it doesn't kill it. My husband and I have been painstakenly working to dig it out, and were hoping there was some form of granular weed killer we could work deeper into the soil that might do the trick on any little sprouts we inadvertantly leave behind? Any suggestions?
I've never had to try granular, so in my opinion, flaming it may be your best option. You can flameweed selectively if you buy a plumber's torch (the kind that's a nozzle on a little tank of propane) at Home Depot....
thanks for your help. I'll give it a try; however, I'm not optimistic given that I have it growing between my ajuga... seems I'll have to just write that off.
An internet search should bring up more options, maybe other threads here or on Gardenweb. It is a scourge.
Read through this thread before you do anything. http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=6795&highlight=equisetum Sounds like your best remedies are fertilizer and vinegar?
Likely came in the rootball of the crabapple tree, it having been grown in an infested field. You'll never even get it down to a dull roar unless you convert the planting area to taller, dense-growing plants that shade it out or are diligent and persistent with control methods. The dinosaurs are long gone, this stuff (and roaches) is still here.
