ProGreen's recommendations for removing horsetail / mare's tail
Otherwise known as mare’s tail or by its scientific name, Equisetum arvense, horsetail is a fast-growing, perennial weed that can be a nightmare to get rid of. Even if it’s attacked straight away, because it grows underground via rhizomes, it can spread quickly and prove a real challenge to eliminate.
Why get rid of it? Well, horsetail can cause serious damage to smaller plants. Its thick stems and plentiful leaves can soon starve them of light, and its rhizomes can wrap themselves around the roots of surrounding plants, making it even harder to remove the weed naturally. If it grows in a paddock, removal is even more critical; horsetail is poisonous due to its rich silica content, and can prove fatal if consumed by grazing animals in large enough quantities.
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve already tried to tackle the plant to no avail. Don’t worry, you’re not alone - we advise customers on horsetail removal on a regular basis. In this guide, we’re going to look at what makes it so challenging to remove, which techniques work, and which don’t.
Horsetail: the facts
Before we look at removal techniques, we need to understand what we’re dealing with. Here’s a roundup of key facts and figures you should know before you go up against horsetail!
- It can occur practically anywhere. You’ll often see it springing up between slabs and on gravel paths or driveways, and it’s equally prevalent in flower beds, lawns and borders.
- It is a perennial, but a crafty one: in autumn, it tends to recede back down to its roots, making you think it’s gone for good. But the rhizome continues to lurk beneath the surface and, sure enough, new stems will appear the following spring.
- These stems can reach heights of up to 60cm, or 2ft.
- The roots can grow 10ft below the surface in many cases.
Dealing with horsetail
As you can see from the stats above, controlling horsetail is no mean feat. Let’s take a look at two different approaches you can take to get it under control.
Natural Approaches
Many weeds can be treated naturally without the need for specialist products. Unfortunately, in the case of horsetail, these techniques rarely work.
Unless you catch it early on, digging the plant out will prove challenging. The roots can sometimes be more than 10ft deep, ruling this approach out. What’s more, attempting to dig horsetail out can just make the problem worse; if you fail to remove each broken root fragment, you’ll simply spread the outbreak further!
To complicate things a little more, horsetail can spread through its spores too. With all that in mind, it’s easy to see why chemical control is the preferred option.
Chemical Control
Horsetail is a particularly persistent plant, so most conventional weed killers will fail to achieve the results you’re looking for. In order to tame the weed once and for all, you need to choose a specialist product that’s been proven to kill horsetail specifically.
Products we recommend
Fortunately, there are a number of solutions on the market that can make horsetail control that much easier. Be under no illusion - no product can eradicate horsetail quickly. You can expect to have to treat the plant over a few years before it’s completely eradicated, which is why we recommend dealing with the weed as soon as it presents itself.
Keep in mind that, whichever product you choose, it’s best to treat horsetail when it’s growing between May and October. We recommend waiting for the stems to grow to around 20 cm before applying weed killer, as this will allow the plant to absorb more of it, improving its effectiveness.
Best for use on grass: SBK Brushwood Killer
If your horsetail outbreak has occurred on grass or in an area surrounded by plants you want to preserve, you’ll need a selective weedkiller - and SBK Brushwood Killer is one of the very best. It doesn’t contain glyphosate, and is specially formulated to tackle the toughest of nettles, brambles, woody weeds and even tree stumps.
We’ve seen great results with this product and recommend it to all of our customers. Not only does it kill the weed, it works its way right down to the rhizome to prevent regrowth. When you’re dealing with a stubborn plant like horsetail, this is exactly what you need.
As a bonus, it’s suitable for amateur home use and can be applied using a watering can, which is handy if you don’t have access to a pressure sprayer.
Best overall: Kurtail Evo
If you don’t have any surrounding grass or foliage to worry about, you’re better off choosing a powerful, total weedkiller. For horsetail, we recommend Kurtail Evo. It’s been on the market for over a decade and remains the go-to brand.
Designed for professionals and intended to be applied using a boom sprayer, Kurtail Evo can deliver noticeable results within 2-3 weeks.
Need further advice?
Got further questions about horsetail and how to control it, or need further advice on which products to choose? Please feel free to get in touch with us!
