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judepd Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 15 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Galway
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 8:44 am Post subject: Unusual Weed |
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Hi,
Can anyone help me to identify this unusual ugly weed? I just bought a new house and its prolific in one part of the guy. Also what's best to kill it? I used roundup but it seems to have multiplied since.
Thanks,
Peter
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Sive Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 1731 Location: Co.Wexford
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 9:47 am Post subject: |
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Oh dear, it looks like horsetail.
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medieval knievel Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 1010
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judepd Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 15 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Galway
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 10:41 am Post subject: |
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Thanks. Its horsetail alright. Great to know its name at last but depressing to find out how resistent it is. Its growing on a gravel path so its look like I will have to dig that up and either discard all the gravel or soak in vinegar.
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judepd Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 15 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Galway
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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Just read the worse thing to do is to try digging it up so I'm going to cut the heads and spray ammonium sulphate or glyphosate on the cut heads and keep repeating for years. I'll also soak the sandy/gravel in vinegar and possibly cover the whole are in black plastic.
I like this article as it gives hope http://www.ehow.com/how_7530031_remove-horsetail.html
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Silver surfer Rank attained: Tree plantation keeper
Joined: 25 Feb 2010 Posts: 597 Location: PERTHSHIRE. SCOTLAND. U.K.
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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It is also called Horse tail..Equisetum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum
Every time you take the head off,instead of one stalk you will get 5-6 from the cut end.
You will, I fear just have to live with it.
Or as it said on the radio years ago on Gardeners question time... Move house!
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Greengage Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 09 Nov 2011 Posts: 3129 Location: Kildare
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with silver surfer of all the weeds you could get this is the worse,
If it was brought in and you catch it early you have a chance, Roundup is the only thing regular application, If it gets established you have lost the battle, Sell and run like hell. Now having said all that I have lived wit it in the past for a long time it will not survive in lawns but veg plots and herbaceous borders no chance unless you convert everything into a lawn and cut cut cut eventually it will starve itself.
Concrete or tarmac will not stop this blighter.
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Anonany Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 09 May 2011 Posts: 67 Location: Bray, Co Wicklow
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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As others have said, it's the very devil but -- given time and effort -- Roundup will eventually see it off.
The suggestion I came across was to really bruise it (to break up the waxy coating) before applying the weedkiller. My solution was to lay the stems and leaves over a rock and beat the living daylights out of them with another rock prior to each application. It took quite a while -- 5-6 years perhaps ? -- with at least three applications per year ... but I did eventually get rid of it some ten years or so ago !
The real trick ? Wait until someone/something has really annoyed you ... then take out all your pent up aggression on the horse tail !
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Matt Rank attained: Hazel Tree

Joined: 31 Mar 2012 Posts: 9 Location: limerick
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Hi Judepd
You could use a weed -wand burner I have had one for a few years and find it very good I have eradicated bindweed in most of my garden with it and am working the last area now with glyphosate and a sponge in my raised beds might be worth a try
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