Content
- Field horsetail can hardly be effectively combated
- How does field horsetail spread in the garden?
- Superficial control measures
- Methods to keep field horsetails in check
- Lime the floor
- Fight field horsetail in the lawn
- Never discard the horsetail on the compost
- At what locations does the horsetail feel good?
- Why use chemical agents hardly
- Tips
Field horsetail is seen reluctantly in gardens
Field horsetail can hardly be effectively combated
Field horsetail is not entirely wrong the horror of any gardener. Once the plant, also known as horsetail, has sneaked into the garden, you hardly ever get it away again. It does not work without manual labor, because chemically active agents are hardly effective in field horsetail.
Next article Field horsetail is not poisonousHow does field horsetail spread in the garden?
Field horsetail multiplies by two methods. First, the plant does not produce seeds during the flowering season, but spores that spread through the air. Spores, unlike seeds, can hardly be contained.
On the other hand, Ackerschachtelhalm drives underground foothills where rhizomes grow. The roots can grow up to two meters in depth. The foothills grow horizontally several meters long, so that Horsetail straw can easily overcome stone surfaces and even not basement houses.
This makes the problem of control clear. Digging a field horsetail is hardly possible without replacing the whole soil. Even the smallest parts of the roots produce new plants.
Superficial control measures
First, the gardener can try a fight with some methods, but only superficially:
The above-ground parts of the field horsetail can be destroyed in this way. However, you do not fight the horsetail like that permanently, because the rhizomes continue to grow underground.
But for a few months, you will have some peace. You should use this rest period to dig out any field horsetail that sticks out of the ground immediately.
Methods to keep field horsetails in check
In case of a heavy attack with field horsetail in the garden, you may have to come to terms with the fact that you can never destroy the herb permanently. In this case, you can try to control the horsetail by taking appropriate measures. These measures include:
Lupins are particularly suitable for green manuring, as they form long taproots. The roots remain in the ground after mowing and decompose there. This loosens the soil deeply. The rainwater can run better and the location is not quite as humid.
Lime the floor
As horsetail prefers acidic soils, you can use lime to improve garden soil. This effectively restricts the growth of horsetail.
Wherever possible, drain the garden floor well. The better the rainwater and irrigation water can run off, the less waterlogging arises. As a result, the field horsetail is deprived of a survival basis.
Fight field horsetail in the lawn
Grows field horsetail in the lawn, you can assume that the soil is very compacted here and the soil moisture is much too high.
Scarify the lawn so the grasses get more air. Loosen the soil with a nail roller and make sure that the soil has a good drainage. Have the soil checked for acidity. If she is very angry, lime the lawn. It does the grass good, but does not like the horsetail.
If the entire lawn is traversed by field horsetail, you may have no choice but to remove the old lawn, dig up the soil profoundly and remove all the horsetail roots. Before reforesting, apply drainage to prevent the soil from re-compacting and becoming too wet.
Never discard the horsetail on the compost
If you have hauled or dug up field horsetail, you should dispose of the plant well. Do not shake the horsetail if spores have already formed above. Put such plant parts in a plastic bag.
Roots and aboveground plant parts do not belong to the compost. There they just spread and fall back into the garden.
Remains of the field horsetail always belong in the garbage can, and as soon as possible, before further spores can be distributed.
At what locations does the horsetail feel good?
Since digging hardly brings anything and chemical weed killers or sprays have at best a superficial effect, there is only the possibility to make the stay in the garden as unpleasant as possible to the field horsetail.
Horsetail is an indicator of waterlogging and compacted soils. This means that the plant grows well in damp locations.
Besides, horsetail likes an acid soil. Neutral soil avoids the plant.
Why use chemical agents hardly
The trade offers a variety of horsetail control products. They are available as sprays or weed killers on the market.
With Horsetail, there is little point in fighting it chemically. They would only use these means to kill the aboveground parts. The subterranean parts of the plant do not reach the means.
Weed killers also severely affect soil health, so you better avoid using chemicals.
Tips
Since you hardly get field horsetail out of the garden, just use its good sites. In addition to the use in the kitchen and for cosmetics can be produced from horsetail manure, which is very effective in fungal diseases of roses and many other plants.