What Kills Horsetail Weed

Horsetail is a perennial weed and an invasive species that can be difficult to eradicate, as it has a deep root system and can spread quickly in any garden. Horsetail weed is common in British gardens and causes massive destruction and damage in those lands. To eradicate horsetail, you need to understand what it is and how it spreads like this. You can kill them either by applying weed killers or removing their shoots.

This article contains complete information on killing horsetail weed and how these solutions will affect your ground. You must use strong weed killers and many homemade ingredients to kill the horseweed, as they are challenging to eliminate. Stay tuned if you want to find out what weed killer kills horsetail.

In This Article

How to Identify Horsetail Weed

image of horsetail weeds

Horsetail weed is a perennial, which means you can identify its shape; it has upright shoots with needle-like round leaves that grow around the central stalk. These leaves resemble a horse’s tail, which is why they are called horsetail weeds. When you see leaves of these shapes, you can quickly identify them as horsetail weeds, especially when these young weeds look like the end of a pine tree branch or bottle brush. 

These horsetail weeds are more vibrant in color and greener than most of the other weeds. They are attractive to look at, but weeds, even attractive, are harmful to crops and fields. These horsetails belong to the fern family, and they prefer to grow in moist soil and get their food from low-light and low-oxygen sources. 

Horsetail weeds do not require direct sunlight or open air, they can grow to an unbelievably large size with a minimum amount of light and air. You will find horsetail when some areas have a large volume of clay and sand. These horsetail weeds also tend to grow in acidic soils pretty well.

Ways to Remove and Prevent Horsetail Weeds

You can remove the horsetail weed from your land easily if you follow the ideas and methods given below:

1. Use the Right Chemical Weed Killer

There are different weed killers available in the market that you can use on your lawn to kill these weeds. It would help if you decided to buy the weed killer after carefully detecting it. The horsetail weeds are so poisonous and potent that they cannot die with any standard weed killer, you need to find a potent weed killer to eradicate them from their roots. 

If you use a Roundup and Glyphosate-based weed killer, they won’t impact the horsetail weeds. You will have to use a top-rated weed killer with a reputation for killing robust horsetail weeds.

2,4-D Amine

image of 2,4 D Amine

2,4-D Amine is a compound found in many weed-killing products that can kill many horsetail weeds. This compound is available in the market under the name “2,4-D”, it is top-rated, and you can find it easily in different shops. This product has the approval of many lawn care professionals in ultimately killing and eradicating horsetail weeds from the ground. It is one of those products that can go to the weed’s roots and cut its horsetail root rhizome.

Crossbow

image of crossbow

You can use many other professional weed killers, such as Crossbow, it is one of the excellent weed control herbicides and has a specialized killing capacity for horsetail weeds. A sledgehammer is a product found in sedge and hammer and contains Halosulfuron-methyl. This product has a good rating in killing the horsetail weed entirely by eradicating it from its roots. You might need an application period for this product of 1-2 months; after this, you will have a weed-free field.

Triclopyr

image of triclopyr use to kill horsetail weeds

Triclopyr has triethylamine salt, when you add this product to the horsetail weed field, it goes through the tissue of the plants and prevents cell growth. They have the potential to kill the weeds entirely from their roots within a month, and the results are outstanding.

2. Remove the Shoots

image of a removed shoot of horsetail weed

If you follow the methods and tips mentioned above, you will kill the horsetail. But, if you are still looking for another method to help you kill these horsetail weeds, you can remove their shoots to stop their growth. When a horsetail pops up from the ground, it has a deep-rooted rhizome network that brings food for the plant. 

When you cut and keep trimming the horsetail shoots, the infection caused by these weeds will decrease, and, in this way, you can keep trimming the weeds. It is not a permanent solution to get rid of the horsetail, but you can try this method to reduce weed growth and infection.

3. Improve Soil Condition to Prevent Horsetail

When there is acidic soil in an area with a poor drainage system, if there is sand and clay in large amounts, the horsetail tends to grow. You can control and monitor your soil conditions if you want to avoid horsetail, and you can do this by following the given steps. If you follow these steps, your ground will become more hospitable to fresh, vibrant pants.

Apply Dolomite Lime

image of dolomite lime

If you apply dolomite lime on the ground, the soil acidity will decrease, and acidic soil is one of the best living conditions for the horsetail. Dolomite lime reduces the soil acidity to the extent that the soil’s acidity is not enough for the weed to grow correctly. If your soil is acidic, it is adding a harmful effect on your plants. 

If you change the chemical composition of your soil by making it less acidic, you will get rid of the horsetail. A guide and instructions come with this dolomite lime, read it carefully before applying it to prevent damage.

Improve the Drainage

image of drainage hole in a lawn

If there are any low or marshy places in your field, you can fill them with different soil and make it even, this will give less space for the water to accumulate and form lousy drainage. You can also dig drainage trenches to prevent foul water from accumulating in your lawn and garden. If there is any moist area, horsetail is there too, and this horsetail makes a death bed for the rest of your plants and vegetation.

Fertilize

image of fertilizing lawn grass

After applying the dolomite lawn, add fertilizer to your lawn. Do not apply fertilizer and dolomite lime at once. If you use both lime and fertilizer at the same time, the nitrogen of the fertilizer will cancel the effect of lime and vice versa. Use the lime first and add fertilizer to the soil after 2-3 weeks. Use a slow-release and high-nitrogen fertilizer, this fertilizer has nothing to do with killing the weeds. It is best for making your soil healthy. Fertilizers boost your soil condition and help the plants grow in a perfect and healthy environment.

4. Cut the Horsetail Before Applying Weed Killer

image of horsetail weeds cuttings

Horsetail has tough leaves with a coat of wax. So, when you apply weed killer, lime, or fertilizer on the soil, these thick-coated leaves protect themselves and remain intact even after applying weed killer. The waxy leaf cuticle of the horsetail works as a natural barrier from all sorts of poisons added to kill the weed. Cut the horsetail with a mower or garden shears so that you can take care of the rest of the weed with the help of weed killer.

After cutting the horsetail of the weed, apply the herbicide that will enter directly inside the system of the horsetail. When you cut the horsetail of the weed, the weed killer enters the weed from the wound you made, and the results will become more effective and faster. Some weed killers available in the market work on the leaves of the weed to kill them, such as Crossbow. Avoid cutting the weed leaves for better functioning if you use such products.

5. Apply Pre-Emergent Weed Killer

image of casoron

When you have a fresh garden and lawn well-settled just the way you like it, you don’t want the attack of horsetail weed onto your beautiful garden. For this purpose, you can use Casoron Pre-Emergent Weed Killer. This weed killer has an exceptional quality of removing the chance of growing weeds from the ground. 

Add the casoron pre-emergent weed killer to the soil to kill the horsetail weed seeds and prevent them from going any further after applying the pre-emergent weed killer, water the field and ensure no rainfall during the application time. Soak the casoron into the soil and create a barrier to prevent the horsetail seed from sprouting and growing further. 

You must be careful while applying the Casoron due to its non-selective herbicide quality. This weed killer can kill everything it touches, it is solid and robust. Protect your plants and vegetation before applying this weed killer.

6. Mulch the Area

image of mulching

Mulching an area refers to adding a new layer of material on a layer of soil and then covering the whole surface of weeds with materials like rocks, leaves, or anything you have. Mulching will suffocate the weeds and kill them. You can mulch the area affected by horsetail weeds, it will also reduce the weed effect. 

Regular munching is needed to avoid the harm from the weed. Mulching comes after removing the weed shoots. Mulching can be long and short-term, depending on the number of weeds in your field. There are some optimum benefits noticed due to this mulching, and you can do this with little effort.

7. Mow Your Lawn Regularly

image of lawn mowing

If you have a pretty-looking lawn with beautiful, clean grass, you can avoid attaching horsetail weeds to it with the help of mowing. If you mow your lawn regularly and trace any little seeds of horsetail mowing onto it, it will nip them in the bud, and you can have a clean and clear lawn. Lawn moving is one of the most crucial factors in taking care of all the potential harm that can cause damage to your crops.

Conclusion

Getting rid of horsetail can be easy if the area affected by it is small, and it can be a handful task if the area is large. You can use a potent weed killer, a few examples of which are in this article. You can also try mulching, mowing, and cutting the stems of the horsetail to prevent them from growing. Horsetails need light and air to survive, if you cut all the air and light sources entering the field, you can kill these horsetails. Improving soil conditions and using the best quality chemicals can solve your problem. 

FAQs

1. How Can I Get Rid of Horsetail Weed Permanently?

If you want to get rid of these weeds permanently, then you must prepare your lawn to give no chance for weed growth. Because herbicides and weed killers are not a permanent solution. You have to maintain your lawn in a way to give the weeds no chance or condition to grow. For example, increasing the pH of your lawn soil, better drainage and fertilized soil helps to prevent horsetail weeds.

2. Is the Horsetail Weed Poisonous?

No, it is not highly poisonous but a toxic weed. If it is consumed in large amounts then it is toxic for the health however, the smaller quantities do not cause any harm.

3. What Is the General Depth of Horsetail Weed Roots?

Usually, the roots of horsetail weeds are about 6 feet deep in the soil with a width of 10 to 20 inches. There are tubers present inside the soil in the roots of these weeds that store the food for the weed for later usage in times of stress.

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