Post #1784843

2026-04-26 12:32 UTC

It's #InvasiveSpecies day at the #allotment. 1st and more easily dealt with is the Spanish Bluebell, which I figure I can just dig up, and replace with the native variety. 2nd is Marsh Horsetail, this is a nasty piece of work, it is everywhere I look. So, is there a way to eradicate it that is A) inexpensive, and B) doesn't involve fighting a battle that will last the rest of my life? #gardening

Replies (4)

@laurenheywood@social.ds106.us 2026-04-29 20:54

@ArabellaLovejoy@mastodonapp.uk 1/2 If marsh horsetail is like regular horsetail then no, there's no real way to irradicate it but you can control it: (1) Get rid of the early shoots so it can't spread spores. (2) Pull it up as you see it and dispose of the waste carefully (it propogates easily from root cuttings). (3) Don't rotavate. When digging, carefully lift out the roots. Breaking up the roots in the soil turns each broken piece into a new plant.

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@Moocher@mastodonapp.uk 2026-04-26 12:53

@ArabellaLovejoy@mastodonapp.uk Equisitum sp. Grow on damp or boggy ground.

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@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social 2026-04-28 15:37

@ArabellaLovejoy@mastodonapp.uk the trick with Spanish bluebells is getting the bulbs out. The stems tend to break off leaving the bulbs in the ground. They can be quite small too. I had the best luck just digging up the clumps and then dumping them onto a screen (what we call hardware cloth in the US, about 6-8mm square) then screening the soil back into the hole and catching the bulbs. It's a lot of work but it is possible.

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@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social 2026-04-28 15:40

@ArabellaLovejoy@mastodonapp.uk Horsetails are rough (no pun intended). They thrive in poor soil. They're literally impervious to herbicides. The best result I've heard is from a combination of just pulling them (digging them up just spreads the pieces around) repeatedly over time while also improving the soil fertility and planting things that out-compete them.

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