Horsetail, also known as marestail or Equisetum arvense to the Latin speakers among us, is a common perennial plant that grows up and down the country. Easily spread and difficult to kill, horsetail is one of the more awkward weeds to control. Even a small amount of horsetail can spread very easily and quickly throughout your garden. Here, the roots spread far and wide while the plant itself reproduces using spores rather than seeds.

However, despite horsetail being a nuisance when it comes to removal, it can be done! This blog looks at the methods of horsetail removal and how Taylor Total Weed Control can help you if you have horsetail in your garden. 

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Traditional methods of weeding such as slashing and mowing have very little effect on removing horsetail completely due to new stems developing from the roots left behind. This often leaves many gardeners and homeowners frustrated by their unwanted presence.

Issues with horsetail begin during the spring when greenish-brown shoots appear from the ground. These shoots are tipped with small cones that produce spores which spread the plant even further. Therefore, it's best practice to try and control the shoots before they begin to spore.

As horsetail roots being to creep throughout the ground, however, they become quite difficult to spot due to their colour being very similar to working soil and often end up spreading much further than most people realise.

Attempting to dig up the roots before the plant develops isn't very feasible either due to the root systems reaching depths of up to 1.5m! Once the stem has created spores, horsetail starts to develop small, thin leaves throughout the plant that last throughout spring and summer before dying off in late autumn. 

Despite the leaves dying off, the roots remain intact meaning the plant will begin to reappear the next and the cycle starts all over again. 

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