Marianne's Response

valleyfever’s Question

I’m going to be moving to a 5 acre farm with no nasty horsetails. The property I live on now has been overtaken by them. I would love to move some of my plants I cherish to the new property. Even though I would pull all horsetails from my plants is it still possible to unknowingly “infect” the new property with this stuff? Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us.

Posted by claudia clarke on May 17, 2013

Marianne's Response

Yes, you could be bringing some underground horsetail roots to your new farm but do not panic. If you see horsetail sprouting up just take a pair of scissors and cut the shoots to the ground. Then mark the calendar and return to cut these shoots back again in two weeks. Repeat all summer or until the new shoots finally give up and the underground root system dies off from lack of top growth. I was able to eliminate all horse tail on my two acres by constantly cutting the shoots to the ground over one summer. You can corral this galloping weed if you stand tall in that saddle and wrangle those weeds. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti