Horsetail infested allotment

[tflower]

We’ve been allocated an allotment by the parish council (4 rods so not enormous). Unfortunately the whole plot is infested with horsetail. They have also expressedly prohibited the use of any herbicide on the plot (my plan was to annihilate it with kurtail/kibosh herbicide, let it die off and then cover with weed membrane for a year before mulching with manure/compost. I had hoped to use the plot for soft fruit, asparagus and (in time) a small polytunnel.

We already have raised beds on the go at home, I work full time (my wife part time) with three children. Is there any point in trying to “tame” this beast in the small amount of time available to us at weekends etc?

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Tom

[charles]

You are asking a good question rather than rushing in and spending precious time,
4 rods is 110 square yards, so not enormous as you say.That means a lot of edge in proportion to middle.  I would worry about marestail creeping in from the edges, even if you succeeded with mulching through a year of membraine.
If its good soil and you can afford the wait, and the membrane, and if the council keep the edges mown regularly, it may be worth it, do make those points as they are not often appreciated. 

[Stringfellow]

I composted and then sheet mulched a 10×9 metre area in the early spring of 2013, to combat this and bindweed; both rather persistent. I’ve just removed a couple of 4′ beds worth of the sheeting, trowelled out some weak remians and planted autumn and winter brassicas. There is some weak regrowth but its vigour is much reduced and therefore manageable. Patience was the key as recommended by Charles, but I did keep any horsetail on the perimeter in check during the mulching period aswell.

I cropped the other smaller section of my allotment during this process, but this took alot of time, hoeing and trowelling of the stuff during this period. Best wishes with yours.

[Allotmentmanyork]

Horsetail is very difficult to beat. It is something you have to learn to get along with. I have gardened with horsetail on my allotment for twenty years now. You have to develop a state of mind and not let it beat you. I mulch the paths and areas not under cultivation with carpets covered with woodchip [when i can get it]. Each winter these can be removed and the roots under the carpet hoed off, and the carpets replaced. You could use black plastic or buy weed membrane. The areas under cultivation need to be dug very carefully, as deep as possible. I divide the allotment into four feet wide ‘deep’ beds. The beds are marked out with binding tape. Do not edge the beds with timber as this restricts access to the weed roots. I dig from a scaffold board which is held in place with two timber pegs at each end. This gives leverage so you can dig over a spit deep. My soil is the best silty loam you could wish for. If it wasn’t i would have given up years ago. You could also try building 4′ x 8′ timber edged beds on top of the carpet, as well as the dug beds. This will reduced the amount of digging you have to do each winter. The small amount of horsetail that will appear in the dug beds can be hoed off regularly. 

 

 

[dmv]

First of all hello everyone –  it is my first post here. Charles – thank you very much  for your website and all of you – for all the advice shared here on the forum! 

I took up an allotment last November and have been trying no-dig there since then. I also struggle with horstail and binweed. Last November we covered the main part of the plot  with a black membrane (we have not thought to put some compost over it then). Then, I had covered my half of the  uncovered part  with cardboard and compost whilst my partner had dug his half. Then a flood had come and stopped us from doing anything till March when we covered a perenimeter with some woodbark in hope to plant bushes this autumn. Now I see that the horsetail grew through it and it is a problem on the cardborded part too:/  We started planting in the uncovered soil in April and  I can see that a cardboarded part is certainly easier to weed (in particular the one covered in cardboard and compost in April) but even this is still  infested with the above two: horsetail and binweed. Any suggestions how we could tackle it this autumn? As it can flood I do not want to plant any overwintering vegs but am now also thinking about sowing some green manure – also on the part that has been covered  with membrane for almost a year (soil is not bad but on the clayish side). Is it a good idea or it is better to buy some horse manure, spread it and keep covered with a black membrane till spring? If the former -what manure would you recommend?

[charles]

I would aim to keep it covered as long as possible. Green manure would be nice but it will be full of horsetail, not sure there is great advantage. Mustard is fast and thick, worth trying.
Any manure spread before covering will be good to feed and soften the soil. All the best. 

[dmv]

Thank you Charles,  do you mean covering by the membrane or mustard?

Should I:

-uncover now,  sow mustard,  and wait till winter to cover again when mustard died or 

-uncover now for as briefly as possible to  cover with some ‘dead’ manure and immediately cover again with a membrane till spring at least?

And in the meantime hand removing as much of horstail as possible  from the growing parts?

[charles]

Basically light exclusion is what you need. Mambrane is more effective than green manure but adds no goodness.

So its a choice.

Personally I would keep membrane on, spread some compost/manure if possible as you describe.

[Stringfellow]

Covering horsetail in winter is not tiring it effectively as the growth above ground has died off. Seems to start its annual campaign around March time, weather/ temperature depending.

Long light excluding mulch worked well for me; still needs hoeing, but it is now manageable.

[Author]

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