Horsetail is a special guest in the garden. They are constantly fighting with him, trying to completely get rid of him. He is not afraid of marshy or dry places. Such a weed is in the category of difficult to remove. It lives on acidic soils and deepens the roots by 1-2 m.

Ways to fight

It is quite difficult for opponents of chemicals to get rid of horsetail. When digging, carefully select the rhizomes and take them outside the site. Shoots left on the ground can take root again and give impetus to the development of new plants. Segments of rhizomes 1 cm long are capable of producing new shoots. In the spring, it is better to cut the processes immediately so that the spores do not have time to spread by the wind. So you can fight horsetail for more than one year.

Liming reduces the acidity of the soil, thereby slowing down the growth of the weed. Under digging, slaked lime, dolomite flour, limestone, and ash are added. In the first year, 2-3 kg per 1 sq.m., in the next two years, 500 g per 1 sq.m. At the same time, be prepared for a simultaneous decrease in nutrients in the soil. Combine liming with weeding.

Eco-gardeners get rid of horsetail with the help of cruciferous plants. The weed plot is densely sown with rapeseed, white mustard, oilseed radish, horseradish, or cabbage. So at the same time the soil is good and the weeds stop growing.

Without special efforts complete absence of light will help get rid of horsetail. If there are zones of a continuous carpet of grass, then cover with dense black plastic wrap for several years. It is good to press down the edges with bricks, and sprinkle pebbles or gravel on top. Use mulching: sawdust, wood chips, shredded bark.

For herbicidal treatment, choose a cloudy evening so that there is no wind. Don't forget to wear protective equipment: mask, respirator, rubber gloves, use . Work carefully, don't rush.

Horsetail spreads quickly, it is enough to get at least one spore into the garden and next year an unpleasant surprise will await you. Destroy new shoots immediately so that the grass does not have time to develop defense mechanism from herbicides.

In terms of its ability to take nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from the ground, horsetail is noticeably superior to other weeds.

We are used to seeing these Christmas trees, but in early spring horsetail may not be recognized. In damp meadows and wastelands, in ravines and abandoned beds, juicy brownish-pink "candles" appear. These first spore-bearing shoots are replaced by green, stiff, thin twigs in early summer.

Horsetail summer grass has long been used in traditional medicine as a hemostatic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent.

And yet, despite these virtues, horsetail has a reputation as a noxious weed. In appearance, it is discreet and even boring: it has neither flowers nor spreading leaves. Loves high humidity prefers light soils. However, he is ready to adapt to a variety of conditions.

Like most weeds, horsetail is stubborn and hardy. Where the earth has not been disturbed for years with a plow or a shovel, it does not let its black-and-white rhizome go further than 40-50 cm. In crops, it sometimes deepens into the soil by 1.5 m. in the rhizome with small nodules located on it, reserves of sugars and starch.

Horsetail is especially successful in making its preparations on fallow lands or in a potato field, where it takes a weighty portion of mineral nutrition from a cultivated host.

Having decided to get rid of this green "predator", do not expect to defeat it with a simple weeding. Most likely, after a couple of weeks, you will find with chagrin that there is even more horsetail on the site than it was.

And this is not surprising: the nodules of rhizomes remaining in the ground are the organs of vegetative reproduction. By destroying the above-ground part of the plant, you have only forced it to vigorously fight for survival. That's when the nodules with a supply of nutrients came in handy for the weed.

How to get rid of horsetail

How to deal with this harmful plant?

Among other things, the presence of this weed is considered one of the signs of increased soil acidity. The introduction of dolomite flour or crushed slaked lime for digging helps to reduce it.

On a note

Against horsetail, you can use the herbicide "Glyphos". It blocks the synthesis of aromatic amino acids in plants, as a result of which the weed gradually dies off. It is practically safe for bees, however, it causes a limitation of their flight from 6 to 12 hours.

Biological method of dealing with horsetail

Horsetail does not tolerate neighborhood with cabbage crops (formerly called cruciferous). Their root secretions are capable of suppressing weeds. Therefore, in places where the appearance of horsetail was noticed, on next year radish, radish, daikon, rape or mustard should be planted.

Horsetail - traditional medicine recipes

In winter, you can prepare an infusion of horsetail to boost immunity.

Its use will help to resist viral infections. 1 st. l. dry grass pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. This is the amount of infusion to drink in 3-4 doses during the day.

With an exacerbation of cystitis, a decoction of horsetail is used. 2 tbsp. l. dried herbs, pour 1 liter of water, boil for 10 minutes, let it brew in a warm place for 20 minutes, strain. Take 150-200 ml 2-3 times a day. Do not throw away the squeezed grass, but place it in a gauze bag and apply it warmly to the lower abdomen.

Viktor Anatolievich Krylov

​Related Articles​

Field horsetail - composition and useful properties

I’ve been fighting for 10 years and I can’t defeat him in any way .... in my opinion this is an eternal battle .... so as not to be bored!

• Pregnant and lactating women should be wary of taking the infusion inside.
• In folk medicine, the herb is used mainly in the form of decoctions. To do this, you need to take about 40 g of raw materials (fresh) or 15 g (dried) and pour boiling water, the volume of which reaches 200 grams. Cover the container with infusion and stand for a couple of hours. Strain.​
• The accumulation of the beneficial properties of the plant occurs during the period when it gives off spores, usually this is the end of May. When the stem dies off, thin sprouts of "herringbones" begin to grow. Both inflorescences and its stems are useful.
• neurodermatitis;
• tuberculosis;
• liver dysfunction;
• anti-inflammatory.
• antibacterial;
• flavonoids;
• Grass, which is considered a difficult weed, can actually be very valuable. In the family of plants under consideration, horsetail is considered the most useful - the medicinal properties of its shoots have long been used in both folk and traditional medicine. With their help, you can get rid of many external, dermatological diseases, as well as pathologies of internal organs.
• Somehow it won't work! Only deep digging with a careful selection of all shoots and roots from the ground.
• It is important to observe the dosage of raw materials. Otherwise, symptoms similar to food poisoning. And then a collision with a doctor cannot be avoided.

Using a prepared decoction of horsetail, you can regularly wash fresh wounds. In the case of unripened boils, compresses can be done. In this case, it is important to warm up the product a little. Healing properties horsetail is hard to overestimate. In case of a cold or sore throat, you can use a decoction. They are advised to gargle or use a decoction as a raw material for inhalation.

• Specialists found that during the period of active growth, horsetail is able to accumulate silicic acid, over time it accumulates in cell membranes, concentrating in in large numbers. Silicic acid is an essential component of connective tissue, nails and hair. Using decoctions of horsetail, you can achieve excellent results by improving their appearance.
• trophic ulcers;
• intestinal disorders, especially diarrhea;
• gastritis;
• Moreover, horsetail has been scientifically proven to be able to remove salt deposits and lead accumulations from the body. Therefore, it is often prescribed for cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, as well as for severe poisoning with this metal.
• diuretic;
• Tannins, bitter substances;
• The healing characteristics of this herb are due to the rich chemical composition of the green shoots and horsetail leaves:
• I fight with him myself, nothing helps. I made 2 flowerbeds from especially dense and greasy thickets, I plant annuals there and it turns out very nice)))
• Horsetail tea is an excellent immunostimulant. To prepare a healing drink, you need to take only 5 grams of dry grass and pour a glass of boiling water. Let it brew a little. You can drink it after half an hour in a warm form. Two cups of tea a day will saturate the body with valuable components for the health of the body.​

During the period of beriberi, it can be taken as a prophylactic against anemia, saturating the body with useful minerals and strengthening the immune system.

Medicinal properties of horsetail herb for internal use

​The unique component 5-glycoside-luteolin helps prevent inflammatory processes. It also heals wounds and stops bleeding. Horsetail is an excellent antiseptic.

furunculosis;

dysbacteriosis;

• bronchitis;
• For internal use, the herbal product is used in the form of decoctions, infusions, teas or extracts.
• hemostatic;
• potassium salts;
• vitamin C;
• Roundup is a herbicide, far from harmless, do not poison the earth, you yourself will eat from it. The presence of horsetail indicates the acidity of your soil. Personally, I collect horsetail as a medicinal plant and in general, the so-called weeds, these are the same medicines, only natural ones. For me, weeds are not a problem at all, everything goes into business. Dandelions, horsetail, coltsfoot, knotweed, celandine, nettle, chamomile, chickweed (or wood lice), wormwood, gout, wheatgrass (one of the most wonderful plants for the treatment of diseases of the joints) and cultivated - mint 3 species, valerian, lavender, echinacea, Rhodiola rosea, calendula 6 species, Jerusalem artichoke. I love absolutely all plants. I am friends with them and they help me and my loved ones to be healthy and do without drugs. There is room for everyone in my area. Something goes to drying, something to treat the plants themselves, something goes to fertilizer.
• Lime first, then remove when digging. Removed all the horsetail from two new beds in 2 years. I don't recommend Roundup. It is a herbicide prohibited for use not only on garden plots. but also over large areas. Very toxic.
• For children who suffer from bronchitis or acute respiratory infections, bathing with the addition of horsetail decoction can be recommended. You can take a decoction of horsetail 15 grams a couple of times a day. Reception is important to perform before eating. But no more than 25 days.​
• The plant has a diuretic property, thanks to flavonoids and saponins (like bearberry).
• Ulcerative lesions and erosion.
• pancreatitis
• atherosclerosis;
• Horsetail is effective in the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, especially the kidneys. Preparations based on the shoots of a herbaceous plant perfectly help to stop the spread of infection, stop the reproduction of bacteria, reduce body temperature and help normalize the activity of organs.
• astringent;
• aminoglycosides;
• saponins;

Horsetail grows in acidic soils. Need to deoxidize.

Medicinal properties of horsetail for external use

ROUNDUP (from weeds and perennial grass).

• By placing the plant in an enamel container and filling it with water, it should be evaporated for several hours until an extract is obtained, which is then mixed with petroleum jelly.
• Horsetail has a positive effect on the skin and the whole body as a whole, providing stimulation of metabolism and accelerating blood flow. If swelling or fracture occurs, you can take warm horsetail baths. With suppuration, baths have an anti-inflammatory effect.
• Topical horsetail therapy is also recommended for deep, non-healing wounds, even if they have become infected. In case of bleeding, the herb quickly and effectively promotes the formation of a crust, additionally disinfecting open damaged tissues.
• It is worth noting that horsetail can stimulate the adrenal cortex, which is very beneficial for the condition of hair and skin in women.
• pulmonary bleeding;
• In addition, medicines from field horsetail cope with such diseases:
• antispasmodic;

alkaloids;

resin;

From personal experience- lime for the winter and a little in the spring and you will forget about horsetail. Horsetail loves acidic soil, and lime neutralizes it. True, it helps a lot.

How to get rid of horsetail and field bindweed on the site

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Horsetail: useful properties, use in traditional medicine, storage and collection

The presence of silicon in horsetail allows it to be used in polishing wooden products, as well as materials made of natural stone.​

In most rheumatoid diseases and gout, baths from this plant are indicated. Their action lies in the fact that silicic acid, dissolving, partially enters the skin, alleviating the patient's condition.

Useful properties of horsetail

• The fresh juice of the shoots helps cell regeneration and healing of wounds, abrasions or scratches. Moreover, it eliminates irritation and itching of the skin after insect bites or contact with poisonous plants.
• Compresses and lotions using the described plant help well to get rid of various infectious, fungal inflammatory skin diseases. Among them, the best treated are:
• Stones, sand in the kidneys and gallbladder;
• rheumatism;
• wound healing;

When to Harvest Horsetail

Oxalic, acetic acid.

carotene;

Deacidify the soil. Autumn lime for digging, spring ash

The use of horsetail in folk medicine

​Along with useful properties this medicinal plant, there are contraindications, as well as general rules application of infusion.

In order to prepare grass for medicinal purposes, it is important to choose the right period when the concentration of useful components reaches a peak. The best period is the beginning of June to August. The aerial part of the plant is suitable.

After open fractures, regular washing with a decoction or infusion of horsetail is indicated. Such a procedure will ensure complete disinfection of not only muscle tissue, but also bones, preventing infection, reproduction of bacteria and their entry into the blood.

Ointments from the plant

eczema;

We use horsetail in household work

hepatitis;

Who should not use a decoction of horsetail

pleurisy;

• tonic;
• Due to the combination of the above components, horsetail has the following properties:
• essential oils;
• To control these weeds, household plots there are no chemicals. It is best to destroy weeds in an agrotechnical way - regularly carry out harrowing, weeding.

Healing tea preparation

simptomy-vs-treatment.ru

Is there any way to get rid of horsetail on the site?

Minina Tatiana

People suffering from inflammatory diseases of the kidneys. At a minimum, it is advisable to warn your doctor about the use of horsetail.

unknown

You need to dry the stems in the shade, in a well-ventilated area. Grass can be tied into bundles and hung or laid out in a thin layer. It is important that the grass dries quickly. Otherwise, there is a risk of darkening of the stems and loss of healing properties.

IRINA FOMICHEVA

It should be remembered that before using any horsetail remedy, you should definitely consult a doctor, because the plant has contraindications, it is dangerous for pregnant and lactating women. breast milk women.​
deprive;
gout;

kazatschka

cardiac pathologies;

Olga

antiseptic;

Nikitich

antihelminthic;

Svetlana Shibaeva

silicic acid salt;

Ludmila Gushchina

The appearance of horsetail in large quantities indicates soil acidity: the site needs to be limed.

JUST CAT

This also interests me very much. Liming does not take, its rhizomes are very deep, not less than half a meter, it is not possible to pick up in any way. I settled under one raised bed (rather, I stayed from virgin times) - and I won’t get it out in any way.

valunya

Contraindications exist in the presence of gastric ulcer. The use of a decoction provokes irritation of damaged mucous membranes.

Ludmila Kornienko

You also need to store it in a ventilated area. And it is better to put them in linen bags or paper bags. The shelf life of such a blank is about four years. Properly dried grass should be tough, gray-green in color. The smell is barely perceptible.

Horsetail is an obsessive weed, very tenacious, loves to grow on sour and clay soils. Its summer shoots are very similar to young Christmas trees. In spring, the plant produces spore-bearing shoots of a pinkish color, very juicy and not branched.

Refers to root shoot weeds that propagate through rhizomes. They have a thin and strong root, black or dark brown. Lies at a depth of sixty centimeters.

How to get rid of horsetail in the garden

Prepare a respirator and gloves, garden tools, lime fertilizers, chemicals and cruciferous seeds. Now let's get started.

1. According to agronomists, fields and gardens become more and more clogged every year. Marsh horsetail is rightfully considered the most intrusive weed that loves to clog crops. Its thickets actively deplete and dry up the soil, which makes it difficult to care for crops, reduces the yield of vegetable gardens and fields.

2. Horsetail roots break through to a sufficiently large depth, and the processes are very large, so a special approach is needed to them. How to get rid of horsetail in the garden? There are special ways to deal with this weed that work well.

You can stop at mechanical method- weeding, digging, loosening. Of course, this method is very laborious, but the most reliable. Weeding is done carefully, all weeds should be removed from the garden, otherwise they will sprout in a new way. The roots, as mentioned above, penetrate very deeply, so it will not be possible to completely pull out the plant. The rest will give new shoots very quickly.

3. It is worth taking advantage of horsetail's love for acidic soils. It is necessary to introduce limestone, calcite, dolomite, sugar into the ground. This helps to reduce the acidity of the earth. And horsetail does not like non-acidic soils. Get rid of it in this way, albeit not immediately, but it will work. This method reduces the concentration of nutrients in the ground, so you should carefully read the instructions on the packages of the chemical materials used.

4. How to get rid of horsetail in the garden with the least effort? You can populate the territory with such as white mustard, arugula or winter rapeseed. This will greatly overshadow the existence of horsetail.

5. You can plant seeds that act as a kind of orderly on the site. But the fastest and perhaps the most in an efficient way still considered chemical. In specialized stores, buy fertilizers that destroy weeds, but do not harm cultivated plants.

6. Another method of getting rid of horsetail in the garden is to prevent its spores from ripening, as a result of which the plant gradually dries out. To do this, from the beginning of spring, every twelve days, simply mow the weed and weed the aisles. However, you should watch the growth of horsetail, because in rainy weather, its sprouts appear and stretch much faster. Good luck!

Horsetail is a very harmful weed. He gets into the garden most often along with imported or purchased soil. Its "tentacles" and spore-bearing parts easily spread throughout the site. If it is not removed in time, there will be trouble, all plants and even fruit bushes may die. Therefore, it is necessary to understand in detail what measures can be taken to act effectively and not in vain. So, let's talk a little in our format about the horsetail plant, how to get rid of it in the garden, of course, we'll tell you in more detail.

There are four main ways to fight:

Use of chemicals;
The use of dolomite flour;
The use of other plants, next to which horsetail will not grow;
Reducing such an indicator as the acidity of the soil (soil).

So, how to get rid of horsetail in the garden? In order for you to choose the method yourself, it is worth telling a little more about each of them.
What chemicals should be used?

It is known from botany that horsetail is a herbaceous weed, it does not have flowers, it reproduces by simple spores, just like a mushroom. Because of this, experts recommend using herbicides to destroy the weed. In particular, many of them recommend a drug such as Glyphos.

It is advised to apply it in the evening, preferably at a time when the weather is calm and dry. The drug is relatively dangerous, but harm beneficial insects he does not bring. For bees, for example, it is not dangerous.

Glyphos belongs to IV hazard class of dangerous herbicides. For this reason, it should only be applied with rubber medical gloves. It is desirable that there are no flowering fruit plants in the garden, since if it rains, they may die.

Some gardeners advise using other drugs such as Roundup or Tornado. But they are more effective against flowering weeds, but it will be possible to cope with spore plants only partially: horsetail will soon appear in the garden anyway. In general, Glyphos is the best option.
Is dolomite flour effective?

In order for horsetail not to grow, the soil must be limed with preparations, products containing calcium. For this, such lime materials are suitable:

dolomite flour;
chalk;
lime;
ash.

Why does the soil need to be limed? This will greatly reduce its acidity, and horsetail is afraid of this as a baby. bad dream. Of all the above means, it is better to use dolomite flour: it is simply more effective. True, with the help of flour it will be possible to completely get rid of the weed in 3-4 years. So this is an effective, but rather slow way.

What else you need to know about liming the soil:

In the first year, the full dose is applied;
The next 2-3 years - no more than half of the initial dose.

The size of the dose depends on the type of soil. This information is best perceived with the help of this small table:

In general, liming is a very effective but slow way to get rid of horsetail.
Will the undesirable neighborhood with dangerous plants get rid of horsetail?

Any agronomist knows that horsetail categorically cannot tolerate almost all cruciferous plants. These include, for example, the following:

white mustard;
oilseed and winter rapeseed;
oil radish.

In terms of their effectiveness, the plants will be approximately the same, however, in the CIS countries it is customary to use oilseed radish. Elementary for the reason that it is the cheapest. After a person has noticed the appearance of horsetail, the following year, any of these plants should be planted in the same place. Thanks to the unique root system, these plants will simply suppress weeds. This practically guarantees 100% horsetail elimination.

Cruciferous plants are used, which is interesting, not only to combat horsetail, but also simply to "clean" the land for a vegetable garden from any weeds. Yes, and the soil itself "rests" (there is an old expression "under fallow" - it means the same thing). In general, cruciferous plants are indeed effective remedy fight against horsetail.
How to reduce soil acidity?

It has already been indicated above that the plant loves soils with high acidity. Ordinary lime will help get rid of it. The truth will help. this method not immediately: the soil must be cultivated for at least six months, but most often the weed completely leaves after about 1.5-2 years. In the first year, it is worth adding 2-3 kilograms of lime per 1 m², in the second - 0.75-1 kilogram per 1 m². If, coupled with the addition of lime, regularly weed weeds, then you can definitely forget about horsetail forever.
Interesting Facts

This is why horsetail is a weed, as it sucks many useful minerals out of the soil. In particular, it is rich in the following:

Vitamin C;
potassium salts;
saponins;
carotenes;
tannins.

When weeding the garden, it can not be destroyed, but used to treat a variety of ailments. Horsetail is brewed like regular tea. It can help with conditions such as:

trophic ulcers, eczema, dermatitis and lichen (including colored ones);
the presence of fistulas on the human body;
gout;
rheumatism;
other diseases.

The list is impressive, isn't it? By the way, it can be found in almost any pharmacy. But if there is a lot of it in the garden, then why not take the opportunity to dry such "tea" for yourself? So, on the one hand, horsetail is a harmful weed, on the other hand, it can be used as an effective folk remedy!

It is interesting that the very name "horsetail" is purely official, botanical. And sometimes people just don't know what they're talking about. Therefore, we can recall other, popular names of this plant:

tin grass;
Horse tail;
mop grass;
Panicle;
The tail is cat.

If you ever hear one of these names, then you know - we are talking about horsetail. For women, by the way, it will be interesting to know that in addition to medicinal properties, weed is also a good cosmetic product. It helps with acne. Moreover, since it contains a lot of calcium, taking a decoction of this plant will promote the growth of beautiful and shiny, strong nails that will not exfoliate.
Here he is so unusual, this weed!