Mairs tail

[Highland Forestry]

Just done a job on marestails... Timbrel works a treat

[leicsgardening]

Very difficult to eradicate. glyphosate does work but depending on how bad your problem is it may take a few seasons to get rid of it with maybe 3-4 treatments a year.

[Gardenmac]

I've had success with a mix of lawn sand, white vinegar and roundup. You've got to crush the plant to break the silica membrane that protects it. The lawn sand tricks the plant into releasing its nitrogen store in one go and the vinegar and round up do the rest.

[likeitorlumpit]

I've had success with a mix of lawn sand, white vinegar and roundup. You've got to crush the plant to break the silica membrane that protects it. The lawn sand tricks the plant into releasing its nitrogen store in one go and the vinegar and round up do the rest.

 

How does the lawn sand do that- lawn sand is nitrogen based- why would the mares tail release nitrogen. How does the vinegar work?

We use Kurtail though it's mighty toxic and I'd like to find something else and this is why I question your method. Not just being critical- being interested.

[Gardenmac]

Hi bud, was told this works by a couple of old guys on an allotment. I believe the lawn sand tricks the plant into releasing nitrogen that it stores, the vinegar helps break down the silica and the round up hits the plant stem. Try putting lawn sand on the plant and then crush it with your foot the plant will turn black almost immediately

[Gardenmac]

I've been using it all summer on a couple of gardens and it has worked so far. It needs a couple of applications to eradicate the mares tail. In tougher areas I'd've reverted to digging with a garden fork and then treating roots.

[Gardenmac]

Mares tail is a Rhizomic species and spreads via the root. It sends new shoots up and in doing so releases nitrogen to stimulate growth, the lawn sand contains nitrogen and tricks the plant into releasing its store of NItrogen all at once

[likeitorlumpit]

Thanks- I'll give it a go

[s.varty]

Article in the sun gardening section today, they recommend "superfast long lasting weedkiller from neudorff". Might help

[wrsni]

Mairs tails are a classic case of control rather than elimination. I built a kart track at home and it was surfaced coming up on 7 years ago now and there's one section of it where the wee rascals still poke up on a regular basis. Glyphosphate kills whatever comes through but there's always more every spring and this year for whatever reason they're still coming, had to spray half a dozen just last week.