Just like Japanese knotweed, Mare's tail will grow from the smallest amount of retained rhizome. This invasive weed can push through tarmac and grow through voids in concrete.
All species of Equisetum should be considered potentailly toxic to animals until proven otherwise. Herbaceous, perennial, leafless plants with hollow stems that readily separate at the nodes. The leaves are reduced to papery scales with black tips that surround the stems at each node.
Pruning HorsetailsThey don't actually require any pruning whatsoever as they're a very self-sufficient, but for aesthetics you can prune them like any other plant. You can thin out the dense clusters of horsetail by trimming each stem individually, but be sure to cut down to the soil line at a 45 degree angle.
How to Grow and Care For Horsetail
| Common Name | Horsetail, rough horsetail, scouring rush |
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| Plant Type | Evergreen perennial |
| Mature Size | 2–4 ft.tall; 1–6 ft.wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun, partial shade |
| Soil Type | Moist but well-drained |
The horsetail plant or snake grass belongs to the Equisetum family. It resembles bamboo but is actually related to ferns. Like ferns, it reproduces via spores and like bamboo, it has grass-like, jointed stems.
Horsetail roots can grow to depths of five feet. You won't kill the plant simply by pulling the exposed portion.
Horsetail is a plant. The above ground parts are used to make medicine. Horsetail is used for “fluid retention†(edema), kidney and bladder stones, urinary tract infections, the inability to control urination (incontinence), and general disturbances of the kidney and bladder.
Horsetails are grown from nursery plants, not seed, though pieces of rhizome may also be transplanted to grow new plants. Plant horsetail rhizomes about two inches below the soil. If using potted nursery grown plants, simply plant them so the soil line is then even with the surrounding grade.
Because the plant is so fond of shade, it may be an easier plant to grow indoors than many other sun-loving herbs. Horsetail should still be kept near a window, as it does require some sunshine to survive, but should thrive away from direct sunlight. Just be sure to keep horsetail grown indoors well-watered.
Horsetail can also improve circulation, leading to the improvement of hair follicles and to help stimulate hair growth. Because of its silica content, horsetail is also useful when trying to stimulate hair growth. The herb rejuvenates your hair, adding sheen to the appearance and strength to the hair shafts.
Horsetail WeedSurprisingly due to the relative fragility of the individual stems, it also presents a damage risk to hard standing. Unfortunately, it is common to see hard standing (block-paving, macadam roads and pavements) damaged by Horsetail growth, where the rhizome has exploited gaps in these surfaces.
Answer: Melinda, your horsetail reed (Equisetum hyemale) is dying from root rot because of the heavy soil conditions. Many growers suggest planting horsetail reed in a rich, peat moss-based potting soil mix combined with a smaller amount of dirt. The heavy watering causes the roots to rot instead of flourish.
You can however eliminate horsetail by preventing it from carrying out photosynthesis. In other words, by cutting off its only supply of energy: sunlight. If you keep its leaves from being exposed to the sun, the plant will quickly stop spreading and will eventually exhaust itself and die.
Because of its rhizomatous growth habit and the depth which its roots can reach, common horsetail can be difficult to eliminate from sites where it is unwanted. This has also created concerns about its potential for invasiveness, and indeed it is considered invasive in New Zealand.
Plant horsetail in a container, with drainage holes, that's just large enough to accommodate the plant's root ball. Place a sheet of fine mesh, such as screen mesh, over the drainage holes to prevent horsetail rhizomes from growing through them, and spread a layer of general purpose potting soil over the mesh.
Field horsetail is widely distributed in the UK in meadows, gardens and on wasteland. It grows strongly on arable and grassland but is a particular problem in fruit and other perennial crops, and in nursery stock. Field horsetail is a common garden weed. It flourishes on damp soil.
For a neat appearance, remove old foliage before new leaves emerge. Divide clumps every 2 to 3 years in early spring.
We no longer grow this plant.
| Botanical Pronunciation | kon-dro-PET-a-lum tek-TO-rum |
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| Average Size at Maturity | Slow growing to 2 to 3 ft.high, equal spread. |
japonicum Japanese horsetail Care Plant Varieties & Pruning Advice.
Caption.
| This plant likes | Garden match |
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| Soil types: | Chalky, Clay, Loamy | Tell us |
| Soil drainage: | Boggy damp conditions, Moist but well-drained, Moisture-retentive | Tell us |
| Soil pH: | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral | Tell us |
| Light: | Full Sun | Tell us |
The young shoots of the horsetail plant, as well as the pulp that grows within the stems, is actually edible for humans, as long as it is consumed in small quantities.
Remove any dead, broken or diseased stems throughout the year. Although the Equisetum genus is very disease resistant, dead or diseased stems take on a brown or yellow, dried out appearance. Cut the stems down to the soil line, just as you would when thinning out the plant.
Plant seedlings at least as far apart as their ultimate height. Depending on the variety, horsetail rushes grow up to 4 feet tall. To save money, consider setting the seedlings more than 4 feet apart -- they will spread rapidly.
Although it is not a quick solution, horsetail can be controlled by eliminating top growth repeatedly, preventing spores from germinating. Cut off the green growth above ground whenever it appears; the plant will eventually die out.
