> I've used Crossbow on Horsetails:
>
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> Neighbor clued me in to it and gave me a gallon or so. I use it
> sparingly, smells like chemicals too but does the job. Horsetail laughs
> at Glyphosate. Works good on Poison Ivy too but Glyphosate will work
> if it isn't too big yet.
>
> Another possibility is Garlon. That's what the Power line crew sprayed
> under the lines and was able to take out Autumn Olives with it...
I'd like to avoid chemical control if it's possible. There are other plants nearby that I'd like to preserve. I'm not an organic gardener with a capital O by any means but tend to save toxics for last resorts.
One article mentions use of heat (boiling water) to kill the bulbs and tubers. The notion of injecting low pressure steam immediately crossed my mind. I gather it's been tried commercially in Europe but am not aware of how well it worked. It's essential to heat and kill the tubers, herbicide sprays generally cause a top kill that regrows or is replaced by new, dormant corms and seeds.
I've reached out to
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to see if they have any experience but they seem to advertise surface treatment rather than underground.If anybody has tried boiling water or steam for weed control please post your experince.
Thanks for writing,
bob prohaska