Scouring Rush(Horsetail) Overgrowth

[Gardening Hockey Player]

Good Day,

I am having a hard time controlling the spread of scouring rush or horsetail in my pond. Tried a natural pond plant killer before but did not seem to work and want to limit the amount of products I put into the water. Lately I have been going into the water with hip waders and pulling them, which has been difficult as they are growing slightly deeper than my hip waders in some spots.

Has anyone had any experience with an overgrowth of this plant and have any insights around how to control/remove them?
Any info is appreciated!

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

I’ve never had that particular plant, I have had experience with overgrown an invasive plants. I would never use chemicals to control plants! Getting in the pond, getting wet, and yanking the suckers out — that’s the best advice I can give.

 

[mrsclem]

I just bought 2 plants last year and am having a hard time getting it to grow!

 

[addy1]

I planted some years ago it never grew

 

[j.w]

@Gardening Hockey Player
I've never used it.

 

[Lisak1]

Once horsetail gets started, it can go crazy. And never ever ever let it grow outside the pond. It will take over the neighborhood.

I'm with @Mmathis - get in and yank. Ditch the hip waders - your pond won't hurt you!

 

[JamieB]

I'm going to guess this is a natural or mud bottom pond? Yanking the plants up works, but you'll want to dispose of the yanked sections by burning or composting. And unless you remove all of the plants, it will continue to spread over time.

 

[Lisak1]

dispose of the yanked sections by burning or composting.

Generally it's not "burn OR compost" - if you need to burn something because it's so invasive you would never compost it. In this case composting is fine - they won't spread once you pull them. I'm a big "chop and drop" or compost in place gardener. I use stuff like this as a mulch that will turn into compost in places that you can't really see but I want to keep weeds down - behind and under bushes for example. I just pile up the stuff I pull from the pond and bog and let it decay right where it lays. LAZY GARDENERS UNITE!

 

[Mmathis]

LAZY GARDENERS UNITE! I love it!

I have a ”compost bin,” but I’m so lazy that all I ever do is toss stuff in and watch the level lower over time. I know I should, but I haven’t turned it once!

 

[Lisak1]

I never turn my compost. I have two "key hole" gardens where I can dump yard waste or kitchen scraps in the middle. Then I have a couple of those spinning barrels - just dump things in the top and close it back up. Sometimes I spin them. Mostly not. I also have one of those big culvert tube things that we got to use as a fish cave. Turned out it was way too big, so now it's one of my compost bins. It's sitting on end next to my garage and I just dump things in the top. Every now and then I lean it over and pull a few pails of delightful black compost out of the bottom. It all breaks down eventually. I see YouTube videos to "supercharge your compost!" and think "what's the rush?"

 

[JamieB]

I’m a big fan of burning plant waste. It is quicker than composting, and works to remove weeds. Sadly, I lack a way to burn all the Johnson grass we have around here. When it’s tall, there’s too much fire risk, and as Murphy’s law is so prevalent here, when we mow it rains.

 

[Lisak1]

We burn a lot of what we trim from trees and bushes in our yard. It's too big for me to compost in my small yard, and I don't have to patience to either shove it all into yard waste cans or bundle it for the waste disposal pick up. Burning is fast and efficient and I then use the ash in my compost. We aren't allowed on-the-ground burning, but we can burn in a fire pit, so that's what we do.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Ha! I remember having to deal with 'yard waste' disposal back when we lived in the Chicago suburbs. buying bags & stickers & wondering what in the world to do with that pile of fill dirt you needed to get rid of...
Now, we live on ten heavily wooded acres, so anything we don't want just gets chucked down the ravine. If it's seriously invasive, we let it completely dry & die before doing so, though. We tend not to burn, because of the risk of fire, and it's more trouble than it's worth, really.

 

[addy1]

I push everything over our small drop at the edge of our woods by the next year it is gone.

 

[Lisak1]

I really do wonder about my neighbors who buy those yard waste bags every single week for grass clippings. Our grass gets cut and left to lay or if it's too long we pick it up and spread it in the shrubs or beds around the house. Nature provides the perfect mulch - why pay to get it hauled away?