horsetail fertilizer

[debjay]

I think I have found a use for horsetail ::)
The common horsetail plant, which is very invasive, is rich in silicon and helps plants to resist fungal diseases via increasing their light absorbing capabilities. Horsetail is one of the ingredients in Golden Harvest Fertilizer. You can use horsetail tea on seedlings and plants in closed environments too!
To make: In a glass or stainless steel pot, mix 1/8 cup of dried leaves in 1 gallon of unchlorinated water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for at least 1/2 hr. Cool and strain.
Store extra concentrate in a glass container. Will keep for a month.
Dilute this mix, adding 5- parts of unchlorinated water to one part concentrate.
Spray plants once every 1-2 weeks

Apparently it is used for fungus and rust.
Has anybody tried this  ???
Debs :)

[debjay]

[saddad]

Heard about it... in "how to love your weeds" but not tried it... haven't really got any (shssssss!)
:-[

[calendula]

I've been saying this for a long time about horsetail  ::) I tend to leave mine, just snap the heads off if it gets too much but I reckon it grows where it is needed and is the natural fungicide as you say - but some folks get in a real tizzy about it but I don't think it's nasty, it is friend not foe (I can hear the g roans already)  ;D

[telboy]

I may have learned something today Debs!

[star]

Yeah me too Debs ....Thanks for posting

[cornykev]

The jury is out.  ??? :-\ ??? :-\ ??? :-\ ::)    ;D ;D ;D

[calendula]

it's so cold outside they'll soon be back in  ;D

[allaboutliverpool]

The fungicidal aspect is very interesting.

I had two areas planted with potatoes. One, the early and some maincrop in pristine weed free raised beds and the other (all maincrop) in an area with lots of horsetail.

The raised beds suffered from extensive blight while the plot with the intergrown horsetail was virtually unscathed. Neither area had grown potatoes for many years.

Perhaps a further trial is indicated with the same varieties planted at the same time.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage

[leiden64]

Hmm just been reading this. Would love to find a good use for horsetail. My allotment plot is almost entirely horsetail, nothing will rid it (we're organic) and it outshadows pretty much all my low-growing crops (well unless you count rhubarb). I hoed my plot almost every day for 3 months over summer and within 2 weeks of hoeing each patch the horsetail was a foot high again! Wish my crops would grow that fast ??? Had to hand weed the carrots and beetroot on an almost daily basis, just so they could get enough breathing space to grow. We've got damp soil so that doesn't help, but it does feel totally disheartening when last summer I was putting in 20hours a week on the plot(s) and had little to show for it but a beautiful green lawn of horsetail! I even tried boiling it up in the hope that it might make a good vegetable dye (it didn't)

And no, it doesn't help prevent blight (dreadful blight this year) and doesn't seem to do anything useful at all. When other allotmentees moan about the weeds on their plots (i.e. a few dandelions and thistles) I want to cheerfully wring their necks - hey, you call those weeds??!!!  ;D

I see HDRA have been doing an experiment with it to see the best way to rid of it. Seems natural mulch is doing best at the moment, with artificial weed suppressant and hoeing coming last.

[Emagggie]

I have a plentiful supply of horsetail too, Lieden. I also mulch with straw mainly. It does help, at least, you can't see it so much.  ;) I have decided after 3 years of fretting about it that nothing I do will get rid of it, so I just ignore it now. Haven't had too much trouble with crops (well mulched when under- way) so I say give it a go. Best of luck. ;D