How to kill Mare's Tail

_Brian

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Sorry to pull this thread back up....I thought I had got rid of it, at least in the trees but it is raising its ugly head again.

I am just wondering is the solution below killed it for this year as well?

Yes.
It never came back, it’s left with nothing but grass.

my3cents

Its a bit early yet Mare's Tail has only been emerging in our garden for about a week and is hardly showing.

Shefwedfan

my3cents wrote: »

Its a bit early yet Mare's Tail has only been emerging in our garden for about a week and is hardly showing.

It is shoots, maybe 10cm high....

Already can see in the grass and also growing in between the trees, in between the tree was full of it last year....this year it seems a lot less

I want to nail the s**t now before it gets going...it drove me nuts last year

my3cents

Shefwedfan wrote: »

It is shoots, maybe 10cm high....

Already can see in the grass and also growing in between the trees, in between the tree was full of it last year....this year it seems a lot less

I want to nail the s**t now before it gets going...it drove me nuts last year

After another ten years you'll either go nuts or get used to it

Constant attack will certainly lessen it hopefully to a degree you can cope with.

padraig.od

How long should I leave after application of the MCPA/Grazon mix before mowing?

my3cents

padraig.od wrote: »

How long should I leave after application of the MCPA/Grazon mix before mowing?

If you are mowing regularly tbh I wouldn't bother spraying.

The problem comes if you are leaving the grass for as long as you can between cuts and letting the Mares tail get some heigth on it.

Shefwedfan

my3cents wrote: »

If you are mowing regularly tbh I wouldn't bother spraying.

The problem comes if you are leaving the grass for as long as you can between cuts and letting the Mares tail get some heigth on it.

I would agree. Last year I wasn't cutting the section it is in and it looked awful. This year I just cut the crap out of it.....

I don't see how I will get rid of it so we have decided to become friends :P

_Brian

Mowing and cutting plants like mares tail is “foolish” behaviour.

It spreads it about the place.

I know someone who had a similar approach to japanise knotweed and no they have an enormous problem that must be dealt with.

Markcheese

Bit of a difference between mares tail and knotweed....

my3cents

_Brian wrote: »

Mowing and cutting plants like mares tail is “foolish” behaviour.

It spreads it about the place.

I know someone who had a similar approach to japanise knotweed and no they have an enormous problem that must be dealt with.

I've been cutting Mares Tail for the last thirty years in one garden or another and I'm not guessing here, cutting the green top growth of Mares Tail does not spread it.

padraig.od

Perhaps I should have been more clear.

There is a section of my lawn that has a lot of Mares Tail growing in it. Last year I mowed over it. About a fortnight ago I sprayed the MCPA/Grazon mixture over the area affected. The Mares Tail growth has turned black and is dying/dead. The grass has kept on growing. I want to cut the grass back to a regular height.

After a fortnight has the MCPA/Grazon mixture taken its full affect? Should I cut the grass back now?

lordgoat

padraig.od wrote: »

Perhaps I should have been more clear.

There is a section of my lawn that has a lot of Mares Tail growing in it. Last year I mowed over it. About a fortnight ago I sprayed the MCPA/Grazon mixture over the area affected. The Mares Tail growth has turned black and is dying/dead. The grass has kept on growing. I want to cut the grass back to a regular height.

After a fortnight has the MCPA/Grazon mixture taken its full affect? Should I cut the grass back now?

Sounds like you're getting a handle on it.

Would you cut it bag the grass and respray the area getting any new growth?

Or

Spray any new shoots now and leave it a couple of weeks more?

Haven't much experience with mares tale (thankfully) but I'd be inclined to put up with the ugly if i knew it was all gone in a month or 2's time.

_Brian

padraig.od wrote: »

Perhaps I should have been more clear.

There is a section of my lawn that has a lot of Mares Tail growing in it. Last year I mowed over it. About a fortnight ago I sprayed the MCPA/Grazon mixture over the area affected. The Mares Tail growth has turned black and is dying/dead. The grass has kept on growing. I want to cut the grass back to a regular height.

After a fortnight has the MCPA/Grazon mixture taken its full affect? Should I cut the grass back now?

Yes should be ok now.

Also, spraying selective weed killer as above it’s best not to spray onto recently cut grass as it may well damage the grass anyway.

padraig.od

_Brian wrote: »

Yes should be ok now.

Also, spraying selective weed killer as above it’s best not to spray onto recently cut grass as it may well damage the grass anyway.

OK thanks. I will cut the grass back and see how/if the Mares Tail recovers.

Lumen

Update...

So about 3 weeks ago I decided to go full Roundup on my Mare's Tail.

Because a lot of it is growing right next to plants I like, I made a paste of undiluted Roundup Bioactive XL, cornflour and a bit of washing up liquid, and carefully painted it on with a paintbrush, snapping each stem near the top to identify which ones I'd done and to, eh, force some poison down its throat, so to speak.

I left some for comparison.

Alive vs dead


Very dead

my3cents

Wallpaper paste is another alternative for making up a "paste".

_Brian

Lumen wrote: »

Update...

So about 3 weeks ago I decided to go full Roundup on my Mare's Tail.

Because a lot of it is growing right next to plants I like, I made a paste of undiluted Roundup Bioactive XL, cornflour and a bit of washing up liquid, and carefully painted it on with a paintbrush, snapping each stem near the top to identify which ones I'd done and to, eh, force some poison down its throat, so to speak.

I left some for comparison.

Alive vs dead


Very dead

It will be interesting to see the long term effect.

Often using such super strong solutions of herbicide can be counterproductive as it kills the top growth before allowing the product sufficient time to circulate thoroughly through the plant to get a permanent kill of the weed.