Minimal maintenance

[Liz Tuddenham]

I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.

I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.

The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".

An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

Frankly regular glyphosate will kill the rhizomes if you cant mow it

Like nettles and brambles, if it's regularly knocked back in the end it
gives up and dies.

[alan_m]

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Like nettles and brambles, if it's regularly knocked back in the end it
gives up and dies.

I think regular is the word to take note of:

Friends live in the middle of farmland but the fields that surround them
are only used for grazing sheep. The farmer only sprays for nettles once
a year in the spring after they have had some growth. The nettles die
off but after 4 to 6 months they are vigorous again. They are not
sprayed again but this may be because the fields are required for
grazing and the sheep would have to be kept off.

The farmer does spay around the end of summer for large thistle like
plants where the ground hugging leaves can spread 2 foot,or more, in
diameter. For this the sheep are only removed from the fields for a very
short time and the "weeds" die off very quickly. Unfortunately with this
weed there is some nearby land left to go wild and the thistles produces
millions of windblown seeds which are distributed on land for miles
around. The farmer sprays his own weeds before the seed head forms.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by alan_m

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Like nettles and brambles, if it's regularly knocked back in the end
it gives up and dies.

Friends live in the middle of farmland but the fields that surround them
are only used for grazing sheep. The farmer only sprays for nettles once
a year in the spring after they have had some growth. The nettles die
off but after 4 to 6 months they are vigorous again.  They are not
sprayed again but this may be because the fields are required for
grazing and the sheep would have to be kept off.
The farmer does spay around the end of summer for large thistle like
plants where the ground hugging leaves can spread 2 foot,or more, in
diameter. For this the sheep are only removed from the fields for a very
short time and the "weeds" die off very quickly. Unfortunately with this
weed there is some nearby land left to go wild and the thistles produces
millions of windblown seeds which are distributed on land for miles
around.  The farmer sprays his own weeds before the seed head forms.

Yes. Once a year is not enough for nettles or brambles.

Although it does the brambles at least no good at all.
Large areas of my garden used to be covered ion both, regular mowing -
at least twice a year - has mostly eradicated them

The farmer adjacent had a patch of Japanese knotweed. It gets sprayed a
least annually. Its now gone I think. After about 5 years

[Liz Tuddenham]

Post by The Natural Philosopher
Like nettles and brambles, if it's regularly knocked back in the end it
gives up and dies.

That has been one of the problems in the past. By the time the weather
is dry enough to do anything, the weeds are already running riot. At
the bottom of this valley, plants will stay damp for a long time after
those further up the hill have dried out. Lawnmowing or Allen Scything
soggy wet undergrowth is something I would like to avoid, if at all
possible.

[Jeff Layman]

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

Glyphosate (Roundup) has little effect on horsetail unless it is damaged
externally. Horsetail is covered with hard scales which glyphosate will
not penetrate to any extent. However, if the plants are "gently"
strimmed so the scale coat is damaged, the glyphosate can penetrate
through those damaged areas. Repeated treatments will be required, but
even then as the roots go very deep you might not kill it all.

It tends to like damp areas in good light, so if you can get some decent
evergreens to give good cover, and dry out the soil a bit, the horsetail
will weaken. If you don't mind suffering one weed instead of another,
and it isn't banned in your area, rhododendron ponticum will deal with
the horsetail in time. It will shade out and dry out the ground (but the
latter only a little). It tends to be toxic to any other plant trying to
grow beneath it, but I doubt that will extend to horsetail as it is a
primitive plant with a different metabolism from most plants.

[Liz Tuddenham]

Post by Jeff Layman

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

Glyphosate (Roundup) has little effect on horsetail unless it is damaged
externally. Horsetail is covered with hard scales which glyphosate will
not penetrate to any extent. However, if the plants are "gently"
strimmed so the scale coat is damaged, the glyphosate can penetrate
through those damaged areas.

I don't have a strimmer and the Allen Scythe is anything but gentle -
however the area next to the railings is not very big so I should be
ablle to damage the plants with some sort of hand tool (carpet beater or
wire brush on a long handle?). I've also been told to use a very fine
spray or a brushso as to cover the largest possible area of the
horsetail stems and stop it dribbling off.

Post by Jeff Layman
Repeated treatments will be required, but
even then as the roots go very deep you might not kill it all.

It is very well established, so I shall probably have to just keep on
treating it whnever it appears.

Post by Jeff Layman
It tends to like damp areas in good light, so if you can get some decent
evergreens to give good cover, and dry out the soil a bit, the horsetail
will weaken.

I don't think either of those is possible. The evrgreens would rapidly
becaom just as much of a problem and the vally has alway been very damp.

[Jeff Layman]

Post by Liz Tuddenham

Post by Jeff Layman

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

Glyphosate (Roundup) has little effect on horsetail unless it is damaged
externally. Horsetail is covered with hard scales which glyphosate will
not penetrate to any extent. However, if the plants are "gently"
strimmed so the scale coat is damaged, the glyphosate can penetrate
through those damaged areas.

I don't have a strimmer and the Allen Scythe is anything but gentle -
however the area next to the railings is not very big so I should be
ablle to damage the plants with some sort of hand tool (carpet beater or
wire brush on a long handle?). I've also been told to use a very fine
spray or a brushso as to cover the largest possible area of the
horsetail stems and stop it dribbling off.

Use the glyphosate mixed with hair gel and brush it on when no rain is
expected. I use this concentrate:
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gallup-Strength-Glyphosate-Weedkiller-MEASURING/dp/B09CQ5W84N>.
There are several suppliers. Try it double strength first, and work your
way up if there's not enough effect.

[Liz Tuddenham]

Post by Jeff Layman

Post by Liz Tuddenham

On 27/11/2024 11:53, Liz Tuddenham wrote: > I have inherited a piece of
land, less than half an acre, which was part > of the garden of my
grandparents' home. It once contained a few > decorative plants some of
which occasionally show up, an apple tree > which is unproductive and
another tree of a type I don't recognise. The > soil is clay-ish and it
is at the bottom of a damp valley in a > residential district with metal
railings and a road along one side. > > I am most unenthusiastic about
gardening and, in previous years, have > let it go partly back to nature
- however this resulted in complaints > from the neighbours and the
local council when the brambles invaded the > footpath. As no lawn
mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe > which, after extensive
repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now > beginning to grow and
the brambles seem to have got the message that > they are not wanted.

The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is >

well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the >
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too >
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so >
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip >
next to the railings with 'Roundup". > > An improvement is beginning to
show, so I hope that regular mowing will > keep the mares-tail in check
and the grass will out-compete it over a > few years, but is there
anything more I should be doing?
Glyphosate (Roundup) has little effect on horsetail unless it is
damaged externally. Horsetail is covered with hard scales which
glyphosate will not penetrate to any extent. However, if the plants are
"gently" strimmed so the scale coat is damaged, the glyphosate can
penetrate through those damaged areas.

I don't have a strimmer and the Allen Scythe is anything but gentle -
however the area next to the railings is not very big so I should be
ablle to damage the plants with some sort of hand tool (carpet beater or
wire brush on a long handle?). I've also been told to use a very fine
spray or a brushso as to cover the largest possible area of the
horsetail stems and stop it dribbling off.

Use the glyphosate mixed with hair gel and brush it on when no rain is
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gallup-Strength-Glyphosate-Weedkiller-MEASURING/
dp/B09CQ5W84N>. There are several suppliers. Try it double strength first,
and work your way up if there's not enough effect.

That's a good idea - Thanks.

[N_Cook]

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

A goat?
It is possible to borrow a goat on a regular basis, but I don't know how
you go about finding such goats/owners.

[Liz Tuddenham]

Post by N_Cook

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

A goat?
It is possible to borrow a goat on a regular basis, but I don't know how
you go about finding such goats/owners.

I had wondered about that but don't know anyone in the area with goats
at the moment.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Post by Liz Tuddenham

Post by N_Cook

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

A goat?
It is possible to borrow a goat on a regular basis, but I don't know how
you go about finding such goats/owners.

I had wondered about that but don't know anyone in the area with goats
at the moment.

Aren't mares tails poisonous?
And the really effective weedkiller that is used on grazing land makes
horse manure that kills every broad leafed plant it touches...


DAMHIKT

[Liz Tuddenham]

Post by The Natural Philosopher

Post by Liz Tuddenham

Post by N_Cook

Post by Liz Tuddenham
I have inherited a piece of land, less than half an acre, which was part
of the garden of my grandparents' home. It once contained a few
decorative plants some of which occasionally show up, an apple tree
which is unproductive and another tree of a type I don't recognise. The
soil is clay-ish and it is at the bottom of a damp valley in a
residential district with metal railings and a road along one side.
I am most unenthusiastic about gardening and, in previous years, have
let it go partly back to nature - however this resulted in complaints
from the neighbours and the local council when the brambles invaded the
footpath. As no lawn mower would tackle it, I bought an Allen Scythe
which, after extensive repairs, has proved successful. Grass is now
beginning to grow and the brambles seem to have got the message that
they are not wanted.
The biggest remaining problem is the mares-tail fern which is
well-established and is even bursting through the tarmac of the
footpath. The Allen Scythe can be used on the main area but not too
close to the metal railings (it is aimed rather than steered, so
eventually a collision is inevitable); I have been treating the strip
next to the railings with 'Roundup".
An improvement is beginning to show, so I hope that regular mowing will
keep the mares-tail in check and the grass will out-compete it over a
few years, but is there anything more I should be doing?

A goat?
It is possible to borrow a goat on a regular basis, but I don't know how
you go about finding such goats/owners.

I had wondered about that but don't know anyone in the area with goats
at the moment.

Aren't mares tails poisonous?

That might be why there aren't any goats. :-)