Weedkiller - is it really that bad??

[stillsleeptraining]

I have resisted up until now, especially as I have young kids and a small garden. But the weeds are doing my head in, especially the field horsetail. I HATE IT!!

Can I just have a little bit without it causing cancer to everyone and ruining the earth?

If you use glyphosate weed killer, get the gel that you touch ONLY on the plant to kill. You don't spray it around leaving lots in the environment, you just target a few plants very carefully. Then keep kids and pets away for 48hrs and it's fine.

Thank you! Can you recommend a product?

If you've got horsetail, weedkiller is pointless. That stuff is unkillable.

You need to crush the horsetail first else the weedkiller wont get through the coating

Thanks @BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn @MereDintofPandiculation . Will try it and just persevere it is awful awful stuff!

If you don't want to use glyphosate try ammonium sulphamate. You'll need to keep kids/pets away for a day or two, and keep away from waterways. It breaks down to harmless chemicals, and is safe to use as a herbicide.

To treat horse tail, it helps to break open the stems first (stamping on them helps).

It will need several applications as it's very deep rooted to the point where a large patch is actually one plant.

We just pull horsetail out. Massive job the first year, but after that if you pull every stem as soon as you spot it it gets weaker and weaker.

Ooo really? I have it in 3 places around the garden... All in areas where it is amongst things I don't want to kill and would be difficult to stomp. I have been pulling up any stems I've seen (basically snapping at ground level, not any root) but more to feel like I was doing something about it rather than actually thinking it might work. So you reckon its worth preserving with that approach?

OP... The massive patch on the driveway I stomped on and sprayed... One side with glysophate and one side with SBK (as an experiment) and it definitely seems to have made a difference there, both weedkillers being equally effective. Can't speak to how bad weedkillers are but thanks to MN I do use them very very sparingly now (after someone mentioned how it affects bees).

Well, I have been pulling horsetail for nigh on 30 years, and I’m still plagued with it!