I'm considering using ammonium sulphamate this year as a last resort to tackle horsetail in my garden, which has been really tough to manage. I've been using Kurtail but still see heavy growth. I'm planning to plant some borders but am worried about dealing with the horsetail first. From what I gather, I'd like to apply one treatment soon, wait a month, then dig in some partly composted material to improve my heavy clay soil. After that, I might do another treatment to help with decomposition, followed by a final treatment at the end of the year with organic material. My main concern is that if I turn the soil too soon, I could accidentally break up the horsetail roots and make things worse, which is how I ended up with this problem in the first place. Any suggestions on the best approach?
2 Answers
For controlling horsetail, I recommend this product that contains glyphosate, but be cautious about digging too early, as it can render the treatment ineffective. Make sure to thoroughly read and follow the application instructions! This should give you a fighting chance against horsetail, but don't rush the process.
Ammonium sulphamate isn't a direct killer of horsetail; rather, it creates conditions that horsetail doesn't thrive in. I think digging up the horsetail is fine as long as you're careful about removing it entirely. However, I’d advise against planting anything until you've managed to get the horsetail situation under control, as planting could complicate the removal process. Consider using a temporary, low-cost ground cover while you deal with the horsetail problem instead!
Just to clarify, it's ammonium sulfamate we're discussing, not sulphate! I'm still trying to figure things out myself and have heard it's slowly improving my horsetail issue.
I think this might work similarly to Kurtail, from what I remember!