How Long Do Horsetail Plants Live?

Gardeners who have experience with horsetails understand how this ancient plant has survived for close to 350 million years.

How to Grow (or Get Rid of) Horsetail Plant.

What is the life cycle of a horsetail?

They have two separate stages in their life cycle. The one is the spore producing stage, which includes the vegetative stems. The other is called a gametophyte that goes through the sexual part of horsetail’s life cycle. The gametophyte requires a wet environment to survive.

Is horsetail an annual or perennial?

Because they’re perennial, fast growing and spread quickly via underground runners, two or three harmless-looking horsetails can quickly overwhelm a large planted area. Once established, a patch of horsetails seems destined to remain there forever, because these plants are virtually indestructible.

Why is my horsetail plant dying?

Answer: Melinda, your horsetail reed (Equisetum hyemale) is dying from root rot because of the heavy soil conditions. Many growers suggest planting horsetail reed in a rich, peat moss-based potting soil mix combined with a smaller amount of dirt. Your decomposed granite lacks the soft richness of a marsh or pond.

How do you keep horsetails alive?

It can even grow in standing water up to a depth of about four inches. Thus, it’s well-suited for rain gardens and other areas that may periodically flood. Because of this love of water and moist soil, horsetail should be watered frequently and never allowed to dry out.

Should you cut back horsetail?

Horsetails are great plants to have in your garden if you don’t want to have to spend too much time maintaining it. They don’t actually require any pruning whatsoever as they’re a very self-sufficient, but for aesthetics you can prune them like any other plant.

Can horsetail be a houseplant?

Horsetail may also be grown in a pot indoors. Because the plant is so fond of shade, it may be an easier plant to grow indoors than many other sun-loving herbs. Horsetail should still be kept near a window, as it does require some sunshine to survive, but should thrive away from direct sunlight.

Does mowing spread horsetail?

If the horsetail was growing in your lawn, mowing the grass will keep the plant down and stop it from gaining height at that moment however, due to their extensive root systems it will not stop the weed from spreading.

Does horse tail plant spread?

Horsetail spreads rapidly when planted in the ground and will overtake nearby cultivated and wild areas. It spreads by underground rhizomes found up to 3 feet below the soil surface as well as spores that burst open and germinate in the soil.

Is horsetail an old plant?

Plant Description
Horsetail is derived from huge, tree-like plants that thrived 400 million years ago during the Paleozoic era. A close relative of the fern, horsetail is a nonflowering weed found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

What kills common horsetail?

Horsetail is often found growing near water bodies, so aquatic herbicides containing glyphosate are recommended for those sites. Use of aquatic herbicides in Washington State is restricted to WSDA licensed applicators. Timing: Removal of fertile stems as soon as they appear will help to reduce spread by spores.

What kills horsetail ferns?

Horsetail is resistant to Roundup, can survive with very little light or oxygen, and has deep roots, so its extremely hard to kill. By using a 2,4-D herbicide, or a sedge and nutgrass product such as Sedgehammer, you can eliminate horsetail completely.

How often should you water horsetail?

2. Water horsetail reeds twice weekly or more so that the soil stays moist, almost wet. Pots sitting in water require less frequent watering. Irrigate these only if the potting soil surface begins to dry.

Is horsetail toxic to dogs?

Symptoms of horseweed poisoning in dogs are usually mild. Symptoms after ingesting this plant may include: Vomiting. Diarrhea.

How deep are horsetail roots?

six feet
The roots of field horsetail can reach six feet in depth! Although horsetails are often considered a weed in the garden, they are ancient plants, dating back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the planet. They are closely related to ferns, and probably emerged around 200 million years ago.

Is horsetail a problem?

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), often called mare’s tail, is an invasive, deep-rooted perennial weed that will spread quickly to form a dense carpet of foliage, crowding out less vigorous plants in beds and borders.

Does horsetail damage property?

Horsetail is able to grow through tarmac and cement surfaces and commonly causes damage to driveways and paved areas. This combined with it’s toxic nature and potential to poison and kill livestock, means there could be severe implications if this is spread to adjoining agricultural land.

How tall do horsetail plants get?

Horsetail will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This plant does best in full sun to partial shade.

Can you split horsetail plant?

One of the easiest propagation methods is division, and Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) is a great candidate to get divided.

Is horsetail fast growing?

Today, horsetail, also known as ‘scouring rush’, is grown as a perennial in USDA zones 3 through 11. It is a fast-growing plant that can reach up to 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

Is horsetail the same as bamboo?

Bamboo is a woody plant that retains its foliage year-round, while horsetail has soft green stems and dies to the ground each winter, sprouting from the roots again in spring. Horsetail and bamboo both like a lot of water, but bamboo does not tolerate constantly saturated soil, which is what horsetail prefers.