January 20, 2026 Peter van Dijk

Controlling Horsetail

Horsetail is one of the most persistent challenges you can face as a gardener. While you enjoy your carefully selected plants, you suddenly see those stiff, green shoots shooting up among your garden plants. This plant is also known as cat's tail, due to the characteristic shape of the stems. Another common name for this ancient weed is horsetail.

What makes horsetail so troublesome is that it is not an ordinary weed. It is a survivor from prehistory that does not let itself be driven away easily. In this extensive blog, we tell you more about horsetail and explain how to get your garden back in top condition.

Identifying Horsetail

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a spore-bearing plant that has been present on Earth for more than 300 million years. You can recognize the plant by two different growth phases. In early spring, brownish, leafless stems appear with a sort of 'pinecone' at the top. These are the fertile stems that spread spores. Shortly afterwards, the sterile, green stems that we all know so well appear. These have a segmented structure with side branches arranged in whorls around the stem, making them look like small Christmas trees. If you rub the stem, it feels rough; This is due to the enormous amount of silicic acid (silica) that the plant contains.

Why is Horsetail a problem?

The problem with horsetail lies not only in its appearance, but especially in the invisible power underground. The roots of the horsetail can reach a depth of up to three to five meters. This means that the plant can access water and nutrients that other plants will never reach.

Additionally, the plant is virtually immune to most standard control methods. Do you pull a stem out of the ground? Then the root breaks off, and the dormant buds on the remaining rhizomes immediately form new shoots. Moreover, horsetail is resistant to many types of poison and, due to its rapid growth, suffocates young, vulnerable plants in your borders.

Why am I getting so much horsetail in my garden?

Horsetail never appears without reason; it is a so-called 'indicator plant'. It tells you exactly what is wrong with the soil quality of your garden. If your garden is full of horsetail, that is usually a sign of:

Mineral deficiency: The soil is depleted, specifically in the top layer. Horsetail extracts minerals from the depths with its deep roots to restore the topsoil.
Compacted soil: The soil is too firmly compacted (for example, by heavy machinery during construction), resulting in low oxygen levels in the soil.
Acidic soil: Horsetail thrives excellently on soil with a low pH value, whereas other plants struggle to grow.

In fact, horsetail is nature's way of repairing diseased soil cured. The plant only dies out when its 'task' (mineralizing the topsoil) is completed.

Tips for combating Horsetail

You won't win the battle against horsetail in an afternoon. It requires a combined approach of soil improvement and consistent removal. A golden rule is: exhaust the plant. Every time you remove the green parts, you force the root to use food reserves for a new shoot. Combine this with the methods below for the best results. Below you can read what does and does not work to eradicate Horsetail.

Lava meal against Horsetail

The most effective and environmentally friendly method is the use of lava meal. This finely ground rock from volcanic areas is full of minerals and trace elements (such as silicon, magnesium, and calcium). By adding lava meal, you give the soil exactly what the horsetail tries to retrieve from the depths. When the topsoil is rich in minerals again, the horsetail loses its biological advantage and will eventually disappear.

How much lava meal per m² against Horsetail?

For a structural approach in a garden that is heavily affected, we recommend the following dosage:

First treatment: Sprinkle approximately 250 to 300 grams per m².
Maintenance: Repeat this annually with approximately 100 grams per m². The best time to spread is in early spring or in the autumn. Because lava meal is very fine, it is best to spread it on a windless day just before it rains, so that it washes directly into the soil.

Controlling horsetail with other plants

Competition is a powerful weapon. You can suppress horsetail by planting strong ground cover plants that completely block out light from the soil. Think of plants such as the Schoenlappersplant (Bergenia), Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla) or a sturdy Geranium species. Although this does not kill the horsetail immediately, it makes growth much more difficult and your garden looks instantly neater.

Can I spread lime to combat horsetail?

Yes, lime is an essential part of the fight against horsetail. Lime increases the pH value of the soil (makes the soil less acidic). Horsetail hates lime-rich soil. A combination of lime (to restore acidity) and lava meal (to add minerals) is the most powerful biological cocktail against this weed.

Combatting horsetail with salt

Although the internet sometimes suggests that (table) salt is a good solution, we absolutely advise against this. Salt is disastrous for soil life and changes the chemical composition of your soil in a way that causes damage for years. Moreover, salt leaches into the groundwater, which is very harmful to the environment. You might kill the top of the plant with this, but you ruin the fertility of your entire garden.

Combatting horsetail with poison

The use of chemical poison against horsetail is usually a waste of money. The plant has a very strong wax layer and a silicic acid skeleton, causing liquids to simply roll off the plant instead of being absorbed. Additionally, most chemical agents that would actually work are banned for consumers due to their harmful effects on bees and aquatic life.

Combatting horsetail with Roundup

Roundup (with the active ingredient glyphosate) works via the leaves and must be transported to the roots. With horsetail, this transport hardly occurs. Even if the foliage dies back, the deep rhizomes often remain undamaged. The result is a temporarily brown plant that grows back just as hard after a few weeks. Moreover, the current societal and legal trend is to completely ban the use of glyphosate in the garden.

Can I use cleaning vinegar to combat Horsetail?

Cleaning vinegar is often seen as a 'miracle cure', but we advise against doing so. Vinegar is an acid, and as you read earlier, horsetail actually thrives in an acidic environment. You lower the pH value of the soil, thereby maintaining the ideal conditions for the horsetail. Moreover, vinegar in these concentrations is harmful to microorganisms in the soil.

Controlling horsetail between tiles

Between paving, horsetail is a major source of frustration because the roots run under the stones.

Burning: Use a weed burner. You do not need to completely incinerate the plant; heating it until the cells burst is enough. Repeat this every time a green tip appears.
Jointing: Ensure good joint filling. Horsetail grows through the smallest cracks. By filling joints with a hard joint mortar or special weed-resistant sand, you make the path upwards much more difficult.

Is Horsetail poisonous?

It is important to know whether the presence of this plant poses risks:

People & Children: Horsetail is not directly poisonous upon contact. However, due to the high concentration of silicic acid and certain enzymes (thiaminase), ingestion in large quantities is not safe. Be especially careful with small children who put everything in their mouths.
Pets: The plant is not directly dangerous for dogs and cats, but due to its tough texture, they are unlikely to eat it. Ingestion can lead to mild stomach irritation.

Is horsetail the same as Common Horsetail?

Yes, in practice we use these names for the same plant. The family is called the Horsetail family (Equisetaceae). The species we find in the garden is the 'Equisetum'. There are also other species, such as the 'Lidrus', which is more common in damp places and meadows. For the average gardener, however, the names are interchangeable: whether you say horsetail or equisetum, the approach remains the same!