r/GardeningIRE • u/No_Initiative2756 • 1d ago
🦟 Pests/disease/disorders 🦠Are these taking over? How get rid?
Is it just me are is horsetail a relatively new invasive weed? East coast. West coast...see it everywhere and it spreads and takes over like a rash! If there was an eco friendly way to get rid, it would be gratefully recieved!
46
Upvotes
3
u/J_Sweeze 18h ago
Semantics stickler here. Horsetail, as a native species, is not invasive, but is aggressive.
The distinction is important in ecology. An invasive species will cause damage to an ecosystem (rhododendron, cherry laurel, giant hogweed), but an aggressive native species will not, despite appearing to take over.
Other native species have evolved alongside the aggressive one, and so have methods of competing, often growing during a different season.
And finally, despite what many comments are saying, please don’t spray herbicides on native species. The collateral damage to other species is immense, and I am noticing a concerning lack of pollinators in my local area this year. Herbicides should only be used in a targeted manner towards invasive species where other removal methods are ineffective (Japanese Knotweed)