I recently posted on The Irish Gardener Facebook page about a plant most of us simply call a weed. The response was extraordinary, comments, debate, frustration, curiosity and it really got me thinking.
The plant was Equisetum arvense, more commonly known as horsetail or marestail.
Here’s what I wrote at the time:
“Equisetum arvense, also called marestail or horsetail, is an extremely invasive weed and causes problems for many.
I am regularly asked how to control it and you know what, sometimes you just have to roll with it.
This is a plant that has been on planet Earth since the dinosaurs.
Don’t really think we’re going to control it, no matter how invasive we find it.
It’s extremely rich in silica and makes a great hair tonic I’m told (I wouldn’t know!).”
Why Are We So Afraid of Horsetail?
There’s no denying that horsetail is invasive. I remember learning years ago about the enormous sums spent by rail companies in the UK trying to chemically control it along tracks, where safety demands absolute clearance.
But in gardens?
I don’t use weedkillers, and I don’t recommend them. I believe we need a far more holistic approach to gardening. A weed is simply a plant growing where we don’t want it, nothing more.
Hand weeding won’t eradicate horsetail, that much is true. But the real question is: why are we so determined to destroy it at all costs?
A Different Way of Thinking About Control
One of the most interesting comments I read suggested a gentler, more strategic approach:
“The best approach is to try to move it on. Plant something that makes it uncomfortable, long, grassy leaves that constantly rub and move, like Pampas grass or Phormium. But you have to accept it will simply move elsewhere.”
That struck a chord. Not eradication, but negotiation.
The Myth of ‘Natural’ Weedkillers
Many people suggested boiling water, vinegar, salt, and various homemade remedies as alternatives to chemical weedkillers.
The uncomfortable truth is that these substances can be just as damaging to soil life, beneficial insects, and surrounding plants. “Natural” does not automatically mean harmless.
Before reaching for any cure, commercial or homemade, it’s worth considering the wider consequences.
If plants like horsetail raise more questions than answers, Ask Peter is there as a free resource on The Irish Gardener. It’s built entirely around real Irish gardening conditions and my own approach to plants, soil, and sustainability. Whether you’re dealing with an awkward “weed”, an unexpected plant, or simply wondering why something behaves the way it does, it’s a place to explore the question before reaching for a solution.
A Plant With a Long Memory and Many Uses
Knowing that horsetail has existed for millennia, I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn how many uses it has had over the centuries. The comments revealed a remarkable list:
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Used traditionally for urinary tract issues, joint problems, brittle nails, hair loss, and skin health
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Made into salves for wound healing and infection prevention
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Used by the Romans to clean dishes due to its abrasive silica content
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Brewed into hair rinses to restore shine
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Even eaten, apparently, though opinions vary
It’s also toxic to horses, inhibiting Vitamin B1 uptake a reminder that usefulness and danger often coexist.
If It’s So Useful, Why Do We Hate It?
This is where the thinking really deepened for me.
If horsetail has so many uses, why are we so intent on wiping it out? Yes, it spreads, but so does grass. We just happen to like grass.
Could we, hypothetically, have lawns of horsetail and use the clippings productively? It sounds absurd, until you pause and think about it.
One comment went even further:
“I once read an article suggesting there is only one marestail plant in the whole world that all their roots are connected.”
Scientifically dubious, perhaps, but poetically compelling. Maybe that interconnected resilience is exactly how the plant has survived when so many others have disappeared.
Long after debates about glyphosate, vinegar, and salt are forgotten, Equisetum will almost certainly still be here.
When Plants Arrive for a Reason
A comment from a German follower struck a deeper, almost philosophical note:
“Plants come when there is a need for them for a person, a family, or the garden itself.”
Whether you believe that literally or metaphorically, it’s a powerful idea. Perhaps some plants are less about control, and more about observation and understanding.
Rethinking Weeds, Rethinking Gardening
Horsetail challenges us because it refuses to be beaten. Perhaps that’s the lesson.
Not every problem in the garden has a neat solution and not every solution needs to involve destruction. Sometimes, the most sustainable response is to change how we think, rather than what we spray.
