June 23, 2025, 9:50 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Horsetail is a persistent yet often underestimated guest in many gardens. While it’s typically considered a pesky weed, it offers more than its reputation suggests. myHOMEBOOK gardening expert Franka Kruse-Gering explains how field horsetail can be put to good use—or how to effectively remove it if you absolutely don’t want it in your garden.
The horsetail (Equisetum) is a fascinating plant considered a living fossil–it has existed for millions of years. In gardens, it mainly appears as field horsetail. Although often dismissed as a pesky weed, this assessment isn’t entirely fair. Those who wish to remove horsetail from their garden need patience and perseverance, as the plant has adapted to even the toughest conditions over time. However, with targeted measures, hobby gardeners can successfully combat it. At the same time, it’s worth noting its beneficial properties: Field horsetail is useful both in the garden and in natural medicine.
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Overview
Why is horsetail so persistent?
Along with ferns, horsetails are botanical witnesses of prehistoric times, providing insight into the early flora of the planet. A key trait contributing to the weed’s persistence is its underground root network. It penetrates very deeply–about one and a half meters–straight into the soil and branches out with numerous offshoots, allowing the plant to absorb nutrients and spread rapidly. For this reason, hobby gardeners who want to combat horsetail should take targeted measures. Otherwise, the weed may regrow after some time.
How to identify horsetail in the garden?
Horsetail can be identified by its branched, tiered branch structure, which is arranged in rings on the 30 to 50-centimeter-high shoots. With a bit of imagination, this structure resembles a small light green fir tree. The stems have a rough surface, are ribbed, and hollow. The individual and interlocking segments of the stems can be easily pulled apart and reassembled with fingers–hence the name.
Note: Field horsetail is not toxic, but its close relative, marsh horsetail, is. Fortunately, marsh horsetail rarely appears in home gardens, preferring the wetlands that give it its name. Since field horsetail has broader stems (thicker than three millimeters), it can be easily distinguished from marsh horsetail.
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Is horsetail a weed or a medicinal plant?
For some, field horsetail–also known as scouring rush–is notorious as a bothersome and extremely stubborn garden weed, while others praise its healing properties. Horsetail has been used in natural medicine for centuries as a tea, for example, for rheumatism, metabolic diseases, or coughs. Its diuretic effect is also utilized for ailments of organs such as the kidneys, bladder, or urinary tract.
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Preparing field horsetail tea
There are various ways to prepare tea from field horsetail. The simplest method is this: Use one to two teaspoons of dried horsetail and pour 1⁄4 liter of boiling water over it. Let the tea steep for half an hour. After straining, it can be consumed.
Note: Even though horsetail has survived for millions of years and can cause much trouble as a weed, one should refrain from using chemical agents like herbicides. These not only harm the supposed weed but also beneficial plants or insects. Moreover, herbicides cannot tackle the underground rootstock of field horsetail, which needs to be addressed.
Preventing horsetail
In general, it’s easier to prevent the growth of horsetail than to combat it afterward. Therefore, it’s worthwhile for hobby gardeners to take appropriate precautions. Ideally, ensure loose soil, as horsetail primarily roots in clayey and waterlogged soil. Therefore, a drainage system should be created to divert moisture. In acidic soil, lime can also help to raise the low pH level. A soil analysis can provide information about the soil’s composition.
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Combating horsetail
Unfortunately, it is very labor-intensive to permanently remove horsetail from the garden, as it roots deeply and extensively. Mowing the above-ground shoots serves only cosmetic purposes; shortly after, horsetail will sprout again. The use of herbicides or weed barriers is also not a sustainable solution.
The only effective measure is to extensively dig out the root system. It’s best to start in areas where the shoots are particularly dense. On one hand, the compacted soil should be excavated, and on the other, the branched root system should be removed. This laborious but effective method is the best way to combat horsetail in the garden.
Tip: Green manure with lupines can also help to displace horsetail. This natural method loosens the soil, causing the weed to gradually weaken and eventually die off. How to properly proceed with green manure can be found in this article.
Using horsetail as plant protection
Weed, medicinal plant, metal cleaner, and also a natural plant protection agent–horsetail has a lot to offer, and one should think twice about whether to combat it long-term. Since it contains a lot of silica, it can be used as a bio-fungicide against fungal diseases in plants. To do this, place one and a half kilograms of field horsetail in a bucket with ten liters of water and let it steep for a day. Then simmer in a large pot for half an hour and strain. Roses, for example, can be protected preventively against powdery mildew with it.