Horsetail Fern.

[longers]

Have you got any?

How do you deal with it?

How do you dispose of it once you've dealt with it?

There's plenty coming up on our plot and we're wondering if we need to be really vigilant about dealing with it at the first opportunity or it can wait until autumn with just some gentle weeding and then have a good dig through down to some of the roots that aren't so deep?

[Ian H]

Field horsetail - Weed information - Organic Weed Management

[Fi]

You need to keep on top of it - pull it out every time you see it and with as much root as possible. If you dig, you'll just spread it around.  If you leave it until the autumn, it will be even stronger and more difficult to eradicate.  Actually, I'm not sure you can eradicate it - I've tried everything that's practical and it still pops up.

If you've got it, others around you will have it and they need to keep it under control too.

I read somewhere if you lay the area to grass and keep mowing it, it will disappear in two to five years, but that's not practical if it's on an allotment.

[corshamjim]

I have it here in the garden and to be honest just live with it.  I half-heartedly pull it up wherever I see it, but it doesn't seem to stop anything else growing so I'm happy.

[clarion]

Pull it up when you see it, but don't make the mistake I did of putting it straight on a compost heap

Burn it, or leave it on a concrete path to dry out & die off before composting.

[Tail End Charlie]

It's roots go so far down and are so mixed up with other plants you have little chance of stopping it (although I do try because I feel I should). However, since the roots are so deep they won't take nutrients from your crops and the tops cast little shade.
If you do pull it up, make a tea out of it by soaking in a barrel. Might as well get some use from it.

[longers]

Ta for the advice. I was more than half expecting to be warned to "dust off . . ."

Main reason for wanting to control it is to help prevent it spreading too much to neighbours plots.