Use horsetail to
counteract other
carden invaders

From page 13

plant will eventually starve to
death,

You should also try to carefully
dig down and remove as much of
the root as you can.

Others may disagree with this
practice, suggesting it to be a
waste of time as the plant can and
will regrow from even the smallest
fragment that you might leave
behind.

I say the more of the root you
can get out the sooner you will get
it out of the garden.

I would like to stress my warn-
ings against opting for a chemical
solution.

Some of our local garden cen-
tres may recommend some form
of cosmic kill-all, but that is their
job.

Your job is to maintain your
landscape in as healthy a condi-
tion as possible.

The application of questionable
if not outright dangerous chemi-
cals will ultimately not assist you
in meeting this goal.

If you need additional reasons
to make weekly visits to the
garden to remove reconstituted
top growth, how about viewing at
it as a harvest?

As we generally harvest only
valued plants, many of you may
be wondering what value I could
possibly see in horsetail; read on.

Horsetail contains exceptionally
high amounts of silica and silicic
acid.

Silica, or silicon dioxide, is very
unappealing to slugs and snails.
So much so that a bed of horsetail
laid about your plants will help to
ward off these beasties.

The silicic acid found in these
plants is a very effective control
of problems such as powdery

LONETREE ENTERPRISES LTD. (Est. 1970)

mildew and other fungal diseases
infecting roses, fruit trees, fiowers
and vegetables.

Two or three teaspoons of the
chopped plant left in a cup of
boiling water for 20 minutes will
produce a very potent fungicidal
brew, ’

Try using a handful of horsetail
the next time you want to brighten
your copper or brass pots and ac-
cessories.

Or when camping you can use
them as scouring brushes for your
pots and pans.

Why pollute the environment
with soaps and residues of
abrasives when these plants work
almost as well?

I feel 1 should report some of
the alleged medicinal uses for
horsetail.

There have been many claims
suggesting that it can be used to
stop external bleeding and as a
heating agent for such maladies as
abscesses, burns, cuts and scrat-
ches.

As a word of caution I would
like to urge that you consult a
physician when messing about
with any of Nature’s untested
cure-alls.

Lastly, I would like to extend
an invitation to the garden party
at the West Vancouver Seniors
Activity Centre, ‘Through the
Garden Gate.”’

This extravaganza will be held
tomorrow, July 10, from 10 a.m.
until 3 p.m.

Featured events will include
table displays of various garden
interests such bonsai, as well as
rose growing, dried flowers, herb
gardening, etc.

_ Also, yours truly will be on
hand to answer your selections .
from the top-10 list mentioned
above. ‘

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