Another horsetail reed question
mamamermaid
16 years ago
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Josh
16 years agoterrestrial_man
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Horsetail reeds for shade?
Comments (1)I have some experience with our native Equisetum hyemale, as well as the giant Equisetum. I grow both in containers - E. hyemale above ground, E. giganteum below ground. Of the two, the in-ground container tends to shoot up new spears about three weeks before the above ground container. Incidentally, both are shooting right now, and the new growth is thick! My E. hyemale was collected from a shady alder grove at about 5000' elevation. Now, however, I grow it in a bit more sun - dappled light beneath oak and birch. The giant Equisetum grows in the shade of several redwood trees. I think that these reeds will grow taller in the shade (as they search for light), and more compact in the sun. Also, Horsetail reeds can be grown in regular potting mix, with regular drainage. They don't need standing water - in fact, I think they do better without it. I use a lot of small gravel and perlite and pine bark in my potting mix, to simulate the roadsize drainage-ditch conditions that Horsetail loves. I use Alaska brand fish emulsion to fertilize every few waterings during the growing season. If you want pics - type "horsetail" into the search box. I've littered this Forum with images. Josh...See Moreplanting giant reed grass
Comments (0)After posting this message on another forum I realized there is a GRASS Forum. My question: Can someone shed some light on the growing of GIANT REED GRASS?? I have one someone gave me in June. I have it in a pot of water (going great in just water) and it needs to be planted before Fall. Any Experience with the size space it needs? How much does it spread and does it spread quickly? I don't want it if I'm always going to have to worry about it spreading into the neighbors yard. I have the one with the white edge on the leaf. Very nice plant. I understand it gets 10+ ft tall and I like that part but am I going to regret planting it due to the rate of spread???? What size area do I need? Many thanks....See MoreIrises + Horsetail together?
Comments (4)It's great to hear native species like these being used! A lot of folks still seem to use aliens like Elephant Ears/Taro, Umbrella Grass, Bamboo, and Philodendron. And while those look kind of interesting in a tropical way, they do absolutely nothing for our Louisiana ecosystem. The insects won't even touch them. Even worse, they occasionally escape out of yards and invade riversides and lakesides. If you plant the Irises and Horsetail in "clumps", they will definitely both survive. Another great native bog plant is Pickerel Rush. In fact, I got rid of my Horsetail and Irises and I only have Pickerel Rush now. It looks like an ordinary green stalk and green leaves at first...but then it has these gorgeous purple flowers that appear and stay for the entire warm half of the year. They are a crazy magnet for bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and even hummingbirds. Some sort of colorful wild visitors will enjoy them almost every day. One more great native bog plant is the Dwarf Palmetto. It looks super tropical. It's easy to find in commercial nurseries. It doesn't have the fast-spreading underground runners like these other plants, but it's just as beautiful in my opinion. And I stumbled onto an amazing native ground cover for bog gardens. It's called the Pennywort or Dollarweed and you see it in ditches. I've never seen it sold anywhere. I've never heard of anyone trying to cultivate it intentionally. But it popped up in my bog garden, spread its tiny round leaves all over the ground underneath my trees and shrubs, and the result is a beautiful "carpet" of what looks like large clover....See MoreReed Orchids... and more Reed orchids..
Comments (14)I moved it from part shade to take this photo. When I go for full sun? It seems to die back in summer. This plant is a 4 years old red radicans and was one single stem "on sale cheap" marked down. Others like a purple I had cats killed. For the amount of green you see? It seemed heavy after all these rains to lift. I've seen around town 2 or 3' tall in pots this size!...See Moremamamermaid
16 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
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16 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
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12 years agogreenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
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7 years agolast modified: 7 years agokymhough77
7 years agoLeslie Richmond
3 years ago
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