Homemade Horsetail Plant Fungicide Recipe
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more
Homemade marsh horsetail fungicide is easy to make, and a natural way to fend off bugs, fungus, and lice in the garden or on house plants — without reaching for harsh chemicals.
Homemade marsh horsetail plant fungicide is easy to make and a way to avoid harmful, invasive chemicals for getting rid of bugs, fungus, and lice in the garden or even on house plants.
When gardening organically, harsh chemicals aren’t the go-to for dealing with the little creatures that can be so detrimental to plant health — natural alternatives are always the first choice instead. A diluted neem infusion had been the usual method here before.
But sometimes the cure is already growing right in the garden. The weeds growing here turned out to be exactly that cure — and there was no shortage of them.
The benefits of this particular plant weren’t known until a friend pointed it out while watching one of the no-dig gardening videos, and then sent over a recipe for making this fungicide. It got made almost immediately after that, and has been a favorite ever since.
Table of Contents
What Is Horsetail?
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is a medicinal plant used in remedies dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Because of those medicinal properties, it can also be used as a feed to support plant health. Marsh horsetail is an invasive, deep-rooted weed with fast-growing rhizomes that quickly send up dense stands of foliage, usually found growing in marshes and wet heaths.
Horsetail Appearance
Horsetail is easy to recognize by its upright, fir-tree-like shoots, which appear in summer. In spring, fertile light brown stems 20 to 50cm tall appear, each topped with a cone-like spore-producing structure. By summer, sterile green shoots develop into fir-tree-like plants up to 60cm tall. It’s invasive and can be genuinely difficult to get rid of once established.
Uses of Horsetail
Horsetail has quite a few uses in herbal medicine too, being rich in silica and containing several alkaloids and various minerals — though that’s not the focus here, since this plant is being used purely as a garden fungicide.
Marsh horsetail grows in real abundance in the no-dig garden here, mostly because the main vegetable patch sits right next to a stream, keeping the ground wet throughout the year.
How to Make Homemade Plant Fungicide?
Ingredients List
- 150g fresh marsh horsetail (or 50g dried)
- 1 big bulb onion
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 liter water
Cooking Instructions
Chop:
Chop the marsh horsetail into small pieces.
Cut the Aromatics:
Cut the onion and garlic into big cubes.
Boil:
Boil the water in a heavy-bottomed pot.
Combine and Cook:
Add the chopped ingredients and oil to the boiling water, and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Filter and Store:
Filter and store in a glass jar, and let cool.
How to Use Homemade Plant Fungicide
Dilute 1 part of the infusion with 5 parts water before using — a spray bottle works well, since it makes it easy to reach the leaves too. Morning is the best time to spray, since the sun isn’t too strong yet and the fungicide has time to be absorbed before the heat of the day. Use it about once a week.
Tips for Homemade Horsetail Fungicide
Use a spray bottle: it makes it much easier to cover the leaves evenly.
Spray in the morning: weaker morning sun gives the fungicide time to absorb before the day heats up.
Store in a Weck jar: properly stored, this fungicide keeps for months.
Works well on vegetables too: a reader asked about using it on green and white fly on vegetables and herbs — it’s been used on vegetables here too, since it’s entirely natural.
Watch the Video
Recipe Card
Homemade Marsh Horsetail Fungicide for Plants
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An easy, all-natural homemade fungicide made from marsh horsetail — a weed with real uses hiding in plain sight in the garden.
Ingredients
- 150g fresh marsh horsetail, chopped into small pieces (or 50g if using dried)
- 1 big bulb onion
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 liter water
Instructions
-
Chop:
Chop the marsh horsetail into small pieces.
-
Cut the Aromatics:
Cut the onion and garlic into big cubes.
-
Boil:
Boil the water in a heavy-bottomed pot.
-
Combine and Cook:
Add the chopped ingredients and oil to the boiling water, and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
-
Filter and Store:
Filter and store in a glass jar, and let cool.
Notes
This fungicide can also be used as a plant feed. It’s effective against lice and bugs on the leaves, and works especially well on roses. Dilute 1 part infusion with 5 parts water and spray on the leaves, ideally in the morning, once a week. Stored in a Weck glass jar, it keeps for months.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Natural Living
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Your feedback is valuable
Did you like this homemade horsetail plant fungicide recipe? Leave a comment, I’d really love to know! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! and thanks for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons.
2 Responses
Can I use it on vegetables and herbs please. Have a lot of green and white fly?
Yes. we used it on our vegetables too. Its all natural so why not.