Mary, sorry you can't use lime to solve the problem, but here's another solution. Carefully remove the soil from around a clump of horsetails and follow the stem down to the rhizome. Dig up the rhizome and divide it into pieces (any good sized clump should have a rhizome which can be divided into 4 or more pieces). Plant each section in a 4" pot with the rhizome about an inch from the bottom using regular potting mix. Place the pots in a lightly shaded location and water them enough to keep them from drying out. When shoots appear each pot sells for $15 to $20. If you want to pot the existing clumps in larger pots which sell for more just make sure they have a section of rhizome attached. The clumps are not viable without a section of rhizome attached. Do you feel better about them now?
The horsetail tea won't kill your aphids (or any other insects for that matter) but I use a combination spray when I spray.
I use 1 tablespoon of molasses per gallon of spray - this acts as a sticker so it doesn't wash off as easily in the rain and dew and also acts as a foliar feed.
1 tablespoon of Palmolive Orange dishwashing liquid - this acts as a spreader for better coverage on the plants and also as a contact poison for soft-bodied insects such as worms and your aphids.
Concentrated Garlic, Hot Pepper, and Powdered Sage tea - this is mixed with water (1part tea to 1 part water) and confuses and repels most insects. If the moths don't lay their eggs on your plants a lot of your insect problems never start. I also use this spray when I transplant and plant seeds. I spray the area to be planted first to kill any cutworms and grubs on the soil as well as thin out the flea beatles. Then after I plant to mask the odor of the seeds so birds and animals won't dig them up.
Horsetail tea - 2 1/4 cups of tea per gallon of spray as a preventative and foliar feed (it's also rich in nutrients); 4 1/8 cups per gallon of spray for an active infection (I normally keep a spray bottle of this and spray the wound when I prune or when plants are damaged by wind or rugrats.
Lacto Bacillus inocculant - this helps to eliminate harmful bacteria and promote plant growth.
As a separate spray I use Rosemary tea for stuborn insect problems such as spider mites and stink bugs. I use the dishwashing liquid and molasses with the Rosmary tea.
Several other teas for specific insects such as Colorado Potato Beatle.
If you want the tea recipes, I'll post them. Claud
Sorry for hijacking your thread Tom.
