What is spreading across my garden??

[Milo23]

Hi All, thanks for taking the time to read this brief thread.

A few months ago I attempted to hire a rotavator but as they were in high demand, I settled for a type of cultivator which left my garden with tracks (see image attached)

Having raked the soil in the hope of curing the problem, I sowed Leisure Lawn seed, Germinal premium finish. A few days later, trenchial rainfall followed but was still left with the same issue & had to resow sections again.

A few weeks ago, a type of weed has emerged & spread across the soil at a diameter of 6x6 ft & in an attempt to remove the roots, I'm finding finely threaded roots exceeding 30cm+ in depth.

Having searched the web, I'm struggling to find any details and unsure what this is & how best to treat the problems.

Please help...

 

[Tetters]

Welcome to the forums Milo. I think that stuff is the rhizome of the plant called Equisetum hyemale - otherwise known as horsetail rush. Your heavy rain may have stirred it into action. It is a nice plant often used in Japanese style gardens, and ponds. All plants that grow on rhizomes spread like crazy though and it's usually best to keep them contained.
The way to be sure it is this plant is to let it grow a bit more so you can compare with pictures online.