How to Kill Pokeweed – Simple Way You Probably Didn’t Know!

If you have pokeweed in your garden before, you will know how hard it is to get rid of it. So many people are struggling for years to get rid of this weed.

This is known that pokeweed is one of the weeds that is the hardest to get rid of. That you need to kill the weed correctly and that you are doing it on a regular basis for more than one season before you will be able to kill it correctly and completely.

With this guide, you will be able to know everything there is to know about how to kill pokeweed.

One of the Hardest Weeds to Get Rid Off

As we said before, this is one of the hardest weeds to get rid of. The seeds can grow even if the seed is more than 40 years old. So, if there is one single seed left behind in the soil, you can know for sure that you are going to have a regrown plant.

Once there is just one new pokeweed plant, it can have 50,000 seeds in its lifetime. This is a lot of plants that you can struggle to get rid of.

Just think how many bushes and plants there are going to be in your garden if one of these plants are left to grow?

You need to make sure that you know exactly how you can get rid of the pokeweed before it can become a disaster.

Pull Out the Weed With Your Hands, Making Sure You Take the Roots as Well

The first step is that you should make sure that you are pulling out the weed with your hands. The small weeds that aren’t grown into a full bush yet. Making sure that you are getting rid of everything so that you don’t give any possibility to grow a new bush.

One thing that you need to make sure about, is that you are removing it with roots and all. Not leaving any traces of the plant behind, like the seeds or even a small piece of root.

It might not regrow immediately, but before you know it, you will have a new infestation of the pokeweed again.

Larger Pokeweed Should Be Removed With a Shovel

If the pokeweed bushes are too large to pull out with your hands, you need to make use of a shovel. Making sure that you are losing the ground around the weed before you are pulling it out.

Again, you need to make sure that you don’t leave any traces of the leaves and roots behind.

The larger the pokeweed bush, the harder it will be to remove completely. However, this is something that you need to make sure about if you want to take the bush out, completely without any change of letting it regrow.

Remove the Pokeweed Before the Berries Turn Into Seeds

A tip that you need to remember, is that you need to remove or kill the pokeweed before the berries are ripening and turns into seeds. This is going to cause the pokeweed to grow even more.

Birds like picking and eating the berries, because of the color. And, when you remove the bush, there are always berries being left behind.

If this is a ripe berry that will become a seedling, you will struggle with this weed, all over again. This is why you need to look for the bush early in the season.

As soon as the weed starts to grow. To prevent it from making seeds. One seed can last up to 40 years in the ground.

Throwing It Away in Black Refuse Bags Are Essential

What should you do with the pokeweed when you removed it from your garden? Some might say that the best thing is to burn the brush, leaves, and roots. However, this isn’t a good idea.

The fumes of the bush can be dangerous to animals. And, there will always be leftovers that will regrow or getting blown away to another part of your garden.

It is best to throw it away in thick black refuse bags. Making sure that you are getting everything you pulled out.

And, making sure that the refuse bags won’t tear and leaving a trace of the weed behind. This is the best way to ensure that you are removing as much as possible of the pokeweed from your garden.

Then, you can consider using an herbicide to finally get rid of the last bit of weed in your garden.

Conclusion

Pokeweed is known as one of the hardest weeds to get rid of. But if you are killing it correctly, then you will not struggle as much with this weed. The secret is to get rid of the weed as much as possible.

And, to do a regular search through your garden to see new plants. Then, the removal won’t be so dreadful and frustrating.