Leave a Comment:
9 comments
really wish I had gotten curious about this plant that started growing by my Cyclone fence this Summer. Now I have a 5′ invasive plant, that I will apply the Glyphosate to. But now it has started raining, so wont be able to get the root dried out. I will put on the Herbicide and see what happens. May have to wait until Spring to get the root out. Thank you for your good description and pictures.
Reply
Thanks for the helpful info. Do the roots shoot out horizontally across the yard? I had quite a lot of pokeweed this year, snd in digging it out, I’m running I too so many roots! Are these long roots pokeweed roots or something else? Thank you for any guidance!
Reply
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for your question! Pokeweed has a thick taproot like a carrot, so this is probably not pokeweed that you’re encountering. It is likely another type of weed or it could even be the roots of a nearby tree or shrub, as some plants can spread their root network exceptionally wide in the search for water or nutrients.
To help prevent your pokeweed from coming back, we also recommend you use a pre-emergent weed killer in the early spring as the seeds are germinating. This won’t harm plants that are already growing, but it will help kill the plentiful seeds this invasive weed spreads!
I hope that answers your question.
Mabel Vasquez – Horticulturalist
Reply
Well.. I sure have some hard work ahead of me I have been moving my garden from Kentucky to Iowa and noticed these poke berry plants all throughout the acre yard. At first I thought they were pretty and didn’t know what they were so I left them be thinking oh the winter will come and kill them off then I’ll clean up the flower bed areas for my new flowers. Bad idea! I have at least 8-10 fully developed plants producing seeds. Birds have been eating them and spreading it to the front of the house. I’ve done well to maintain and not allow growth up there but the back yard looks like a beautiful poke berry field. I’ll be digging and burning these bad boys all day tomorrow 😅
Reply Hi Hannah,
Thank you for your comment! I think all of us have had a moment in our gardening lives where the prettiness of a plant hides its problems! It might be a good idea to get a tiller to help get those stubborn tap roots out – and burning them is definitely the best option.
To help prevent your pokeweed from coming back, we also recommend you use a pre-emergent weed killer again in the early spring as the seeds are germinating. This won’t harm plants that are already growing, but it will help kill the plentiful seeds this invasive weed and the birds that love them spread!
I hope that answers your question.
Mabel Vasquez
I’ve looked everywhere for how to safely clean tools used to cut or dig out Pokeweed. I used “Tecnu” to wash my hands (just in case.) I also added Tecnu with laundry detergent in case clothes came into contact. Perhaps I’m over thinking this, and hot water and soap will remove any exposure to tools. Just wondering.
Reply Hi Barb,
It sounds like you’ve got an excellent safety regime worked out for dealing with the Pokeweeds in your garden.
I believe it’s always best to be overly cautious when dealing with toxic flora so I don’t think you’re overthinking anything at all.
Apart from your already successful methods, I would consider maybe rather using rubbing alcohol to clean your tools after extraction. This will ensure nothing remains on your tools after use.
Should you notice any signs of severe rashes forming on your skin at any point, wash the affected skin thoroughly with soap and water as soon as you can. Avoid scratching and apply a calamine lotion to help dry and heal the injured skin.
Lastly, I would suggest using a new pair of protective gloves every so often to ensure nothing reaches your skin and the integrity of your gloves remains intact at all times.
Other than that, your current system is pretty much perfect so I would continue following that.
Wishing you all the success with the Pokeweeds.
Happy gardening!
Reply
Here’s how I got rid of two seven foot pokeweed plants. I cut entire plants off. But left about about three inches of the stump sticking out of the ground. Now there is a natural hole in the middle of the stump. I poured Roundup down the hole. I’d let the solution sink down and then repeated the process several times. I would do this three times a week. Eventually the stump starts to dry out. But keep pouring Roundup down the stump. It seems to hollow out the root deeper each time and so killing it. I did this all summer. Eventually I used two bottles of R/up. So far they have not reappeared, but my neighbors still has his two annual jackweed beauties.I told him of this method but hasn’t started it yet.
Reply
Hey Jom,
Nice work on removing your pokeweed, that sounds like a great strategy.
Thanks for sharing.
Reply