We all have to deal with weed at some time. Especially if we have gardens, flowerbeds, and lawns. However, if you know pokeweed, you will know that this is a completely different weed. Getting rid of it isn’t as easy as what you might think.
Maybe you only realize that the bush with the red berries might not be a bush, but the pokeweed that is just going to overgrown your garden. Something is really going to be hard to kill. This is how you can get rid of pokeweed.
What is Pokeweed?
Firstly, you need to make sure that you know what is pokeweed. Especially if you know that this is a weed that is hard to kill, but you aren’t sure if you have this type of weed in your garden.
Pokeweed is a large shrub or bush that is growing about 2 to 9 feet in height. The weed has large leaves and red berries that are deep-red when they are ripe. Most people recognize the weed because of the berries.
In the beginning, the berries are green. As it ripens it goes from green to red, and red to deep-red. The birds love these berries, and this is part of the problem.
Why is It Hard to Completely Get Rid of Pokeweed?
There are many reasons why it is so hard to completely get rid of pokeweed. Many people believe that if you have one pokeweed in your garden, you can know that this is something you need to get rid of for a long time.
The first reason is because of the strong roots. The larger the weed grows, the deeper and thicker the roots get. And, if you break the root when removing the bush, it will grow back.
The berries are getting eaten by the birds. They carry it around, letting it fall to the ground.
This can lie on the ground for over 40 years before it seeds. Meaning even if you get rid of all the weed in your garden, next season you will have new pokeweed bushes growing from older seeds again.
One plant can produce 50,000 seeds in a lifetime.
Getting Rid of Pokeweed Correctly
The good news is that with constant removing of the pokeweed before the plant gets too large, or before the berries get red, you will be able to have control over the weed. And, before long you will completely get rid of the weed.
The first thing that you need to do, is to remove the smaller plants with your hand. Be careful not to let any of the seeds fall to the ground. The larger plants need to be dugout.
They have strong roots that are thick and growing deep into the ground. And, leaving a piece of root behind will cause a new plant to regrow. Making sure that you don’t leave any of the roots behind.
Let the plant and the root lie in the sun so that the exposure to the sun let the plant die.
After this process, it is still necessary to use a high-quality herbicide to get rid of any plant, root, or seed that you might have left behind. This is a process that needs to be repeated on a frequent basis.
Using the Right Herbicide as Well
The secret of a successful removal is the type of herbicide that you are using. You can’t just use any herbicide and think that the pokeweed will be removed correctly. This won’t work.
You need to make sure that you are using a glyphosate herbicide. It is a potent herbicide that will kill all signs of the weed.
But, it still needs to be done on a regular basis to ensure a complete kill. Just because you find that there isn’t any pokeweed in your garden left, it doesn’t mean that you can now stop looking for the weed. It will return. This is one of the hardest weeds to get rid of.
You can ask a professional what type of herbicide you can purchase if you don’t know what glyphosate herbicide is. The important thing is that you are using the right herbicide after removing the plants by hand.
If you know you have pokeweed in your garden, you can know one thing. That it is going to be a struggle to get rid of the weed completely, with only one kill.
There is a certain process that you need to follow in order for you to get rid of the pokeweed. And, this process needs to be done on a regular basis for you to make sure that it is killed correctly.
Something that you need to look for regularly, and getting rid of before the plant is growing into a bush.