Why is Pokeweed so difficult

[kewb]

Seriously, why?  That weed has taken over my yard.  For every one I dig up 3 take its place.  Sure, the berries are pretty and the birds love them but that darn thing is next to impossible to eradicate.  I really try not to use round up but I have tried every natural product under the sun and that round up is looking really good about now.

Edited May 2, 2017 by kewb

[Spryte]

Chickweed here.

 

We are drowning in it.

 

Pulling it was a losing battle, and I was getting a bit OCD about it.

 

I gave up and called the yard guy. He has a spray that kills it but not the grass.

[MorningGlory]

We have a time with pokeweed (salad), too. And I use round-up on it. The plant has a signficant root system, so if you try to dig it, you are sure to miss some and like you said, then have 3 plants intead of one. 

 

Maybe you could sell the seeds?

[MinionMom]

I opened this thinking it must have something to do with Pokémon, maybe a tough level on some video game. Must say something about the level of Pokémon-mania at our house now, right?

[Rosie_0801]

Chickweed here.

 

We are drowning in it.

 

Pulling it was a losing battle, and I was getting a bit OCD about it.

 

I gave up and called the yard guy. He has a spray that kills it but not the grass.

 

Why do you want to kill chickweed?

[Spryte]

Why do you want to kill chickweed?

Well, I think it's chickweed. I'm not 100%. It grows up and then over the grass in our yard, and any vegetation at all. When I let it just go, we end up with huge mounds of it over grass or flowers or anything at all. When I pull it off, we have bare patches of earth underneath. It spreads fast, like I can almost watch it grow. It would be fine, but our HOA wants grass in our yards.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Spryte

[Rosie_0801]

Well, I think it's chickweed. I'm not 100%. It grows up and then over the grass in our yard, and any vegetation at all. When I let it just go, we end up with huge mounds of it over grass or flowers or anything at all. When I pull it off, we have bare patches of earth underneath. It spreads fast, like I can almost watch it grow. It would be fine, but our HOA wants grass in our yards.

 

Wow. I wish I had chickweed with such enthusiasm for life. Yum yum.  :laugh:

[Spryte]

Wow. I wish I had chickweed with such enthusiasm for life. Yum yum. :laugh:

I will happily send it all your way!

 

Not sure ours is the edible variety, though, so proceed with caution.

 

:)

[Barb_]

Thanks to my son's continuing Pokémon obsession, I wondered if pokie-weed was some sort of new weapon :D

[scholastica]

What does it say that I was afraid it was some mashup between Pokémon and the other kind of "weed"?

[kewb]

You gals are making me laugh with the Pokemon references.  So glad that ship missed my house.

[Tanaqui]

If it's any consolation, you can eat poke leaves in the spring, though you have to boil them in several changes of water first.

 

I wouldn't dig them up. You're probably dividing the roots. Chop the weed down to the ground, get some cardboard, cover the spot with the cardboard, cover the cardboard with fresh topsoil and compost, plant over it. This method will also work on the aforementioned chickweed.

 

If you don't want to do that, then just keep chopping it down to the roots as soon as it pokes its little stem above soil. Eventually it will exhaust its stored energy and peacefully die. But you have to be super on top of it!

[bettyandbob]

I read this yesterday and was afraid to admit then my first thought: there's a new game involving pot and Pokemon. Glad I'm not alone.

[MomsintheGarden]

We have found poke to be diggable even in our heavy clay soil. You have to dig deeply to get most of the roots, and expect for there to be seedlings for several years afterwards if you have let a plant produce berries. Pokeweed seeds can remain viable for up to 40 YEARS! :O

 

So much for the old adage, "One year's seeding, seven year's weeding." Don't let poke go to seed. :)

[Barb_]

We have found poke to be diggable even in our heavy clay soil. You have to dig deeply to get most of the roots, and expect for there to be seedlings for several years afterwards if you have let a plant produce berries. Pokeweed seeds can remain viable for up to 40 YEARS! :O

 

So much for the old adage, "One year's seeding, seven year's weeding." Don't let poke go to seed. :)

You guys are making me appreciate life in the desert.

[kewb]

We have found poke to be diggable even in our heavy clay soil. You have to dig deeply to get most of the roots, and expect for there to be seedlings for several years afterwards if you have let a plant produce berries. Pokeweed seeds can remain viable for up to 40 YEARS! :O

 

So much for the old adage, "One year's seeding, seven year's weeding." Don't let poke go to seed. :)

I wish I had known this when that first one showed up. It was along the fence behind some other shrubbery and I didn't know about it until it went to seed. I have been trying to stay on top of it this spring.

 

I will see about the cardboard method. I should be able to do it on some of the spots.

[Guest]

Because Adam and Eve partook of the fruit? ðŸ˜