Get rid of pokeweed from your lawn with easy chemical and non-chemical methods. Removing pokeweed is notoriously difficult, but we are confident that our guide will help you to undertake this task successfully without any hiccups.
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How To Get Rid of Pokeweed?
Various non-chemical and chemical methods such as manual removal and herbicides will help you get rid of pokeweed. Many people think getting rid of the pokeweed plant is a cumbersome business and something that should be left up to professional weed eradicators.
– Non-Chemical Methods
You should always start weed eradication using non-chemical methods first. Continue reading to learn some of our most favorite and effective methods.
– Remove Small Shoots Using Hands
Pokeweed eradication is easiest to perform when the plant is still in its young and early stages as the weed will still be visible from the ground up. Here is how to manually remove it from the soil. You simply have to grab the stem at the very base of the plant and rip the whole thing out like a carrot.
Young plants tend to come out easily and with little force. Inspect the dug-out plant carefully to make sure that the whole of it has come out. It must have a thick taproot with a thinner root attached to it.
Any part of the root left behind has the potential to grow back again. It will be easier to remove pokeweed from loose soil as compared to clay soil, which tends to harden around the plant, making its removal a difficult task.
Similarly, it becomes difficult to remove pokeweed by hand during summertime as well. The soil tends to become dry and hard during the hotter months. Try watering the soil thoroughly a day before such an endeavor to loosen the soil up.
– Larger Shoots Need To Be Dug Out
Once the pokeweed plant has had sufficient time to grow and establish its roots in the soil, simply pulling it out by hand won’t do the trick. You will need to take a shovel and spend a few hours in order to remove pokeweed from your lawn.
Here is how you can go about it:
- Take a sharp shovel and dig the soil in a circle around the base of the pokeweed plant.
- This circle should be at least 12 inches across in diameter. You will also need to dig about 12 inches deep into the soil to reach the taproot of the plant.
- Remove the plant along with the whole soil around it in one go. This will prevent accidental roots from being left behind.
- A spade will work just as well as a shovel for this task, if not better.
– Use Rototiller To Take the Roots Out
Despite your best efforts, some root pieces might still be left behind in the soil after the removal of the majority of the plant. These root pieces will grow back and re-infest your lawn in no time. Therefore, they must always be removed as well.
Learn how to get rid of pokeweed roots by following these steps:
- The first step is to loosen the soil containing pokeweed roots.
- We use a rototiller to shake the whole soil up. It can churn the soil to an ideal depth of approximately 12 inches.
- After loosening the soil, use a rake to go through this soil and pick out any root fragments that might be left behind.
- Mix water with herbicide and apply it to this soil to ensure that the roots are eradicated completely.
– Chemical Control of Pokeweed
There are also several chemicals that are pretty potent when it comes to getting rid of pokeweed. Some of our favorite ones are listed below.
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Glyphosate Herbicide
Glyphosate is one of the most widely used weed eradicators out there. It is a non-selective herbicide that is very effective against pokeweed. You can use it in a number of ways to kill pokeweed.
After digging pokeweed out of the soil, spray glyphosate herbicide on the soil generously and allow it to soak through the soil for a day or two. Follow it up with raking and removing soil as mentioned above.
Another way you can use glyphosate is to apply it to the leaves of the pokeweed plant. The concentration of the herbicide should be around two to three percent. Over time, it will be absorbed through the leaves and spread throughout the plant. The plant will eventually begin to die, and you can follow this up by manually removing the dying plant.
Remember that glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide. It will kill all plant life that it comes in contact with, so make sure to cover and protect other plants in your garden while using it.
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Killing Pokeweed With Vinegar
When we talk about using vinegar to kill weeds from our lawns and yards, we are not talking about the common household vinegar which is essentially two percent acetic acid and not strong enough to kill pokeweed or any other invasive species by itself.
What actually works is commercially produced 20 percent acetic acid that you can buy and use to get rid of a pokeweed infestation. Even then, vinegar will only kill the parts of the plant that it comes in direct contact with. The leaves and stem of the weed might die, but its roots will continue to live and spread.
It is very important to exercise due caution when using vinegar of such high concentrations. Always wear protective rubber gloves and eye goggles. Handle with extreme care and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines strictly.
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Organic Herbicides
These are often touted as the ultimate means to get rid of pokeweed naturally, but most of them are simply contact herbicides. This means that they kill only the part of the plant that they come in contact with and do not seep deep enough into the soil to kill pokeweed roots.
Here is a list of several organic herbicides you can use for pokeweed control.
- Plant-based oils such as eugenia, D-limone, and neem oil
- Soaps made of fatty acids such as nonanoic acid
Getting Rid of Pokeweed Using Foliar Spray
Full-scale chemical control of pokeweed in a lawn or yard seems like a daunting task to many. A lot of yard keepers prefer hiring professionals for this task.
– Timing of Applying Foliar Spray
Foliar spray should be applied to the pokeweed plant at the time when it is actively growing, which usually lasts from April to August. The leaves of the weed are also well-developed during this time.
– Foliar Spray: Its Two Types
There are two main methods of applying herbicide as a foliar dressing for getting rid of pokeweed.
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Spray-to-Wet Method
In this method, you should spray herbicide on the leaves in such a way that the entire plant glistens after application. But take note that it shouldn’t be dripping off the plant. You can use a spray nozzle for this method.
The herbicide most suitable in this method is one that contains 41 percent glyphosate in a concentration of two to three percent of the total solution.
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Drizzle Application
In this method, you should simply drizzle the herbicide intermittently on the plant. The volume of herbicide used in this method is much less than that in the spray-to-wet method.
For the drizzle method, you need a higher concentration of herbicide. Use 41 percent glyphosate in a 10 percent solution, or you can also use 61 percent Triclopyr as an active ingredient.
Some Materials You Will Need
There are some things that are absolute must-haves during your mission for pokeweed riddance. Find out the things that you will need during this endeavor below.
– Gardening Gloves
Always use proper gardening gloves made specifically for this purpose. Tough leather gardening gloves of a durable quality will be one of the best investments in your lawn.
There is no use in buying gloves made of fabric or a thin latex material. Leather gloves are also light, breathable, and better for your skin compared to latex gloves.
– Shovel
You will definitely need a shovel to remove the roots of an established pokeweed plant. The roots extend up to 12 inches deep into the ground on average, so you don’t really need a very large-sized shovel to get rid of them.
For use at home, consider using a shovel that is medium-sized and light to use. This would definitely make your task so much easier.
– Protective Glasses
Protective glasses are a must-have when using herbicides to kill pokeweed. Herbicides may get into your eyes and produce rashes and irritation.
– Protective Clothing
Remember that pokeweed is a poisonous plant. Touching it can cause skin allergies and hypersensitivity reactions in susceptible individuals. Always wear long-sleeved shirts and full coverage pants while endeavoring to remove this weed.
