This article was written by Ben Barkan and by How.com.vn staff writer, Eric McClure. Ben Barkan is a Garden and Landscape Designer and the Owner and Founder of HomeHarvest LLC, an edible landscapes and construction business based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben has over 12 years of experience working with organic gardening and specializes in designing and building beautiful landscapes with custom construction and creative plant integration. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, is licensed Construction Supervisor in Massachusetts, and is a Licensed Home Improvement Contractor. He holds an associates degree in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Pokeweed, also known as American nightshade, pigeon berry, cancer root, scoke, inkberry coakun, and poke root, is a perennial weed. It has egg-shaped leaves with pointed tips, and it blooms small white and green blossoms. It’s also immediately identifiable by its iconic purple berries, which look like miniature grape clusters. While it’s a persistent and annoying little shrub, getting rid of it shouldn’t be a back-breaker. There are plenty of simple and straightforward ways to remove pokeweed, and we’re here to show you how. Read on to learn everything you need to kill pokeweed.
This article is based on an interview with our garden and landscape designer, Ben Barkan, owner and founder of HomeHarvest LLC. Check out the full interview here.
Things You Should Know
- Pull younger pokeweed plants out, use boiling water to kill older roots, or cover the area with mulch or landscape fabric to smother the plants.
- Use any herbicide containing glyphosate or 2,4-D to kill pokeweed plants on contact.
- Pokeweed is a perennial that grows from tiny seeds and root scraps, so it will likely take multiple growing seasons to get rid of the weed.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
- Bleach may work to kill pokeweed, but it’s not entirely clear how efficient it is as a weed killer.Thanks
Warnings
- You may have heard that you can eat pokeweed. This is true, but you have to boil the leaves 3-4 times to fully remove the toxins. If you eat pokeweed raw, it’s poisonous (and actually potentially lethal).[9]Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.pennlive.com/gardening/2012/07/pokeweed_poisonous.html
- ↑ http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74173.html
- ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/common-pokeweed-identification-and-management
- ↑ https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/yard-and-garden-controlling-weeds-landscape
- ↑ https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=749346
- ↑ https://www.southernliving.com/garden/weeds/vinegar-epsom-salt-weed-killer
- ↑ https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/24-d
- ↑ https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=27983
- ↑ https://www.saveur.com/poke-sallet/
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