Should I remove all of the pokeweed in the yard of my new house, even if some of it looks like it was planted on purpose.
Our new house has a lot of pokeweed in the yard. Some of it is clearly accidental, and I am working to remove it. However, several stands of it look like they have been there for several years and were planted in purpose. They have several inch-thick stalks, and the one I dug up had a tap root that went more than a foot deep and was 3-4 inches thick. Should I remove those? Or is it okay to leave them in the yard and just trim them back?
Answer
Pokeweed can grow very large roots in one season. The pokeweed will continue to be spread by the birds who drop the seeds around. It would be best to remove all the pokeweed and the roots. If the plants are not removed, they will continue to spread around the yard.