How to Get Rid of Pokeweed

Hand Pulling

• 1

  Wear work gloves to protect your hands from possible irritation.

• 2

  Grasp the base of the pokeweed as close to ground level as possible. If roots are left behind, new pokeweed plants will sprout.

• 3

  Pull small infestations of pokeweed out of the ground and immediately dispose of the weeds in a sealed garbage bag.

• 4

  Monitor the area regularly and pull any pokeweed plants that emerge.

Herbicide Control

• 5

  Wear safety glasses and latex or rubber gloves.

• 6

  Pour 1/2 gallon of water into a large bucket. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of an herbicide that lists Dimethylamine salt of 2,4-D-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as its active ingredient per the package instructions. Mix the water and herbicide thoroughly with a wood stirring stick.

• 7

  Add 1 teaspoon of a non-ionic surfactant to the diluted herbicide. Stir the solution with the wood stirring stick for several seconds. The non-ionic surfactant will help provide better coverage of the herbicide, increasing its effectiveness.

• 8

  Transfer the herbicide solution to a garden sprayer. Spray pokeweed leaves with the herbicide solution thoroughly until the plant is moist. Protect desirable plants growing near the pokeweed by covering them with a piece of cardboard while spraying the pokeweeds.

• 9

  Monitor the area and spray newly emerged pokeweeds with the herbicide solution as you find them.