Aaahhhh! Zombie Weeds!!!

[Tom]

I swear- I pull weeds up with my hands or a hoe. I usually leave them there (after shaking the soil out of the roots) as a sort of mulch, or to return them to the soil. But they revive and start growing again.

[SomebodyElse]

Make sure they are not in seed when you pull them, and you should compost them instead of just leaving them there. The heat from a good compost pile will kill the weeds, even if they have gone to seed.

[kazyeeqen]

I swear- I pull weeds up with my hands or a hoe. I usually leave them there (after shaking the soil out of the roots) as a sort of mulch, or to return them to the soil. But they revive and start growing again.

Interesting. One farm I've worked at pulled weeds into buckets and they all went into the compost pile and another pulled them and left them in the rows. The ones that left them said they never had them regrow from the ones that were pulled (of course they regrow from the roots and seeds and whatnot). The most common weeds we are dealing with here are bindweed, thistle (those are the two biguns) and various others. What kind of weeds are they? I second composting if you keep having the problem.

[Lathyrus]

I have the same problem with lamb's quarters that will resprout if the roots remain in contact with the surface of the soil. Instead of leaving them near the vegetable plants as a mulch as was the original plan, I throw them on the pathway between our garden strips. There it doesn't really matter as much if the sprout again. If I had the time and inclination composting them would be much better, but with an acre of garden I just don't have the energy for that.

[Tom]

I make a point of pulling them before they've gone to seed. Of course it may take a few years for all seeds from previous years' weeds to germinate, so weeds may be sprouting for some time.

The weeds which are growing this year are: lamb's quarters (which I eat), quickweed, creeping charlie (I think- a type of crawling mint), and a few other weeds which I don't know because I haven't let them go to flower.

I think I'll just have to keep after them. At least they aren't as hard to pull up the second time after they've re-rooted.

[Bios]

I'm told that unless it's really hot, even a compost pile won't kill all seeds; or weeds such as ivies. Some of those little monsters even sprout roots from cut up chunks of stem!

I've taken to composting most weeds, but morning glories and other evil ivies I just toss into the yard to rot. They can't compete with my established lawn.