I just bought my dream property in south central Pennsylvania, and I hoped to add sections of sunflowers, mixed native grasses and wildflowers around the five acres. But the previous owner allowed poke weed and burdock to thrive. How do I get rid of that? Is poison the only solution? Won't Weed B Gon and the like make the soil unfit for flower seed?

Weed be gone is a broadleaf weed killer and as far as I know, it will not make your soil unfit for flower seed.

Nether poke weed or burdock can stand cultivation. If could work that field in annual row crops for a year of so they are gone. Most herbicides available with out a license have little residual effect If you just want to knock those two down and keep the grass a 24-D based herbicide will help. Poke weed has a massive bulb formation which most be removed to stop it as it will regenerate each year as long the bulbs are intact. Of course poke is a very useful weed if you decide to adopt it as part of you wild area.

Here's a link to some great information from your local Cooperative Extension Office:
https://extension.psu.edu/mead...
Consider tackling this in sections, 5 acres is a lot to do at once.
Sounds like you're in a good place for a native meadow, that will be so nice!

KarenPA said:I just bought my dream property in south central Pennsylvania, and I hoped to add sections of sunflowers, mixed native grasses and wildflowers around the five acres. But the previous owner allowed poke weed and burdock to thrive. How do I get rid of that? Is poison the only solution? Won't Weed B Gon and the like make the soil unfit for flower seed?

Before declaring all out war on these plants... I suggest researching on what they are good for.

Over in Europe, they plant poke in their gardens as an ornamental...

I've found the berries to be very photogenic...

Trying to photograph the birds eating those berries is a little harder...



And... all those Burdock are people food.

When I want to thin these plants... A shovel is all I use.

Congrats on the dream property!

Hi & welcome! Congrats on your new property!

A native meadow in PA would include pokeweed.
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)

goats. they'll eat anything right down to the roots. best way to organically dispose of your christmas tree. you can rent them to clear out those pesky weeds without spraying anything. we've poisoned the earth enough ...