When weeding, is it important to remove the roots of the weed or just the weed above the soil line?
Skeeter, Maryland

Ideally the roots also but that's not always possible so just do the best you can. Removing just the tops doesn't do anything. They will regrow the tops in no time at all. The more roots you can remove of the weed the weaker it will get. Usually.

This time of year annual weeds are probably about to die, so for them the tops are enough.

Considering the question, porkpal, I wouldn't assume the OP knows the difference between an annual and a perennial, let alone be able to identify one.

Yeah, it depends.
Also try to remove any seeds, and flowers before they make seeds.
And put down mulch right away on weeded areas, to slow down new weeds.

Like they said above...'at THIS season' you could get by with deadheading and trashing any flowers/seeds, but for permanence, it is the roots that have to die. Weeds are often composted, but honestly if you do compost, weeds do NOT contribute much to the compost, and you may get new weeds next year if they didn't cook long enough.

Getting compost hot enough to cook seeds takes concerted effort..

As to the op's question.?
Yeah, if you want to get rid of the weed… try, the best you can, root and all….

Welcome to NGA @Skeets1957

In my opinion, the most important thing about weeding is to keep up with it and remove weeds before they go to seed. There's a saying "one year's seeds, 7 years weeds," which is probably much too optimistic because those seeds can last in the soil for many years. And another - "Today's weed is tomorrow's weed patch," which refers to the fact that that one weed can produce seemingly millions of seeds which all turn into new weeds. So - get 'em while they're little!

Like Porkpal said, it depends on the weed. Yes, you do need to know your weed. Things like bindweed, nutsedge and bermudagrass require chemical treatment or years and years of manual removal (probably endless). Soft annuals like sowthistle, foxtails and London rocket need the top and just a little of the root removed to stop them….. individually. They produce amazing amounts of seeds that float or are propelled considerable distances.

Add me to the list of people that feel like identifying the plant in question should come before considering removal.

I've read those "weed" websites and books and they are nutz.

Always idiotic to see tomato plants listed in a weed section.

And.... so many of the "weeds" have value in the garden as alternative vegetables and grains... plus the important wildlife value...

2 examples... leaving lambsquarter standing over the winter means that the songbirds have seeds to eat on those cold snowy / icy days...



and pokeweed...
Which produces berries for the songbirds... and for me, keeping the songbirds out in the garden means a reduction in pest bugs and stuff that would otherwise damage my munchies...

And then... there's a bunch of plants necessary to the butterflies in my garden as host plants....

Most plants have good qualities... learning what those qualities are means the difference between "weeds" and valuable additions important to the garden.

To answer the original question...
My answer is it depends on the plant.

If you post pictures of the plants in question, we can identify and suggest methods of removal.

Hi Skeeter,

When weeding, it's crucial to remove the roots along with the weed. If the roots are left in the soil, there's a good chance the weed will grow back. Pulling them out completely helps ensure that the weed doesn't return, keeping your garden cleaner for longer.

Hi Skeeter @Skeets1957

With experience, you will eventually learn to recognize the most common weeds in your garden. You'll learn which ones have to have the roots removed.

It may seem at first that there's an endless variety and supply of different weeds. But every garden has its own local "ecosystem" of weed seed sources.

When I gardened in the suburbs, my little plots and beds were surrounded by grass lawns. After keeping the beds free of weeds going to seed for about 3 years, very few weeds showed up after that. I was surrounded mostly by non-gardeners with well-kept lawns and landscapes. You might have that experience if you keep after those weeds!

Now I live in the country on 5 acres. The supply of weed seeds is endless. They blow in from weedy fields and roadsides or get dropped by birds who ate them somewhere else.

We purposely allowed part of the property to go "wild". So we are our own source of some of the seeds. Like @stone, we enjoy the tremendous variety of birds that live here or migrate through.

We make as much effort as we can to keep the less desirable weeds from seeding. Ornithologists say that honeysuckle is not nutritious for the birds although they readily eat the sugary berries. So we try to keep those from maturing.

Weeding vs vacuuming (hovering)

If you vacuum your rugs when just a little dirty- it'll be quick. If you wait until they are a lot more dirty... it's a much tougher job.

My favorite weeder is my stirrup hoe. Think carpet sweeper-

It cuts the weed top off just under the soil surface, so it clearly is leaving the roots. And it works great if done regularly- best on younger, smaller weeds.

If the weed dares to regrow a top, it gets a new chop soon. The root must have that top growth to photosynthesize- to feed itself- so deny it that green top REGULARLY. If I use my hoe weekly, it's just a quick cleanup of my beds-Like using a carpet sweeper every few days.
(With a few exceptions as noted by john- @CPPgardener.
I grow nutsedge and morning glory like a pro- and any root fragment gives me 1.5 billion baby weeds in about two minutes- according to my calculations.)

If I wait until my weeds are big, well-established and well rooted, you'll need much more effort and I'll try to get them out root and all. Think steam-cleaning of your rugs.

Or, I reclassify their worth in my mind, and call them part of my 'insectarium' or my 'avian winter retreat' and we all just try to get along. ( @stone )
And while I didn't think I'd like that strategy- it's actually growing on me.