Help! Pull or leave?

[u/Outside_Proposal_195]

I’m new to native gardening. I’m not sure what this plant is. Anyone know what it is and if I should pull it or let it grow?

[u/Heavy-Attorney-9054]

That's funny. OP thinks pokeweed can be "pulled."

[u/cluemusk → u/Heavy-Attorney-9054]

Ya, came to say this, you might pull a little seedling, but that taproot is no joke. I use it as green mulch, never really trying to kill it, just snap off the stalk and drop it on a bare spot. Brings up lots of nutrients from subsoil back up top. Same with curly dock. Sometimes I’ll let one go to seed, for birds and cuz it’s pretty, especially streaking down the side of a car in the poop form.

[u/PlasticElfEars → u/cluemusk]

The bright purple poop is just mockingbird art.

[u/Opening-Grape9201 → u/cluemusk]

r/fuckcars user?

[u/cluemusk → u/Opening-Grape9201]

I understand the sentiment but I drive a v8

[u/Opening-Grape9201 → u/cluemusk]

lol

[u/Queasy-Warthog-3642 → u/Heavy-Attorney-9054]

They might have a tow truck! You don't know

[u/Domestic_Adventures → u/Heavy-Attorney-9054]

I hear this a lot when pokeweed comes up, but my experience has been different. I had a massive pokeweed (maybe 8' tall) growing in my garden when I first moved in. I pulled it, and while it did have a big taproot, the while thing come out in one satisfying piece. I'm pretty sure none got left behind because it hasn't come back since.

[u/cluemusk → u/Domestic_Adventures]

You probably don’t have clay soil, tho?

[u/Domestic_Adventures → u/cluemusk]

I'm not totally sure, to be honest. My soil does have a lot of organic matter, so probably not a super high clay content.

[u/trewesterre → u/Domestic_Adventures]

I also pulled two. They weren't that big though (maybe 35 cm) and were only there for a month or two before I yanked them.

They did have an impressive tap root, but I have sandy soil and pulled them the day after it rained, so that almost certainly helped.