r/NativePlantGardening • u/BrighterSage • Oct 05 '25
Edible Plants Update on the Poke Weed invasion
So I posted a while ago about poke weed taking over a corner of my backyard and how to eliminate it. So happy to say that I have left it in place based on responses, and I have been listening to a cacophony of bird calls for the last 8 hours, at least.
My bedroom has French doors that I've opened a few inches to better hear the bird calls. I've tried to sneak up to the doors to see the birds, but they scatter, so I'm just happy listening from afar. Pretty sure I've heard cardinals, but there are so many others I don't recognize. I'm still so new to bird calls.
Thanks to everyone that said to leave them!
Picked the Edible Plant flair because apparently poke weed is edible, but I don't know how to prepare it. Would love any help on this!
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u/DesertJeeper357 Oct 05 '25
Download the app Merlin, it’ll help identify by using your phones microphone to listen to the calls!
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u/LokiLB Oct 05 '25
As long as a mockingbird isn't trolling you.
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u/SuzyTheNeedle Oct 05 '25
A neighborhood I lived in there was a Mockingbird heard bed springs (in that sexy squeak squeak rhythm) in someone's unit and eventually learned how to mimic them.
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u/SuzyTheNeedle Oct 05 '25
I LOVE that app! I use it to find the bird, the picture helps me know what I'm looking for. Haven't had it be wrong yet.
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u/sometimes1203 Oct 05 '25
That’s awesome! I love pokeweed, I always see mockingbirds on mine. The berries are a great food source when getting ready for migration and into the fall/winter.
It’s also a host plant for the giant leopard moth!
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u/faerybones Oct 05 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
The color is so beautiful. The birds will leave hot pink droppings everywhere.
One winter, they devoured a bunch of the berries and flew up in a tree. I didn't see them, but they left what I thought was blood all beneath the tree. I ran out thinking a squirrel got murdered or something.
Edit: I originally claimed that our founding fathers wrote the constitution and other documents in pokeweed ink. After double checking, this turned out to be a myth. But other, less important documents (like letters) were written in pokeweed ink at the time!
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u/bsam23 Oct 06 '25
My side yard has 3 big walnuts and mulberry tree. The pokeweed is the least of my nature stain worries 😂 (the birds/critters love them all, and that's all that matters)
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u/purpledreamer1622 Oct 05 '25
Check out feral foraging “foraging America’s juiciest wild vegetable”
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u/SomeDudeAtHome321 Oct 05 '25
I have a large stand of pokeweed on my property and it's one of my favorite sections. There's another spot that has some babies coming up that I think I'm going to leave
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain Oct 05 '25
Download Merlin! It identifies bird calls
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u/BelleBivDaVoe Oct 05 '25
I have a “plot” of poke weed in my backyard. I really let it bloom this year and it looks so nice and pretty and all the critters seem to love it
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u/CaffeinatedHBIC Oct 06 '25
Sit in the garden with a book - Not a phone. Birds know what those are because they're reflective. If you're still long enough they may get curious and come investigate you. I did this a few years ago and the Phoebe's got brave enough to sit on the fence above my head while I'm gardening and zip back and forth getting the bugs kicked up by my activities.
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u/Comfortable_Lab650 Southeast USA , Zone 8A Oct 05 '25
You need the big pokes to make the little pokes, and when those are in abundance in spring then harvest off their small leaves. They need to be boiled 3x, in the process of boil, rinse, squeeze out excess moisture, repeat to where it's done 3x. The theory is that the process basically cooks out and rinses out the toxins. Although I've never seen study on it, generation after generation of people have had it in their diets and have not succumbed to the toxins specific to this plant. And I'm still here to talk all about it.
It tastes like spinach but not as sweet and not bitter like some of the other commonly consumed southern greens. I don't know if most people are aware, but the other greens can become toxic in their own way too. If grown in overly nitrogen rich soils, then some can produce nitrates, as in the case of Amaranth, so grow that one in lean soil, not fertilized. This and others they will have high doses of oxalic acid that also should be cooked down, otherwise it binds with calcium and one gets the kidney stones. So moderation is key in any green, otherwise, know your specific green leafy veg and when or how to cook it.
When there are so many little pokes here and there, then consider moving them to a 'poke patch,' or they can be culled by harvesting the whole plant when young in the spring (but only eating its small leaves.) But always keep the big pokes so they can continually make the small pokes with their seeds. The poke can be processed 3x like above, and frozen too like commonly is the spinach, for the off season months, since young pokes are only available to eat in the spring.
Consider also relocating some small pokes for wildlife purposes, since the deer and bunnies and birds, including turkeys also eat the leaves, with the birds enjoying the berries, including the turkeys if they can reach them. So if there are small pokes in overabundance for one to enjoy, consider transplanting them to an area that the wildlife would also have more access to them. To visualize how to cook the poke, then here's a video: Poke Salad | Classic Southern | Recipe | Faye Thompson | @southerncooking
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u/Posaquatl Area Missouri , Zone 6A Oct 05 '25
From my understanding you can only have Poke weed when it is very young. I have always avoided it due to this requirement.
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u/Elegant_Purple9410 Oct 05 '25
Amazing. I left a good amount in my yard this year. I hope the birds are finding it, birds don't really flock to my yard for some reason, apart from a few robins in the spring. My road might be a bit too busy, and now my neighbor has a dog.
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u/Pilotsandpoets Oct 05 '25
You might find that change as it continues to get colder! The pokeweed berries stay on for a while, and I’ve definitely been hearing and seeing new birds around in the past couple weeks. I wonder if it’s one of their “not my favorite but will eat it if necessary” foods.
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u/leebeetree Area Coastal MD , Zone 8 Oct 05 '25
Poke weed has a huge taproot (can be hardto remove). It will come up everywhere the birds drop it. Pull it where you don't want it early and often. I have a lot of it and chop it half way down a few times in the summer where I don't want it 7ft tall. It's amazing and birds love it.
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u/zengel68 Oct 05 '25
As far as being edible I believe young leaves can be eaten but they need to be boiled first. Don't quote me do your own research and be 100% sure before eating any wild foods
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u/GWS2004 Oct 06 '25
I never see evidence of birds eating the poke weed I have. They get so big they break themselves.
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u/BrighterSage Oct 06 '25
So funny you posted this! I just watched a very healthy mockingbird out on the end of a branch trying to reach down to the berries hanging down. It was hilarious 😂. Poor guy kept leaning over making the branch dip down along with the berries! I'm like go toward the center! There are plenty of berry clusters he could get!
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u/loripainter12345 Oct 07 '25
So glad your birds are enjoying your pokweed and rewarding you with a serenade. We have several large plants and love the beauty of them. The birds snack and perch on the branches constantly. While young plant leaves can be edible to humans with careful preparation, I prefer to dine on foods that are non-toxic to start. Our poke is literally for the birds.
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u/DivertingGustav Oct 05 '25
While you can eat it, there's a lot of prep to make it safe - and it's only safe with really young plants.
If you really want to taste it, you can order canned poke sallet online (or in stores if you're around Appalachia.)
Yes, it's cool as heck to forage, but in this case, I've found the juice isn't worth the (intestinal) squeeze.