Wild parsnip can be controlled by hand pulling and removing plants. If pulling is not an option in our hard baked clay soils, use a shovel to cut the root below ... on a dark red or brown ...

Another chimed in: "I do this! Works like magic on the driveway." Some particularly stubborn weeds may require multiple douses of boiling hot water to fully kill off the roots.

In winter, they trap snow, adding to soil moisture. Weeds can be important agents of soil conservation. Weed roots can stabilize erodible soil and provide channels for the movement of water and air in ...