Reply #7: Also read that clipping is better than pulling.

[beac]

I think it's because pulling encourages branching underneath the surface (b/c it's almost impossible to get the whole root) and clipping off all the above-ground leaves eventually starves the roots (no photosynthesis.)

I am always amazed at the variation in plants' "will to live"-- we've had almost NO rain for 6 weeks and yet the weeds are thriving. Another example, some plants will root happily if you just stick a cutting in the ground (salvias, dianthus, some zinnias, moss rose, basil, etc) and some need so much tending and pampering that it's hard to imagine how they ever grew wild.