Once a weed has sprouted, you have a few ways of dealing with it. The sooner you catch it, the easier it will be to remove.

Hoeing is a quick and efficient way to remove tender, young seedlings, especially annuals. It'll slice them off just below the soil's surface so they can't regrow. Working the hoe at the shallow angle used in the photo at right won't bring many more seeds to the surface, ready to sprout. Notice how the hoe is almost parallel to the soil? Chopping into the soil deeper might expose more weed seeds.

Digging works well for removing large, well-established weeds from the ground. Aim the blade straight into the soil and pry the weed out. Make sure to remove all of the roots of perennial weeds or they might sprout and begin growing again.

Using herbicides is a better solution for weeds in a lawn or closely planted perennial garden where pulling or digging may not be practical. Make a wick like the one here from a rag wrapped around a stick to put the herbicide just where you want it. You can saturate the rag and carefully brush it over the weed without harming desirable plantings.

Spraying herbicides on seedlings that could be hoed or pulled is probably overkill. On the flipside, once a perennial weed becomes established, cutting off the top or pulling at it might not be enough. Many have deep or extensive root systems.