Pickerel Weed is an annual or perennial medicinal herb, long valued for its traditional uses. It's hardy across USDA zones 10 through 12. Its summer flowers are a modest draw for native bees.
Pickerel Weed — the short answer
Pickerel Weed: grown in zones 10–12, full sun, pH 4–7.
- USDA zones
- 10–12
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4–7
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Pickerel Weed on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether pickerel weed actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score pickerel weed against your land's real conditions.
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What Pickerel Weed is
Pickerel Weed grows as an annual or perennial. It blooms in summer.
How to grow Pickerel Weed
Pickerel Weed grows in USDA zones 10 through 12. Pickerel Weed does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 7, on consistently moist ground. It needs a growing season of at least 90 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
10-12
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4 - 7
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
55.4°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Frost-Free Days
90+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant pickerel weed in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Pickerel Weed prefers pH 4 to 7 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow pickerel weed for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Pickerel Weed thrives
Pickerel Weed is hardy across USDA zones 10 through 12. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 10–12 spans average winter lows from 30°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 8 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 10–12·Where Pickerel Weed growsOpen map →
Where Pickerel Weed stands, state by state
Pickerel Weed is rated for zones 10–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 8 more, and 43 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
8 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
- Arizona · zones 5b-10b
3 of 8 shown
Pickerel Weed’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Pickerel Weed
Growing guides for pickerel weed
In rotation planning, pickerel weed counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — pickerel weed isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Pickerel Weed offers low value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest pickerel weed, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant pickerel weed for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Pickerel Weed's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Pickerel Weed will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether pickerel weed actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Pickerel Weed
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Pickerel Weed in my zone?
Pickerel Weed grows in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 12 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Pickerel Weed?
Most growers plant pickerel weed after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 90-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Pickerel Weed need?
Pickerel Weed needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Pickerel Weed need?
Pickerel Weed prefers soil pH 4 to 7, on consistently moist ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Pickerel Weed attract pollinators?
Yes — pickerel weed's flowers are a modest nectar source for native bees.
Is Pickerel Weed safe for pets?
Pickerel Weed is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)