Grab a weed by its leaves and pull, and the force runs down the plant until something gives. On a weed with a long taproot, that’s usually just below the surface. The leaves come away in your hand and it feels like a win, but most of the root is still down there.

A taproot is the plant’s food store. Many weeds, dandelions being the classic example, can send up fresh leaves from a piece of root left in the soil. So the weed you pulled last month is often the same one you’re looking at today. It grew back from what was left.

Weeds hold on in two main ways. Dandelion, flatweed, dock and thistle drive one thick taproot straight down. Grassy weeds like summer grass and winter grass spread a shallow mat of fine roots instead. The shallow mat tends to lift out as a clump. The deep single root is the one that snaps, which is why the same taprooted weeds keep turning up.

Compacted, dry soil grips a root along its whole length, so the root breaks before it lets go. After rain or a good soak, the soil loosens and roots slide out far more easily, whatever you pull them with. That’s why the Stand Up Weed Puller is made for soft or moist soil, lawns and garden beds.

Fingers can only hold what’s above the soil, so every pull by hand starts from the weakest end of the plant. To get the root, you need to hold the plant below the surface. That’s exactly what the Stand Up Weed Puller does.