Photo Credit: The Lawn Man
Hairy Bittercress seems to be everywhere in Northeast Georgia this time of year.
You’ll notice it by its tight cluster of an odd number of leaves on each 3-9” stem, with the last leaf being the largest. Their flowers are tiny and white and appear at the end of the stem. The seed pods “explode” 💣 💥 when touched and scatter the seeds over a large area - this helps it grow rapidly in the spring.
Photo Credit: Gardeners' World
If you do not want Hairy Bittercress in your lawn, there are a few measures that you can take to get rid of them:
🌱 Since they thrive in shaded and low cut lawns, keep your grass taller going into the fall and raise the canopy of your trees to allow in extra sunlight.
🌱 When the ground is moist and the plant is young, they can be pulled easily.
🌱 Apply a pre-emergent in the late summer/early fall*
🌱 Apply a general 3-way herbicide*
At RLC, the treatment of Hairy Bittercress is part of our Fertilizer and Weed Control Subscription plan. We apply a pre-emergent at the proper time to inhibit Hairy Bittercress from growing. If you find some in your treated yard or you sign up later in the year for our program, we can spot treat the weed to eliminate it from your lawn.
*Always check the label to make sure that the chemical is appropriate for your lawn type.