How do I control hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) in a home lawn in Rappahamack County Virginia?
Date of Correspondence: March 31, 2004 Website Resources: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/carhi.htm Recommendation: The preferred time to treat for hairy bittercress is October or November when plants are young. Plants can be treated and killed in spring, but summer heat will also kill plants in a few months. Use products that contain at least two or three of the following active ingredients: 2,4-D, dicamba, MCPP, triclopyr, and clopyralid. Avoid allowing these chemicals to contact any desirable broadleaf plant. If turfgrass is thin, seed in April to promote a thick turfgrass canopy and prevent fall-germinating seed from becoming established. Scout for small plants in the fall and treat if a sufficient population is observed. In this way, you will avoid the subsequent problems with larger plants in the spring.
