These are all over my yard this year - seems worse than normal. Busily pulling them out before they go to seed as per @KMS! It's certainly spring come early in MD this year, I feel I'm behind, but actually date wise I'm way ahead!
Thanks everyone. I don't recall seeing them last year at all, I think we waited too long to the mow the lawn this season :-/ I am also still trying to figure out what is an intentional plant in our yard...this is our second spring in this home. I think my hubby weeded too much too soon last year as I am now finding some good surprises and I waited too long to weed this year! Live and learn... :)
I HATE this weed, we have them every where again, I pull them out before they flower, but I guess the seeds blow from across the way and the seeds can live for eons :( I call it a torpedo weed just cause those little seeds go everywhere !!!
I call it pop weed because that's what it does - pop seeds everywhere. Try and pull them before they go to see. It seems to be the first thing that comes up every spring and the hardest to get rid of.
I have those all over my yard and garden. I experienced the "pop" for the first time a couple of years ago. I wanted to get them out early this year but didn't make it. We had practically no winter this year. They are certainly interesting. They will pop at you when you get within a few inches of them.
When I was a kid, I thought they were neat. Not anymore! I don't know its name, the rosette of leaves remind me of cress.I usually don't see them till the seed pods are ready to pop.
Walter identified the weed, a Eurasian import named hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta). It germinates in the fall or winter and grows during any warm weather. For herbicide recommendations, see this article from NC State's Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research & Education:
Douglas I check out this web site and there is nothing that I could see that will assist centipede lawns. It had taken over some lawns in this area. I have actually seen pods on plants no bigger than a finger nail and not even 1 inch tall. It makes me want to cuss! But I do get my exercise in by hand pulling this.
Hairy Bittercress: Our lawnmower transferred the seeds from the front to the back last year. This year, I started early and started weeding before the seeds sprouted. Still weeding and it's in the seed stage but for every plant I get, that means less next year. To think I used to think this plant was so pretty in the flower stage. I used to be amused at the way the seeds popped all over the place. Now I know. :(
I've seen this in a lot of container plants from the nurseries and in nursery plant farms. Poor home owners get this and it's the dickens to get rid of. They use to call it horse's tail. There was one product that a homeowner could use and it went by the name of 'Finale'...I think it was made by Agro. Roundup won't touch it.
It is impressive the way it pops it's seeds in 'defense.' Some may cringe when I say this, but I am not (yet) into having a perfectly manicured lawn...when it's mowed it looks good enough for me, lol, nice and green. I am currently tending to the landscaping and gardening, more fun...would rather have less lawn and more perennials. :) @ RG, that's scary that you have seen it in potted plants at nurseries...cringe!
I have them in WA as well. They will grown in the top layer of anything, gravel, rubber mulch, sand, moss, anything!. I pull them before they flower. Repeatedly. I don't want to put heracide in my flowers for fear it will kill them as well. It helps with my stretching exercises, lots of hand weeding!:)
Ok and i thought it was just my lawn. i saw some spray in a Lowes called "weed stop for lawns" will that help. I am new to the hold lawn thing. My neighbor has already cut his lawn.
Can you tell us if it is the spiny one or the round leafed one? A sharper pic????
http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/Weeds/Bittercr... ...»
(And if you're so inclined, the leaves are said to be edible.)
Good luck to all with your weed battles!