Weed of the Week-Hairy Bittercress
Hairy bittercress is a winter annual weed that is quite prolific in the spring. Bittercress is similar to the weed I discussed last week-it germinates from seed in the fall and grows into a very small plant. By late February or early March in North Mississippi, bittercress is in full bloom. With this year’s warmer temperatures, we are already seeing this weed flower in our area.
Our picture of hairy bittercress shows the white flowers that are indicative of this plant. These flowers go to seed, which helps this weed quickly spread. Once this weed has started producing seeds, you can walk through your lawn and hear the seeds release from the plant. For such a small plant, bittercress produces an amazing amount of seeds./
Winter annual weeds such as bittercress germinate in the fall, overwinter as a small plant and begin growing again in early spring. They complete their life cycle and go to seed in spring or early summer. The best strategy for control of these weeds is to apply a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall to prevent bittercress and other weeds. If you take advantage of professional lawn care services such as Lawn 360, a fall pre-emergent is a typical part of our program.
Spring weeds that have already emerged can be controlled with a properly applied herbicide. There is hope if you are already seeing bittercress, henbit, dandelions or other weeds. Have you ever asked yourself, “How much does lawn care cost?” Reach out to Lawn & Pest Solutions at 662-534-4535 or www.lawnandpest.net/estimate and one of our certified technicians will be glad to give you an assessment of your lawn and answer your questions.
