Hairy Bittercress Invades Ohio

Hairy bittercress is invading lawns across central Ohio. Above-average rainfall over the past year and a half, and a mild winter laid the groundwork for the weed?EUR??,,????'???s explosion. The plant consists of a base of rosette-type leaves, typically smaller than a human hand, with white flowers atop stems less than a foot tall.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesman, Jim McCormac said, ?EUR??,,????'??It's just one of these weeds that has reached a critical mass and gone off the cliff, forming a snowball rolling downhill and getting bigger and bigger.?EUR??,,????'??

Dave Gardner, an associate professor of horticulture and crop sciences at Ohio State University, said, ?EUR??,,????'??My yard is just loaded with the stuff.?EUR??,,????'?? Moist soil and warm weather allowed hairy bittercress to grow rapidly in recent weeks, and with pods that easily explode, it?EUR??,,????'???s prolific that takes hold easily.

How To Combat It
"The solutions are not particularly good" this time of year, Gardner said. Post-emergent herbicides ?EUR??,,????'??lack the oomph to take this down.?EUR??,,????'??

The plant is best controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall to prevent its return.

Hairy bittercress can be removed by hand, with little chance of its re-emerging, because it has a shallow taproot easily pulled from the ground.

Gardner agreed: ?EUR??,,????'??For the average homeowner, the best strategy is hand pulling and keeping it mowed. If you keep it closely mowed and keep the flowers at bay, it will fade away before June 1st."