# Crazy winter brings crazy weeds



## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

Hi guys. I'm a little disappointed with my lawn so far. I did everything in the fall last year to winterize and prepare for this coming spring. So far coming into spring I have a TON of what looks like white clover in my lawn (mostly around the edges). I have already put down my pre-emergent but I think it might have been too late for that. Do you guys think it's because of the weird warm winter we had this year or what? I'm in the Northeast. This extremely discuraging. Or any recommendations on what to do now. This is what I have.


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## gasdoc (Jul 24, 2019)

Hairy bittercress

It's a winter annual. Did you put down a fall pre-emergent? If not you should consider for next year.

I think your options now are hand pulling and mowing. You can use a basic three way herbicide but my understanding is the weed will naturally fade as it warms up. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

gasdoc said:


> Hairy bittercress
> 
> It's a winter annual. Did you put down a fall pre-emergent? If not you should consider for next year.
> 
> I think your options now are hand pulling and mowing. You can use a basic three way herbicide but my understanding is the weed will naturally fade as it warms up. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong on that


I did not put down a fall pre-emergent. Honestly this is the first year i put down a pre-emergent at all. I'm a newbie here with that stuff so I didn't know you could put one down in the fall. Its just crazy as to how much is there, and its just all along the edges of the lawn. My lawn looked great there in the fall last year, and now it just looks like the edges were replaced with this crap.


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

I did a fall app of prodiamine but still had a few hairy bittercress poking up in my yard. They are prodigious seeders.

It looks like you do have clover too, and possibly one or two other broadleaf weed types. I would recommend you spray all that stuff with a mix of 2,4-D and triclopyr, such as Crossbow (amazon or elsewhere) or Ortho CCO (local big box store) and check for response within a week of spraying.

The hairy bittercress you will want to remove one way or another. If for some reason the herbicide doesn't do it then hand pull them. Or just pull them now if there are few enough to manage. Any that remain will develop seed heads that you'd swear were spring loaded the way they detonate when touched.


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## IRAFoggydew (Mar 26, 2020)

Are you liming at all in the spring and fall?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Lime will not treat weeds. Lime should only be use to increase the soil pH if needed.

Hairy bittercress can be a multi year challenge with all the seeds it drops. Prem over time will reduce the amount that comes back.


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## IRAFoggydew (Mar 26, 2020)

Liming does help with PH yes but most weeds thrive in acid soil so getting that correct I have always found is half the battle in eliminating weeds. I put down 400 lb in the spring and 400lb in the fall as our rain in PA is very acidic and this worked wonders on my lawn when I started taking on the project at my home.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@IRAFoggydew what is your soil pH?


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

ScottW said:


> I did a fall app of prodiamine but still had a few hairy bittercress poking up in my yard. They are prodigious seeders.
> 
> It looks like you do have clover too, and possibly one or two other broadleaf weed types. I would recommend you spray all that stuff with a mix of 2,4-D and triclopyr, such as Crossbow (amazon or elsewhere) or Ortho CCO (local big box store) and check for response within a week of spraying.
> 
> The hairy bittercress you will want to remove one way or another. If for some reason the herbicide doesn't do it then hand pull them. Or just pull them now if there are few enough to manage. Any that remain will develop seed heads that you'd swear were spring loaded the way they detonate when touched.


Thanks for all the information. Do you have a link to the crossbow stuff? Also would I be able to blanket spray that in a pump sprayer? I really don't have a ton of broadleaf weeds that are visible to me. It's mostly the bitercress and clover.

I'm currently in the middle of installing my blu-lock irrigation pipe right now, so when that is done I will for sure get to spraying. Thanks again!


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## IRAFoggydew (Mar 26, 2020)

g-man said:


> @IRAFoggydew what is your soil pH?


@g-man I do a soil test every year I send out to Penn State Ag department for results. I have been staying pretty consistent at 6.5-6.7 on my PH.


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

bots444 said:


> Thanks for all the information. Do you have a link to the crossbow stuff? Also would I be able to blanket spray that in a pump sprayer? I really don't have a ton of broadleaf weeds that are visible to me. It's mostly the bitercress and clover.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D0JHB5K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If that doesn't work then type in "crossbow herbicide" and it will come up. The quart size is $22.77 and will last you a very long time.
With only 1K sqft you could do it all with a hand pump sprayer. Or "spot spray," even if you're covering a large fraction of the yard. No reason you have to spray areas with no weeds.


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

ScottW said:


> bots444 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for all the information. Do you have a link to the crossbow stuff? Also would I be able to blanket spray that in a pump sprayer? I really don't have a ton of broadleaf weeds that are visible to me. It's mostly the bitercress and clover.
> ...


Thanks for the link. This says it's for trees and brush too. Will that kill the grass too if I do a blanket spray with it? I'd hate to lose all the nice grass I have for killing this bitterness.


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

bots444 said:


> Will that kill the grass too if I do a blanket spray with it?


No.
Avoid getting drift/overspray on your landscaping trees or shrubs because it can damage those, but the grass will be fine.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

Found this thread using search term "hairy bittercress."

Wish someone coulda snapped a photo of my face when I came upon gobs of this stuff last evening, DESPITE MY MAXing the amount of Prodiamine WDG 6 weeks ago!

I hit it with 1.5oz of Lesco 3-Way but now know I should've used the Triclopyr I had on the same shelf but, in the back of the chem storage cabinet ... will monitor and hit it w the Triclopyr in 4 weeks if it's still around (but, I doubt it will be ...


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

440mag said:


> Wish someone coulda snapped a photo of my face when I came upon gobs of this stuff last evening, DESPITE MY MAXing the amount of Prodiamine WDG 6 weeks ago!


These germinate in fall, so your 6-wk-ago app of prodiamine would not have affected them.

3-ways should kill them fine. Shouldn't necessarily need the triclopyr, but if you're spraying for other stuff (e.g. clover) and it's in the mix already, it'll work.


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

I just purchased crossbow as per the suggestions on this forum. I would like to do this as a blanket spray but i don't see anything online about blanket applications. Only spot spray. The Hairy Bitercress is mostly on the edges of the lawn but there is also some clover sprinkled throughout. Would I just spot spray all of this or attempt a blanket spray?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I've had good luck killing bittercress with triclopyr. Can be blanket sprayed as well. Some articles call for combo of triclopyr/carfentrazone/2,4D for post emergent control.

https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/news/2018/05/16/taming-the-ubiquitous-hairy-bittercress


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## ScottW (Sep 16, 2019)

bots444 said:


> I just purchased crossbow as per the suggestions on this forum. I would like to do this as a blanket spray but i don't see anything online about blanket applications. Only spot spray. The Hairy Bitercress is mostly on the edges of the lawn but there is also some clover sprinkled throughout. Would I just spot spray all of this or attempt a blanket spray?


You could do either.
There's no need or benefit to spraying a selective post-emergent herbicide on areas of your lawn where there are no weeds. However, for example, if you were doing a blanket app of prodiamine anyway, you could tank mix an herbicide and save yourself some time by applying pre-em and weed killer simultaneously. That does use a bit more herbicide than necessary, but it won't damage your grass. That's how most pro lawn care services do things.. time is money and they don't tend to take leisurely strolls through clients' lawns while carefully examining and spot spraying weeds. Most of us DIY homeowners do have the time, in which case I would only mix up as much crossbow as you need for spot spraying.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Also, prodiamine is not labeled for hairy bittercress. Which is probably why I keep getting it.


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

pennstater2005 said:


> Also, prodiamine is not labeled for hairy bittercress. Which is probably why I keep getting it.


I put down an app of prodiamine a few weeks ago. Just waiting on the crossbow now and I think I'll spot spray like you guys have suggested. There isn't a ton but enough on the edges to be noticable.


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## npompei (Sep 8, 2019)

bots444 said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > Also, prodiamine is not labeled for hairy bittercress. Which is probably why I keep getting it.
> ...


I'm in the exact same boat. Just when you think you're doing everything right and you have what you need... Mother nature puts a call in for more $$$ ha


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

npompei said:


> bots444 said:
> 
> 
> > pennstater2005 said:
> ...


I feel ya. That's why I'm so mad. I did everything I was supposed to do in the winter but now I have this stuff that I never had before. The rest of the grass is very green and thick already. We will get there don't worry.


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

What % of crossbow should I use? I see there are different percentages on the bottle, 1% 1.5% and 4%. I have a one gallon sprayer so I know the ounces I need just not sure which percentage to use for roughly 1000sqft of spray area


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## bots444 (Mar 2, 2020)

Well guys you were right. Crossbow was the way to go. Looking much better now!


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