How to Kick Hairy Bittercress Out of Your Lawn

If you’ve spotted a sudden outbreak of tiny white flowers and umbrella-like leaves in your lawn this spring, chances are you’ve met a sneaky little intruder: Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta). This cool-season annual weed might sound like something out of a salad bar — and yes, hairy bittercress is edible — but don’t be fooled. It can go from zero to “How did it take over my yard?” in no time.

In this post, we’ll break down:

• What hairy bittercress is and how it grows
  

• How to identify it
  

• The best hairy bittercress control strategies — both cultural and chemical
  

• Most importantly, how to prevent it from returning next season.

Let’s get into it.

Meet the Weed: What Is Hairy Bittercress?

Hairy bittercress is a member of the mustard family. It’s a winter annual weed — meaning it germinates in the fall, grows slowly through the winter, and then kicks into high gear in early spring. It’s also sometimes called:

• Shotweed
  

• Lamb’s cress
  

• Flickweed

This weed thrives in cool, damp conditions, especially in thin or bare areas of your lawn where turf isn’t competing strongly. And the moment spring warmth arrives? Boom — it sends up small white flowers and starts spreading seeds like a tiny rocket launcher.

What Does Hairy Bittercress Look Like?

Here’s an image of hairy bittercress to help you identify the suspect.

Quick ID: Is It Hairy Bittercress?

✅ Low-growing rosette of round, lobed leaves

✅ Small white flowers with four petals

✅ Long, thin seed pods that explode when touched (hence the nicknames “shotweed” or “flickweed”)

✅ Grows in early spring (often before your lawn greens up)

✅ Often found in damp, shady, or bare areas

✅ Fine hairs on the leaves and stems — thus the name “hairy” bittercress.

This plant might seem unassuming, but once those seed pods mature, they literally launch seeds several feet in all directions. One plant can produce hundreds of seeds, and now you’ve got a whole neighborhood of bittercress popping up next year.

How Hairy Bittercress Germinates and Spreads

Hairy bittercress germinates in late fall when temperatures start to cool. You won’t notice much at first — it grows low and slow, hiding beneath your turf like it’s up to something (spoiler: it is). By early spring, it matures quickly, sets seed, and dies back when summer heat rolls in.

And here’s the kicker: if you mow your lawn or walk through the yard while those seed pods are ready? You’ll help the plant do its job by spreading seeds even further. Thanks for nothing, right?

Why Hairy Bittercress is a Problem for Lawns

At first glance, hairy bittercress might not seem like a big deal. It’s small, low-growing, and even kind of cute with those little white flowers. But don’t let the innocent look dupe you. Here’s why hairy bittercress weed is bad news for your lawn:

1. It Steals Resources from Your Grass

Your turf needs light, water, and nutrients to thrive. Hairy bittercress competes for all three — and it’s aggressive about it. It establishes quickly in thin spots and starts soaking up everything your grass would otherwise use to green up in spring. Left unchecked, it weakens turf density, slows recovery from winter dormancy, and can lead to more weed problems as your grass struggles to compete.

2. It Spreads Like Wildfire

Once hairy bittercress matures, it produces long, narrow seed pods that are essentially nature’s catapults. As soon as they’re dry, even a light touch (from mowing, walking, or wind) triggers them to explode and shoot seeds up to 3–5 feet away. That means even if you only have a few plants now, you could be looking at dozens — or hundreds — next season.

And remember: each of those new plants will repeat the process next year. So, one bittercress plant going to seed is all it takes to launch a full-blown invasion.

3. It Signals Bigger Lawn Problems

Hairy bittercress is what we call an opportunistic weed. It’s not great at competing with thick, healthy turf, but it’s incredibly good at colonizing bare soil, thin patches, and moist, compacted areas. So if you’re seeing bittercress pop up in your lawn, it’s usually a red flag that:

• Your turf is too sparse or stressed.
  

• You’ve got drainage issues.
  

• You skipped fall overseeding or pre-emergent.
  

• Or maybe you scalped your lawn too low during dormancy.

In other words, bittercress is the symptom — not the root cause — of a lawn that needs a little more TLC.

If hairy bittercress has already crept into your turf, it's a good idea to check the health of your soil, too. A weakened lawn often starts below the surface. If you haven’t already, consider running a soil test to figure out what your lawn might be missing. Balanced soil gives your grass the edge it needs to outcompete weeds like bittercress.

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4. It Throws off That ‘Golf Course Lawn’ Look

Let’s be real: when you’ve put in the effort to build a green, dense, well-manicured lawn, the last thing you want is a patch of rogue weeds stealing the spotlight.

Hairy bittercress doesn’t just show up quietly — it flowers early, stands out with its wiry stems and seed pods, and makes the lawn look patchy and neglected. And once the seed heads mature, it gets even worse, giving your lawn that “overgrown field” vibe instead of the clean, sharp look you’re going for.

So, while it might not be as tough or fast-growing as crabgrass or dandelion, bittercress is sneaky. It thrives when your lawn is most vulnerable (late winter into early spring), and it sets the stage for more weed problems later if it’s allowed to spread unchecked.

Hairy Bittercress Control: How to Get Rid of It

Time to show this weed the door. Whether you’ve got a few scattered plants or a full-blown infestation, there are solid ways to deal with hairy bittercress and keep it from returning. Here's how to handle it like a pro:

1. Hand-Pulling (Good for Small Infestations)

Hairy bittercress has a shallow taproot and grows in loose, moist soil in early spring, so you can often pull it up cleanly and completely by hand. It doesn’t cling to the soil like some deeper-rooted weeds, and the whole rosette usually comes up in one go, root and all.

Pro tip: Pull weeds after watering or a good rain. The soil will be looser, and the entire plant will come up more easily. And remember, do it before those seed pods mature — or you’ll end up triggering the seed-launching fireworks show.

2. Cultural Controls

Hairy bittercress thrives in thin, bare, or stressed-out lawns — so if you bulk up your grass, you’ll crowd out this and other cool-season weeds.

Here’s how to make your lawn less inviting for bittercress:

• Mow regularly (but don’t go too short)
  

• Aerate and overseed in the fall to improve density
  

• Feed your lawn with the right fertilizer for your soil needs
  

• Improve drainage in low spots or compacted areas.

Want to give your lawn a jumpstart while building density? CarbonizPN-G™ is a granular soil amendment that improves microbial activity, helps your soil hold onto nutrients and water, and develop deeper roots. It’s a great companion to aeration and overseeding, especially if you're recovering from a bittercress invasion.

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A thick, healthy lawn is your best defense against all types of weeds, bittercress included.

Related: Aerating and Overseeding: Why These Two Practices Go Hand-in-Hand for Optimal Lawn Health 

3. Pre-emergent Herbicides (Fall Application)

Want to shut down bittercress before it ever gets a chance to sprout? You need a fall pre-emergent. Since hairy bittercress germinates in fall, applying a pre-emergent then is your best move to prevent it from showing up in early spring.

Here are two top-tier options from our lineup:

👉 0.38% Prodiamine Granular Pre-Emergent Herbicide 0-0-7

• Great for both warm-season and cool-season lawns.
  

• Contains Prodiamine (the same active ingredient used by many pros) to block weed seeds from germinating.
  

• Includes a starter fertilizer to give your grass a boost while keeping bittercress at bay.

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👉 Dimension .15% Pre-Emergent Herbicide with Fertilizer 0-0-7

• Ideal if you’re a little late — Dimension (with the active ingredient Dithiopyr) offers pre- and early post-emergent control, meaning it can catch some baby weeds that have just sprouted.

• Great for both warm-season and cool-season lawns.

• Also includes fertilizer to feed your turf.

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Another great pre-emergent herbicide for warm-season lawns is Specticle FLO Pre-Emergent Herbicide, which uses the active ingredient indaziflam to control weeds for over 6 months.

Timing is key: Apply when soil temperatures start dropping into the 70s — usually mid to late fall, depending on your region. These pre-emergents form a barrier in the soil, preventing bittercress (and other winter weeds like Poa annua) from ever getting started.

4. Post-emergent Herbicides (Spring Rescue)

If you’re reading this in spring and bittercress is already blooming, then it’s time for a post-emergent herbicide.

Not sure which one to use? We’ve got you covered with some of the most effective, grass-safe options in the game:

👉 Celsius and Certainty Herbicide Kit

• Perfect for warm-season lawns like Bermuda, Zoysia, and St. Augustine.
  

• Celsius WG and Certainty Herbicide hit broadleaf weeds like hairy bittercress and grassy weeds without damaging your turf.
  

• Includes surfactant to help the herbicide stick to the leaves and a blue marker dye to help you see where you've sprayed.

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👉 Buy Tenacity and Sedgehammer® Herbicide Kit

• Great for cool-season lawns like Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Fescue, as well as Centipedegrass.
  

• Tenacity Herbicide controls bittercress and a wide range of broadleaf and grassy weeds. Sedgehammer® Herbicide is a brilliant nutsedge weed killer.
  

• Like the kit above, it includes surfactant and dye — everything you need for precision application.

Apply when daytime temps are consistently above 50°F. You’ll want to spray while the plant is actively growing but before it drops seeds. That’s your best shot at halting the spread.

Is Hairy Bittercress Good for Anything?

Before you go full scorched-earth on this weed, here’s something surprising: hairy bittercress isn’t all bad. In fact, if you’ve already got it growing, you might as well put it to good use before pulling it or hitting it with herbicide.

1. It's Edible (And Kind of Delicious)

Yep, hairy bittercress is edible — and it's a favorite among foragers and wild food enthusiasts. The leaves have a peppery, cress-like flavor, a little bit like arugula. It’s packed with nutrients and makes a great addition to:

• Salads and sandwiches
  

• Homemade pestos
  

• Soups or stir-fry dishes
  

• Microgreen mixes.

Pro tip: Harvest the young leaves before they flower for the best taste. Older leaves can get a little tough and bitter.

⚠️ Safety Note: Only eat hairy bittercress if you're 100% sure it hasn’t been treated with herbicides or fertilizers. If it’s growing in a lawn that’s been recently sprayed or chemically treated, it’s best to skip the salad and move straight to removal.

2. Pollinators Like It

Hairy bittercress blooms very early — often while most other plants are still dormant. That makes it an important early-season food source for pollinators like bees and hoverflies. If you’re trying to support local pollinators, letting it flower for a bit (before it goes to seed!) can be beneficial.

Just be sure to mow or remove it before those seed pods mature, or you’ll be feeding pollinators and planting next year’s weed problem.

3. It Helps You Learn About Your Lawn

Hairy bittercress is an opportunist. It loves bare soil, shady patches, compacted areas, and underfed turf. So when it pops up, you’ll know your lawn needs some help.

The silver lining? It’s a perfect cue to improve lawn density by overseeding and giving those thin areas a shot at recovery.

If you're dealing with bittercress in cool-season lawns, check out these two premium grass seed blends — designed to fill in bare areas and build a dark green, weed-resistant lawn:

🌱 DIY Premium Double Dark Green Kentucky Bluegrass / Perennial Ryegrass Seed

• A pro-grade blend for those who want a lawn that turns heads.
  

• Designed for quick germination (from the Ryegrass) with long-term strength and self-repair (from the Kentucky Bluegrass).
  

• Produces a rich, dark green color that looks like a golf course fairway.

diy-premium-double-dark-green-kentucky-bluegrass-perennial-ryegrass-grass-seed

🌱 Premium Double Dark Green Turf-Type Tall Fescue Grass Seed

• Ideal for lawns that deal with heat, drought, or heavy foot traffic.
  

• Grows deep roots and offers excellent disease resistance.
  

• Gives you a dense, resilient turf with that deep green look everyone wants.

premium-double-dark-green-turf-type-tall-fescue-grass-seed

Pair either of these with core aeration and top dressing in the fall or early spring, and you’ll turn bittercress trouble spots into strongholds of turf health.

Related: How to Top Dress Your Lawn: The Complete Guide 

How to Prevent Hairy Bittercress from Coming Back

Now you’ve cleared it out, here’s how to stop bittercress from making a comeback:

✅ Apply Pre-Emergent in Fall

Use Prodiamine or Dimension to prevent fall germination.

✅ Keep Your Lawn Thick and Healthy

Overseed, fertilize, and mow properly to crowd out invaders.

✅ Improve Drainage

Fix low spots or compacted areas that hold moisture.

✅ Don’t Let It Seed!

Catch bittercress early in the spring before it flowers. One plant going to seed means hundreds more next year.

Don’t Let Bittercress Steal the Show

Hairy bittercress may be edible, explosive (literally), and kind of fascinating, but it doesn’t belong in your golf-course-quality lawn.

By understanding when it grows, what it looks like, and how to stop it in its tracks, you can stay ahead of this sneaky spring weed — and keep your lawn looking lush and weed-free all season long.

Whether you're battling bittercress, building thicker turf, or dialing in your soil health, we’ve got everything you need. Browse the store for pro-grade herbicides, fertilizers, soil amendments, and premium grass seed blends — all carefully selected to help you grow a lawn that turns heads and beats weeds, season after season.