Hairy Bittercress Identification and Control in Centipedegrass

Q: I can't identify this weed in my centipedegrass despite pre-emergents. How do I treat it?

It's hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta). You caught it before flowering—soon it'll have tiny white flowers and explosive seed capsules that scatter seeds widely.

Control: Spot-spray with synthetic broadleaf herbicide (click for sources) or organic weed killer, targeting only the bittercress to avoid damaging centipedegrass. No pre-emergent works well. Start spot-spraying in early February annually to keep it a minor nuisance.

Note: A reader reports eating similar greens ("Highland Creases") for 30 years, but that's likely upland cress (Barbarea verna), not hairy bittercress.