04-22-2007, 10:29 PM
It's Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) and it's a mustard (Brassicaceae) so named because the seed pod supposedly looks like a shepherd's purse. It's an annual (lives only one year) so it's not that difficult to control. Winter annuals like Shepherd's Purse germinate in late summer or fall, live over winter as small tufts or rosettes (no flower spike), resume growth in spring (flower spike starts bolting upward) and mature seed (tall flower spike) early in the summer.
They have a tap root so you could just pull up the ones you can get a hold of (the ones with flower spikes) if there aren't too many. It may take a couple years but if you can keep them mowed down so they don't produce more seeds the lawn will get thicker and the shepherd's purse will eventually be eliminated. Treat the lawn several times a year with a pre-emergent product that prevents seeds from germinating and you're covered. If you really want to you can use a broad-leaf weed killer spring and fall while it's actively growing. I think spray is better then granule. If it's a new lawn make sure the product is safe for delicate new lawns. The key for annual weeds is to keep them cut down so they don't produce seeds and use a pre-emergent to prevent what seeds are produced from sprouting.
[url "http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/weed_web/descriptions/shepherdpurse.htm"]http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/...ns/shepherdpurse.htm[/url]
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They have a tap root so you could just pull up the ones you can get a hold of (the ones with flower spikes) if there aren't too many. It may take a couple years but if you can keep them mowed down so they don't produce more seeds the lawn will get thicker and the shepherd's purse will eventually be eliminated. Treat the lawn several times a year with a pre-emergent product that prevents seeds from germinating and you're covered. If you really want to you can use a broad-leaf weed killer spring and fall while it's actively growing. I think spray is better then granule. If it's a new lawn make sure the product is safe for delicate new lawns. The key for annual weeds is to keep them cut down so they don't produce seeds and use a pre-emergent to prevent what seeds are produced from sprouting.
[url "http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/weed_web/descriptions/shepherdpurse.htm"]http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/...ns/shepherdpurse.htm[/url]
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